The art of politics revolves around the ability to ‘frame’ the issues, ‘frame’ the people, ‘frame’ the debates in the public places.
I have decided on the major frame which I believe can lead the Liberals to a minority government in this election, and make Dion prime minister. If Dion adopts my suggestion, of course.
So far, Stephane Dion and his Liberal team have not succeeded in making any effective frames about Harper and his Tories stick, and Harper has. Harper has run the public place discourse by making several frames stick, including the frame Dion is a weak leader, the frame The Green Shift is a risky tax increase, and the frame Stephen Harper is a decisive leader, and the frame Tories deliver on their promises.
George Lakoff has summarized the use of frames by the Republicans in the following article:
“I am concerned about the upcoming debates. There are two aspects of debate prep: internal and external. Let's start with the external, since it's less obvious. What happens in a debate depends very much on questions asked and the framing used to ask them. It's the job of a campaign to get questions asked that use their own framing and language, not the opposition's framing and language. The McCain campaign has been very active in prepping the press to ask his questions with his frames: The Maverick Frame, the Country First Frame, The Surge Is Working Frame, the Victory Frame, The Drilling Frame, the Change Washington Frame, and so on. McCain can answer questions based on these frames easily and forcefully, as he did at the Saddleback debate, which he won handily.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-lakoff/dont-think-of-a-maverick_b_125850.html
In the Cat’s view the most formidable frame which Dion and his Liberal team can adopt in order to win the election is this: Harper – Can you trust him?
This frame has the advantage of attacking Harper at his strongest point: his claims to be a decisive leader, who delivers on his promises, runs a good government, and can be trusted by Canadians.
How do we offset Harper’s winning of the framing game? By adopting this major frame, and hitting Harper and the Tories with it time after time, in every major speech by Liberal MPs, and in most advertisements, over the next 30 days.
Under the frame Harper: Can you trust him? Dion and his team can wrap statements of fact about Harper’s past behaviour, and flip flops.
All of these must be cast in the frame of trust. The word trust must be used repeatedly.
Examples of what can be used under this frame? There are many.
The income trust broken promise: can you trust a man who breaks a clear promise a few months later?
The lack of trust Harper has in his MPs and Cabinet members, which leads to his running the whole show himself and muzzling them: can you trust a man who does not trust his own team?
His past statements, such as his firewall advice to Alberta, and his recent actions to reduce federal power in favour of provincial power: can you trust a man who does not stand up for Canada, but acts like a puppet for the premiers?
You get the drift ...
If Dion starts using the trust frame for all future attacks, his chances of leading a Liberal government in a month or so will be dramatically improved.
