Messaging Guide
11. How to Answer Twenty Tough Questions
The following questions are phrased from a hostile point of view using right-wing framing of the issue. Whether the questioner is actually hostile or just curious, your best answer always starts at a point of agreement and uses values.
1. Do you favor abortion on demand? (remember, this is rightwing framing)
Say . . .
We need to protect our fundamental rights and freedoms. In particular, we must have the freedom to make our own personal health care decisions without interference from politicians. There is no health care decision more personal and private than whether to give birth. We should respect every patient’s dignity, allowing them to consult with their own family and act in accordance with their own faith. And once someone has made this very personal and private decision, government should not interfere.
Note . . .
Explicitly make this an issue of freedom, which is the most powerful political value in America. Saying “personal and private” brings to mind the value of privacy, which people appreciate. When we say “act in accordance with their own faith,” we are pointing out that different faiths have different views on abortion. “Interference” gets to the crux of the matter; should individuals have freedom or should the government butt in and decide for them.
2. What are you going to do about illegal immigrants?
Say . . .
We need a comprehensive immigration system that secures the border, keeps our communities safe, and repairs the broken process left by years of gridlock in Congress. In fact, just this year, after Democrats and Republicans in Congress negotiated a tough, bipartisan border security law, the Republicans killed the plan for political reasons. We’ve got to stop the political pandering and gamesmanship and create a system that treats everyone fairly.
Note . . .
The first sentence is the key. Make it clear that you believe this issue is about security.
3. How are you going to fix the economy?
The economy is a mess, people are hurting, and our state/city/county is not doing enough to solve the real problems. We can do better. Our system works when everyone gets a fair shot, everyone gives their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules. Rightwing policies are not fair; they rig the system to benefit the rich over the rest of us. The economy is complicated, of course, but fundamentally we need policies on wages and benefits, healthcare and retirement that support average working people. We need to grow the economy from the middle out and the bottom up, not from the top down.
Note . . .
Obviously, you can’t “fix” the economy. The most important thing you can do is empathize. Do not say the economy is doing well, even though it is. Most people are hurting, or they are just one misfortune away from disaster. Turn this question into something you want to talk about—that you favor the middle class while the right wing favors the rich.
4. How are you going to fix inflation?
Say . . .
Higher prices hurt lower and middle-income families. They don’t hurt the rich. Rather, inflation benefits the well-off because they’re the ones who raised our prices. Big corporations, usually the suppliers of goods more than the retailers, raise prices to increase their profits. Those companies, as well as big landlords, charge what they can get away with. We need to fight anti-competitive pricing as well as price-gouging. Bottom line, the right wing has no legislation or plans to address inflation because they represent the rich, not the rest of us.
Note . . .
You’re not going to get anywhere by saying that inflation is down, even though it is. Any economic issue should be addressed by explaining that the right wing favors the rich while our side favors the middle class. As for Trump’s tariff policies, they would increase inflation by a lot.
5. Are you “woke”?
Say…
I am fighting to make things better for our community. To do that, I support freedom, opportunity and security for all, including a fair economy, affordable healthcare, world-class schools, a stronger economic infrastructure, and a better quality of life. Call it what you like; I focus on policies that benefit all of us.
Note . . .
Do not accept the rightwing framing of “woke” or “critical race theory” or “ESG.” They are all designed to trigger emotional reactions and deflect attention away from real, rational issues. If you’re talking to people who really care about what’s “woke,” then they are not persuadable. Don’t waste your time.
6. Do you believe in global warming?
Say . . .
We must protect the health, safety and security of our children and grandchildren. And they face a deadly problem. As virtually all climate scientists agree, humans are causing climate change, bringing heat waves, wildfires, higher sea levels, and much more dangerous storms. So we need to apply commonsense strategies now. We know how to implement clean energy solutions and we know that reducing fossil fuel dependence will make America stronger and our kids safer. It’s time to step up and get it done…our children are counting on it.
Note . . .
Progressives say climate change rather than global warming. It polls a little better and it more accurately describes the impact of excessive greenhouse gases. The one key fact that most persuadables don’t know is that there is a strong consensus among scientists that climate change is real and humans are causing it. Tie that to the security of your listeners’ children and grandchildren.
7. Are you a tax-and-spend liberal?
Say . . .
I am a pragmatic and commonsense progressive. I support a balanced budget for our city/county/state. And I support tax fairness. We need to identify and eliminate tax breaks and loopholes that benefit the wealthy few at the expense of all the rest of us. Our overall goal should be to maintain and improve the quality of life here in [location], not just for ourselves, but for our children and grandchildren.
Note . . .
Don’t get defensive. Smack this softball out of the park.
8. Should we give special rights to gay people?
Say . . .
If America stands for anything, it’s equal opportunity for all. If you have two children or grandchildren, and one is straight and the other gay, you still love them equally. You know the government should treat them fairly and equally. So LGBT people should be treated like everybody else and the law should ensure they’re not the victims of discrimination just because of who they are.
Note . . .
The equal opportunity frame usually works best. Appeal to love and finish with the antidiscrimination law that Americans overwhelmingly support.
9. Do you oppose gun ownership and/or the Second Amendment?
Say . . .
I support the Second Amendment. But like most Americans, I also support reasonable laws that help keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons, domestic abusers and the dangerously mentally ill. [This particular gun violence protection legislation] is just a modest, common-sense measure to protect our public safety.
Note . . .
Persuadable voters support the Second Amendment. At the same time, more than 90 percent support requiring background checks for all gun purchases. By all means, appeal to common sense.
11. Shouldn’t we lock up repeat criminals and throw away the key?
Say . . .
