IdeaLog
When progressives cry “freedom,” what does it mean?
Posted on December 9, 2014
Where government has no proper role, because public action would violate individual rights, progressive policy should be based on freedom. By freedom, I mean the absence of legal interference with our fundamental rights—freedom of...
How to argue over the Thanksgiving table
Posted on November 24, 2014
In the wake of the disastrous 2014 election, you might be dreading Thanksgiving a bit. Every year your loud-mouthed right-wing Uncle Mort insists on debating politics over the dinner table. This year, you expect,...
Police cameras to protect public safety
Posted on November 11, 2014
Technology is changing the business of law enforcement. Because of DNA evidence, we know that far too many innocent people have been prosecuted and imprisoned. Because of cellphone cameras, we know there is far...
It’s the media, stupid
Posted on October 28, 2014
The 2014 election has been a shameful, ignorant affair. Americans are choosing candidates based on obsolete stereotypes, phony memes, and absurdly untruthful campaign ads. Why does the mainstream media tend to repeat all the...
What We Stand For in Twelve Words
Posted on October 13, 2014
What explains the popularity of the conservative brand? Polls consistently show that, when presented one at a time, Americans support progressive, not conservative, policies. By margins of at least two to one, our fellow...
Understand the anti-teacher narratives
Posted on September 29, 2014
If you listen to the advocates for increased standardized testing and decreased rights for teachers, you will hear a series of narratives or stories that underlie all their arguments. These stories are a powerful...
Should your police have military equipment?
Posted on September 16, 2014
More than 8,000 local police forces, including at least 117 college police agencies, have received more than $5 billion in military equipment from the federal government under the “1033 Program.” This obscure anti-terrorism program...
Is Obamacare now helping progressives?
Posted on
Right-wingers and the media have spent the past few years confidently asserting that Obamacare is a political albatross. This was backed up by polls that mindlessly combined conservatives who opposed the Affordable Care Act...
Progressive Values 101
Posted on September 1, 2014
It is an exaggeration to say that today’s progressives don’t have a philosophy. Progressives have a fairly consistent agenda–we know what we stand for. The problem is, we don’t have an effective framework to...
Are today’s progressives bad at message framing?
Posted on August 19, 2014
Looking back, without expensive consultants or focus groups, liberals of the 60s and 70s brilliantly framed their federal programs as the Peace Corps, Head Start, Model Cities, Fair Housing, Equal Employment Opportunity, and the...