Speak values

Drew Westen, our local but nationally renowned psychologist who explains to politicians how to more effectively deliver their message to voters based on his research, has a piece on HuffingtonPost that's worth reading.

It's a plea to President Obama to speak out more forthrightly on social issues. In trying to avoid rankling the social conservatives, with their black/white, right/wrong mentality, he could make his case better. Here's a sample:

What my collaborators and I have found will strike many readers as surprising: On every issue we have studied, from abortion to immigration, a well-refined progressive narrative, designed to speak to the hearts and minds of the American people in their language, not the language of activists and advocates, can beat the strongest of conservative messages nationally by 15-20 points. Even in the Deep South, where I live, we can win by strong double digits with common sense, center-left messages on issues such as abortion. . . .

The reality is that when Democrats clearly state their values on this issue, Americans prefer their message over a strong, well-crafted "pro-life" position by double digits.

Westen and pollster Stan Greenberg tested various messages on abortion for voter reaction. This message beat a strong conservative message nationally by 20 points and in Georgia by a 2:1 margin:

I'm not pro life, I'm not pro choice, I'm pro common sense. None of us truly knows what's in the mind of God, and the government has no business telling a man and a woman when they should or shouldn't have kids based on somebody else's interpretation of Scripture. But we need to find the common ground on abortion, reflecting our shared moral beliefs, not the beliefs that divide us. That means doing everything we can to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, teen pregnancies, and abortions. And it means preventing abortions late in pregnancy, except when the mother's life or health is in danger, because abortion shouldn't be used as a form of birth control, and it shouldn't be used when a fetus is too far along. This should be a personal and moral issue, not a political one.

Westen concludes:

I suspect President Obama would be comfortable with either of these messages, because from what I know of his position on abortion and his religious faith, both messages map closely onto his personal values. The point is that the president does not need to choose between urging mutual respect and taking a strong stand. He can do both. And he needs to.

Let's hope someone in the White House is listening. Obama is doing great; but the Republican message-machine is powerful. Obama has a tendency to try to avoid stirring them up, rather than being candid. But then he is capable doing just what Drew prescribes: like his great speech on race in Philadelphia and not shying away from talking about abortion at Notre Dame. He needs to speak out on the issues that they are throwing at Sonia Sotomayor -- racism, judicial activism, judges "making policy," emotions' role in judicial decisions --before her hearings.

Ralph