We certainly should lock up repeat violent offenders because that makes us safer. At the same time, we are safer if we prevent juveniles and petty criminals from becoming violent career criminals. We can lower the rate of repeat crimes if we send nonviolent drug offenders to addiction treatment instead of putting them in prison. Let’s focus on what works to make our communities safer.
Note . . .
Progressives tend to talk about helping criminals. We’re right, of course, but that won’t work with persuadable voters. Focus on public safety, not the criminal.
11. Do you favor posting the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms?
Say . . .
One of our most important freedoms in America is the freedom of religion. That means everyone gets to practice their own religion without the government interference. As for the Ten Commandments, the first several are purely religious. That is why the U.S. Supreme Court ruled more than 40 years ago that it is unconstitutional interference by government to require that the Ten Commandments be posted in school classrooms. The Court was right because the only way to protect your freedom of religion is to protect everyone’s freedom of religion.
Note . . .
People appreciate the Ten Commandments, obviously, but they appreciated freedom even more. You’d give pretty much the same answer about requiring schools to teach the Bible, a practice that the Supreme Court banned in 1963.
12. Do you favor vouchers for private schools (so-called “opportunity scholarships”)?
Say . . .
We all want what’s best for our own children. If parents decide private school is best for their child, that’s great. But taxpayer dollars should not be taken out of our public schools to fund private schools. We need to focus our scarce tax dollars on the goal of having top-quality public schools so that each and every child has the opportunity to succeed, achieve, and live the American Dream.
Note . . .
Americans tend to oppose vouchers if they take money from the public schools. In general, shift the debate away from failing schools and toward the importance of providing opportunity for all.
13. Do you support the death penalty?
Say . . .
Our criminal justice system should be focused on making all of us safer. Since there is not an ounce of evidence that the death penalty deters murder, we shouldn’t spend the enormous amounts of time and money needed to implement it. Give them life without parole and insist that our courts, prosecutors and police divert all those wasted resources toward efforts that actually diminish crime. Besides, there are so many people who have been sentenced to death who were later proven innocent. That’s not just an awful injustice, it also guarantees that the real murderer remains at large and continues to threaten everyone’s safety.
Note . . .
Again, as much as possible, focus on public safety instead of injustice.
14. Wouldn’t it hurt small businesses and cost jobs if we increased the minimum wage?
Say . . .
Our economy depends on small businesses. We have to encourage them. But all the evidence shows that increasing the minimum wage puts money in the pockets of people who will spend it almost immediately, which quickly generates business for the local economy. When we do it right, raising the minimum wage is a win-win.
Note . . .
American almost worship small businesses. Embrace them! The fact is, voters overwhelmingly support a substantial raise in the minimum wage, so this is not a difficult sell. To appeal to persuadable voters, focus on how the minimum wage stimulates the economy for everyone rather than how it helps the poor.
15. Doesn’t environmental regulation lead to higher energy prices?
Say . . .
None of us likes it when prices rise. We should only support new rules that provide more benefit than cost. Environmental rules protect our air, water, forests and parks—things that we all own together—from abuse by just a few people. When they pollute for profit it is at our joint expense. We need fair and transparent rules to make sure environmental costs aren’t dumped on all of us.
Note . . .
Make the environment real to listeners.
16. Aren’t public employees like teachers, firefighters and police getting too many health and pension benefits that taxpayers just can’t afford?
Say . . .
Our state/city/county should not waste a penny. We should pay fair wages and benefits, nothing more and nothing less. Based on what I’ve seen, I do not believe that the teachers, police officers and firefighters in our community are overpaid. But there are some government contractors with excessive subsidies or sweetheart contracts, and we’ve got to crack down on those to save taxpayer dollars.
Note . . .
Polls show that die-hard conservatives think public employees are overpaid, but persuadable voters generally don’t feel that way. Refer to teachers and other public employees in our community because voters are much more supportive of public employees they know, especially schoolteachers, than faceless bureaucrats. Then move the discussion to the related issue of overpaid government contractors. This works best if you can show an example of corporations being overpaid in your jurisdiction. It shouldn’t be hard to find one.
17. Shouldn’t we require drug tests for welfare recipients?
Say . . .
We should certainly discourage people from using illegal drugs. But we need to do it without wasting a lot of taxpayer dollars. States that have tried this policy have found that they spend much more tax money on drug testing than they save in cutting people off from assistance. Drug addiction is a problem across the nation and across income groups. Let’s focus on treatment and prevention programs that work.
Note . . .
Polls show that voters support drug testing for public assistance. Right wingers have attempted such legislation in dozens of states. It’s a tough issue.
18. Shouldn’t we stop the construction of a mosque in our neighborhood? They’re terrorists!
Say . . .
Freedom of religion is fundamental to America. The key to defending freedom is this: if we deny freedoms to other hardworking law-abiding people, that’s how we lose them ourselves. In this case, if a town can block construction just because it’s a mosque, then it can block Mormons or Seventh Day Adventists, Methodists or Catholics…or your own denomination. The bottom line is: none of us are free unless all of us are free.
Note . . .
People adore freedom but honestly don’t understand it. Explain it to them.
19. Are you trying to knock down the free enterprise system?
Say . . .
No, I favor equal opportunity for everyone. That requires a system with rules of the road that make economic competition fair and open and honest. We need to ensure that everybody gets a fair shot, does their fair share, and plays by the same fair rules. Our goal must be to ensure that everyone who works hard and acts responsibly has the opportunity to live the American Dream.
Note . . .
Americans are opposed to economic unfairness. This harsh question gives you the opportunity to lay out your basic progressive economic theme.
20. Are you a Socialist?
Say . . .
I support freedom, opportunity and security for all. We call that a Progressive.
Note . . .
If you’re in a crowd, smile. That ideologue just did you a favor.