Impact

Rockridge Briefs California Attorney General on Framing of Climate Crisis

Evan Frisch — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:25:59 -0700

Joe Brewer and Bruce Budner were invited to the office of Attorney General Jerry Brown to explore the framing of the climate crisis. Sixteen attorneys for the Department of Justice, including the AG himself, attended the meeting on September 14 in the Oakland, CA office and via video conference in Sacramento. We discussed the importance of frames and narratives in motivating people to identify with this major issue. The discussion was lively and appreciated for the "food for thought" we provided.

Rockridge Recommendations on Green Identity Win Top Billing at Care2

Evan Frisch — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 17:15:45 -0700

A recent Rockridge piece on how to make "green" a powerful identity reached the top position for news and commentary at Care2, a community of more than 7.5 million activists committed to protecting the environment and other progressive action. Care2 members themselves determine which articles among the many thousands submitted are promoted to prominence in their popular web community. With help from supporters who responded to a Rockridge Action Alert, this piece received top standing at Care2. You can choose to receive Action Alerts when you register for Rockridge Nation or by changing your preferences if you are already a Rockridge Nation member.

The image below shows how Rockridge's recommendations were displayed on the main news page at Care2 earlier today. (The magenta frame has been added to identify the Rockridge article.)

The Rockridge recommendations were also featured on the Care2 home page:

Rockridge Fellow Joe Brewer Interviewed on Pacifica Radio

Evan Frisch — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:08:22 -0700

KPFA's The Morning Show featured Rockridge Institute Fellow Joe Brewer in a discussion of biofuels. Joe responded to questions about his article The Coming Biofuels Disaster. The discussion also included Eric Holt-Giménez of Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy. The program (MP3) originally aired on July 6, 2007 on KPFA radio, a Pacifica station in Berkeley, CA.

Rockridge's Glenn W. Smith Interviewed on Public Radio

Evan Frisch — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:41:59 -0700

Rockridge Institute Senior Fellow Glenn W. Smith was interviewed on the radio program Here And Now about his recent article, Summers of Love. In the interview (requires Real Player), Smith discussed what the Summer of Love meant to him growing up in Texas and the progressive values that inspired him and many other Americans. The interview was originally broadcast on June 29, 2007 on about 50 stations nationwide that carry Here And Now, a production of WBUR in Boston.

Rockridge Addresses National Association of Hispanic Journalists Convention

Evan Frisch — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 10:07:51 -0700

On Thursday, June 14, Bruce Budner and Eric Haas spoke to a roomful of journalists at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists convention in San Jose. They talked about Rockridge's media project and specifically about the ways that immigration-related stories are often framed to present a conservative perspective. Critiquing a recent article about the passage of a municipal ordinance in Farmers Branch, Texas limiting the ability of landlords to lease to undocumented residents, Eric pointed out the ways in which the narrative structure chosen by the reporter naturally led to a conservative orientation. The presentation was well received and stimulated much Q&A. It prompted an invitation to make a presentation at the newsroom of a local media outlet.

'The Democratic Strategist' Praises Rockridge Article on Iraq Funding

Evan Frisch — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:13:59 -0700

The Democratic Strategist, a journal of public opinion and political strategy, recently praised the Rockridge Institute article, The Framers Got It Right: Congress is the Decider. The Democratic Strategist website states:

In his latest post at the Rockridge Institute web page, George Lakoff and co-author Glen W. Smith explain the framing psychology behind GOP myth-mongering:

Congress allowed the president to take over its job to decide the strategic mission and to put Congress in the role of merely providing funding. This allowed the president to cast Congress in the role of "refusing to fund the troops," "endangering the safety of our troops," "playing chicken with the lives of our troops," "hamstringing our troops," and so on. It allowed President Bush to portray Congress as responsible for the safety of our troops, whereas the real responsibility lay with him. By allowing the president to reframe the Constitution and take away their powers, Congress made itself fatally vulnerable. Most of the Democrats wound up adopting the president's framing of them as responsible for the safety of the troops.

But rather than reacting with expressions of disgust and let it go at that, Lakoff and Smith offer a number of interesting ideas for reframing the issue of Iraq funding, including:

Progressives must point out that it is the president, with an enabling Congress, who commenced a foolhardy adventure with no clear exit strategy or way to "win." That same president has refused to properly prepare or adequately equip soldiers — and now he is blaming Congress. When Congress passed a supplemental spending bill with reasonable timetables attached, he refused it. The betrayer is the president. Say it over and over: The president has betrayed our troops and the nation.

Lakoff and Smith point out that the current funding authorization is only good through September and that there will be other opportunities for Democrats to act. They even outline a course of action for Democratic activists. Their article should be a keeper for party strategists and activists alike. [emphasis added]

Rockridge at National Hispanic University

Joe Brewer — Tue, 22 May 2007 09:54:59 -0700

Joe Brewer, a fellow at the Rockridge Institute, led a discussion of Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision as part of the Women - Make Your Vote Count voter empowerment series at National Hispanic University on Wednesday, May 16th. This six week series, facilitated by Betty Martinez, is built around George Lakoff's ideas in his book Don't Think of an Elephant! Participants were enthusiastic about values-based language and framing, recognizing the essential role Rockridge fills in political discourse in the U.S.

Frameshop Meets Rockridge

Arianna Siegel — Wed, 09 May 2007 15:32:02 -0700

Rockridge hosted a stimulating lunch meeting with Jeffrey Feldman of Frameshop fame today, who was in the Bay Area for a book reading at Cody's Books in Berkeley. Feldman's new book, Framing the Debate: Famous Presidential Speeches and How Progressives Can Use Them to Change the Conversation (And Win Elections), which contains an introduction by Rockridge's own George Lakoff, was published last month. Ideas flew fast and furious around the lunch table, and not surprisingly, the predominant topic was framing. Among the issues discussed were 9/11, terrorism, the Bush administration, Iraq and many more. Possible collaborations were also discussed. A good and productive time was had by all.

Update: A camera crew from C-SPAN recorded Jeffrey and George's appearance at Cody's Books. We will provide a link to the video once it becomes available.