Apparently feeling that a Pandemic, a crisis in policing, an economy in free fall, a full on environmental catastrophe, a unbalanced and dangerous President and a massive and ongoing Russian cyber attack weren’t enough trouble for the US, right wing terrorists decided it was time to attack on our democracy and threaten assassination of our leaders (and some of their own). I can’t believe I’m even writing these words.
Where do we go from here and how do we respond? Let’s take these one by one.
Where do we go from here?
In a previous post I brought up the philosophical concept of liminal space -that time between what was and what will be. It often begins in fear and helplessness, continues in confusion and ends in change -change we intentionally create or change that is thrust unwillingly upon us. We are there. Ohh, are we there. We will probably not go back to what we were before, but if we have a clear vision and communicate it honestly, earnestly and often, we can build back better (to coin a phrase).
All of us —every last one of us— needs to get our communication chops up. We are here for you.
How do we respond?
In the near term we need to talk about the Insurrection —and to this end please join us and special guest Lee Hobart Stocking Feb 1st (at 8 E/7 C/ 6 M and 5P) as we offer ways to frame and message what’s been happening. Free registration.
In the long term? We have to stop responding. We are under no obligation to answer questions from the right or prove their absurd notions are untrue. Plenty of people will do that. We need to be on offense, be proactive and be active now, solidly communicating what Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and our state and local officials are doing to bring about a better America.
Understanding that communication is as much about listening as talking, we need to reach voters we usually drop off our walk sheets and phone banks. If, for example, we do not understand the real issues facing rural America we will always be playing catch up. The good news is that most people, when asked about issues, usually agree with us. I’ll leave you with this quote from my friend Steve Bucher:
Framing is the art and science of crafting your message so people figure out that they already agree with you.
