“Message Handbook for Progressives From Left to Center”

[wyldwolf]

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.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/us/politics/30message.html?em

Who's using it?

Alisha Thomas Morgan, running for re-election to the Georgia House in a conservative suburb of Atlanta.

Andrew Gillum, a city commissioner in Tallahassee, Fla., who is fighting a ballot initiative against same-sex marriage.

Senator Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, fending off a Republican challenger.

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.

Bill Jones, a moderate Democrat in a conservative, wealthy section of suburban Atlanta, said talking to Dr. Westen had helped him make the decision to run for Congress against the Republican incumbent, Representative Tom Price.

Even Frank Luntz, the architect of many Republican rhetorical successes, says Dr. Westen is fostering a sea change.

Download it here:

http://afv.3cdn.net/6aa05fa8b9249f3364_0im6b9k8u.pdf