NYT: A Psychologist Helps Repackage Democrats’ Message
By SHAILA DEWAN and ROBBIE BROWN
Published: October 29, 2008
ATLANTA — Democrats up and down the ballot have been trying to reverse the Republican rhetorical dominance that made “liberal” an unsavory label, and many have found help in a slender document percolating through their party’s hierarchy.
It is called the “Message Handbook for Progressives From Left to Center,” and, along with a companion piece on health care, it was created by Drew Westen, a psychology professor at Emory University here who was virtually unknown in political circles before this election cycle. Several Democratic consultants say it is the first systematic, data-driven effort to mold the language of the left to fit the sensibilities of the center....
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Dr. Westen advises jettisoning wonkish 12-point plans in favor of direct emotional appeals that can compete with those evoked by Republicans using terms like “family values” and “the war on terror.”
“We are a centrist nation,” he said in an interview, “but people prefer center-left to center-right, even in conservative parts of the country, if they hear equally strong messages on both sides.”...
Dr. Westen’s ideas began to catch on when he was writing “The Political Brain,” a scientific explanation of the central role of emotion in politics, published in 2007, that urged Democrats to stop cowering and fight back.
Among those with whom he has had audiences are Howard Dean, the Democratic national chairman, and Young Elected Officials, a national group of left-leaning city council members and state legislators. During the primaries, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., now Senator Barack Obama’s running mate, recommended “The Political Brain” to his campaign staff. Bill Clinton is a fan.
Even Frank Luntz, the architect of many Republican rhetorical successes, says Dr. Westen is fostering a sea change. “It’s as though the Republicans have fallen back 15 years in their communication,” Mr. Luntz said, “at the very moment when Democrats vaulted ahead 15 years.” Mr. Luntz said the Obama campaign often mirrored Dr. Westen’s approach. Though Dr. Westen has not worked for the campaign in an official capacity, he has offered guidance, both directly and in his Huffington Post columns.
Instead of using euphemisms like “pro-choice” and “reproductive health,” his handbook suggests, liberal candidates might insist that it is un-American for the government to tell men and women when to start a family or what religious beliefs to follow, arguments that test well in focus groups with conservatives and independents. On illegal immigration, he recommends, candidates who have said their plan would “allow” immigrants to become citizens should instead say they will “require” it.
“The idea,” Dr. Westen said, “is to start to rebrand progressives using language that’s as evocative as the language of the other side, and stop using phrases that just turn people off.”...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/us/politics/30message.html
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