Guns: How do we get support for our issues to translate into support for Democrats?
We're here to make a real difference in people's lives. We simply need more votes if we are to overcome opposition from the radicalized Republican Party.
The Gun Debate: If we keep doing the same thing, we'll keep getting the same results. What can we do differently? A huge majority of Americans support gun safety laws. How do we translate that support into votes for Democrats, so we can actually pass those laws? By speaking out as Democrats, not just as individuals.
We can’t force other people to change. The only thing we have control over is our own behavior. If we keep doing the same thing, we’ll keep getting the same outcome.
What can we do differently? How do we get support for our issues to translate into support for Democrats? By speaking out as Democrats, not just as individuals.
We’ve already won the issue debate.
Usually I talk about the nuts and bolts of framing, things like creating the right word associations and setting the agenda. But in this case, we don’t need to do that. I don’t think there is anyone in the U.S. right now that can think of anything but the faces of those children when they hear the word “gun.”
We don’t need to make the case for our proposed policies either. According to a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll:
88% support requiring background checks on all gun sales; 8% oppose.
75% support creating a national database with info about each gun sale; 18% oppose.
67% support banning assault-style weapons; 25% oppose.
84% support preventing sales of all firearms to people reported as dangerous to law enforcement; 9% oppose.
81% support making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks; 11% oppose.
77% support requiring all gun owners to store their guns in a safe storage unit; 15% oppose.
Why doesn’t support for our issues translate into support for our candidates?
Given the level of support for these issues, why do so many people believe that the Republican party is more aligned with them on gun issues, or trust the Republicans to handle the issue of guns more than they trust Democrats?
Let’s start with what we’ve always done: assume that we can win elections by promoting issues and that voters will support the candidates whose issue positions best match their own.
In my framing training, I often start with some important findings from clinical psychologist Drew Westen, author of the excellent book “The Political Brain.” Drew Westen studied people’s decision making processes while they were attached to machines that read their brain activity. He found that, contrary to popular belief, here is the order in which people make political decisions:
The problem is, says Westen, nobody ever gets past number 3. What do we build our communication strategies on? Number 6. Rational evaluation of the issues. What do Republicans build their communication strategies on? Number 1. Promoting the party brand.
What can we do differently? What behavior do we have to change, in order to create a different outcome for this and every issue where we have majority public support yet can’t deliver for people?
We get support for our issues to translate into support for Democrats by speaking out as Democrats, not just as individuals.
I’m in Arizona right now and the street corners are filled with 4x4 signs for candidates and every single one makes it absolutely clear that the candidate is a Republican. Republicans never, ever, run “away from the party” like we do. Somehow, we never perceive that as costing them votes among swing voters.
Imagine that you are a swing voter, standing in a room. You will be making your voting decision based on which Party you think most highly of and want to put in charge of government for a while.
A bunch of Republicans stand in one corner, yelling, “Come join us! The Republican party is the best! We are willing to fight for what we believe to be morally right!” A bunch of Democrats stand in the other corner, saying, “You should vote for me because I support your issues, but I don’t always stand with my party. Sometimes my Party does things I don’t support.”
Which Party would you vote for?
I believe we have a situation where voters may hear from one Democratic candidate and think “That person stands where I stand on gun issues, but I can’t vote to put Democrats in charge because they will go way to far and do radical things.”
We have to make it clear that the Democratic Party will, if given sufficient power, do the right thing, for the right reasons.
Speechlet:
“It is completely morally unacceptable that gun violence is the number one cause of death for children in America. We all want to live in a society where our children aren’t traumatized by fear, and where we can all feel safe at school, or church, or a concert, or the grocery store. The Democratic Party believes in keeping our children and families safe and that is why we will pass reasonable gun safety laws supported by the overwhelming majority of the American people. We just need a few more votes to overcome Republican opposition to these laws so we can deliver what the American people want and so desperately need.”
Note: Speechlets are brief narratives that the Party, candidates, or anyone else can use word for word, or rewrite to suit their relevant audiences or cultures. You have my permission to use without credit, but if asked, please refer people to this newsletter as a source, so that more people are encouraged to promote the same narratives.
What makes this narrative powerful?
It tells people what Democrats believe to be right and wrong.
It associates the Democratic party with safety for children and families.
It provides a vision of the better society we could have if Democrats actually had the power to pass laws.
It emphasizes that the Democratic Party is in line with the majority of the American public.
It tells people exactly what needs to happen for them to get what they want.
The first rule of framing is, “Don’t talk about Republicans.” When we put out endless content about how awful Republicans are, we do not achieve any of these things. What we do is increase persuadable people’s exposure to Republican perspectives, including their negative messaging about us.
The Democratic Party Brand
As Drew Westen showed us above, it is pretty hard to make someone like the Democratic Party when we can’t even stand up and show people that we are proud to be Democrats. So Republicans say bad things about Democrats. The solution isn’t to pretend we aren’t Democrats. The solution is to say good things about Democrats.
Republicans have spent decades trying to make any term we use to identify ourselves socially toxic. They hammered us with the term “tax and spend Liberal” until we stopped calling ourselves Liberal all together. What did that achieve? Did they stop calling us tax and spend Liberals? Not at all. They use the term to this day. What did we achieve by not using the term “Liberal”? We gave Republicans 100% of the control over what the word “Liberal” means in the public debate.
What happens when we don’t tell people, proudly, what a Democrat is and why they should be one? We forfeit to Republicans 100% of the control over what the term Democrat means in the public debate.
What would happen if Samsung kept saying, ‘Apple products are crap!”? How should Apple respond? Do they say, “Let’s stop advertising the Apple brand and put out this new smartphone under its own name, so that people can buy it based on its own merits as a smartphone.” Of course not. Why would Apple let Samsung have 100% of the control over Apple’s brand identity? They wouldn’t. Not in a million years. They would drown the debate in content about how Apple is the best and how all the cool people buy Apple products.
The private sector understands the extent to which people shop according to which brands they identify with.
The Bottom Line:
If we want people to give us the political power to do the things they actually want us to do, we have to get them to like the Democratic Party or, better yet, identify as Democrats. They will only do that if we are proud to identify ourselves as Democrats.
Thank you for reading! I hope this is of practical use to you as you fight the good fight. I welcome your comments, questions and ideas!
In solidarity,
Antonia
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