IdeaLog
All Politics Is Local—about the PLI Conference
Posted on January 1, 2020
Except from the book by Meaghan Winter (pages 181-182) I first saw Leslie Herod at work in the summer of 2017, when she appeared on a panel at a conference sponsored by the Public Leadership Institute—a...
All Politics Is Local: Why Progressives Must Fight for the States
Posted on December 18, 2019
Except from the book by Meaghan Winter (pages 20-21) Many of the foot soldiers advocating for social change today are not explicitly working within the party structures; they are community groups, advocacy organizations, lobbying...
For average American’s it’s still the economy, stupid!
Posted on December 4, 2019
James Carville famously made economics central to Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, insisting “It’s the economy, stupid!” The mainstream media thinks that the American economy is roaring and that will help GOP campaigns. But...
What’s 2020 about? Perhaps our children.
Posted on November 20, 2019
Any political or policy campaign is fundamentally about persuading people that you, or your cause, are “on their side.” Progressive activists tend to respond that, sure, we’re going to show Americans that we are...
Ten popular measures for 2020
Posted on November 6, 2019
Progressives should decide where they stand on issues based on values, not on polls. At the same time, it is smart politics to lift up our more popular issues. The most important thing is...
The three most basic rules of politics
Posted on October 24, 2019
The purpose of political action is to change public policy. Those of us who are involved in politics and policy are familiar with the legislative and electoral processes. But, do progressives really understand what...
Why does the media repeat lies?
Posted on October 9, 2019
In 1997, legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee gave a speech about truth and lies in politics. He explained that newspapers “don’t tell the truth” when they (a) don’t know the truth, (b) quote someone who is...
Only progressive values can defeat conservative arguments
Posted on September 25, 2019
Most Americans are progressive on most issues. By margins of at least two to one, our fellow citizens: believe corporations and upper-income people are paying too little in federal taxes; oppose repealing the federal...
Progressive values negate our negatives
Posted on September 11, 2019
Liberals, lefties, environmentalists, unionists, consumer advocates—all progressive types—suffer from negative stereotypes. Some of these stereotypes were invented by the right-wing messaging machine, and others are self-inflicted. By using progressive values, we address and reverse...
What is message framing, anyway?
Posted on August 27, 2019
Good question! Let’s start with a little quiz specially crafted for history buffs. When were these political slogans in vogue, and what were they about? (1) Tippecanoe and Tyler Too (2) Don’t swap horses...