Subject: Briefing - tomorrow am, please join us
From: "Carla Ohringer" <[email-masked]>
To: "Carla Ohringer" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:19:19 -0400

Reminder about tomorrow's issue messaging briefing.  Please RSVP, if you
haven't already, so we can get an accurate head count.  
 
Hope to see you tomorrow,
Carla
 
Carla Ohringer Engle
COO, American Family Voices
Post Office Box 65304
Washington, DC 20035 
202-393-4352 

 

Please join...

Mike Lux

President, American Family Voices

Drew Westen, PhD

Author:  Winning Hearts and Minds:  Why Rational Appeals Are Irrational
If Your Goal Is Winning Elections

Michael Bocian

Principal, Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner Research

For a briefing and discussion on issue messaging.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

10:00 am

1850 K Street, NW, Eighth Floor

Washington, DC

No matter how much money, time, and intellectual capital progressives
spend on developing a policy infrastructure, neither our values nor the
policies and proposals that reflect those values will be translated into
action unless we speak to the general public in sensible, emotionally
compelling ways about what we believe and why they should-or already
do-share our goals and values.  

The central goal of the Voices for Progress (VFP) Project is to develop
and test principled stands on issues, i.e., emotionally compelling
values statements and narratives about where we stand, so we can avoid
practicing the politics of  avoidance (trying to change the subject
instead of addressing issues head-on), resort to off-putting or
euphemistic language, or offer defensive hedges, particularly on wedge
issues.  The goal of the VFP project is to develop a menu of principled
stands, from center to left, that progressive organizations and
individuals advancing progressive causes can use if they find them
helpful and consistent with their own values and goals, so that they are
not constantly reinventing the wheel or speaking to the public in ways
that do not resonate emotionally, given that emotional responses predict
public support or nonsupport for positions and leaders.  

The project represents a collaboration between Westen Strategies, LLC,
and Greenberg, Quinlan and Rosner, which together are producing memos
and downloadable podcasts that will include 5-6 carefully refined and
tested principled stands, ranging from center-progressive to
progressive-left, on each of 11 issues central to the current political
landscape, including:  abortion, guns, immigration, gays, the role of
government, health care reform, the economy, energy, national security,
Iraq, and taxes.   The project starts with progressive values and uses
empirical methods to identify the best ways of talking with the public
about those values and policies that reflect them. 

There is no charge for the event, but reservations are required.

RSVP via email at [email-masked]
<mailto:[email-masked]>  or by phone at 202-393-4352.

Contributions to American Family Voices are not deductible as charitable
contributions for Federal income tax purposes.  

American Family Voices is a non-profit 501(c)4 organization.