By: Liz Massey on EchoMag.com

A long time ago in a Midwestern state far, far away, I grew up in the suburb of a major city amongst seemingly ever-present conservatives. On Election Day, it was rarely a matter of whether a Republican would win whatever office he or she was running for, but rather by how many votes.

Raised by Democratic parents who spent most of their careers as federal employees, I never really understood conservatism's lure. My family's opinions on how to run the country provided my frame of what was political "common sense." I couldn't understand why people voted for conservative Republicans, often against their own best interests, again and again.

I thought of all this immediately after the 2008 election, when the success anti-GLBT ballot measures across the country and the resurgence of the GOP in the Arizona state legislature contrasted painfully with Barack Obama's history-making victory. My conclusion is that we progressives have a lot more work to do on how we present our philosophy.

Why do progressive Democrats have such a hard time at the ballot box? Because we're 25-plus years behind the GOP in understanding how voters respond to our messages. One of the best authors for learning the GOP's secrets on this front, and how to apply them for our own gain, is George Lakoff, a linguistics professor and cognitive scientist. In his 2006 book Thinking Points, Lakoff identifies several key ideas that progressives should probably tattoo on themselves until they are internalized:

 

Everybody's bi. Biconceptual, that is - almost everyone adheres to a blend of progressive and conservative ideals, on which they base their actions and beliefs. GLBT advocates can reach out to conservatives with progressive views on civil equality by framing our arguments with a very clear Constitutional basis.

Speak to those who are persuadable the same way you speak to your base. Social conservatives have long held-up the bogeyman of a dangerous, secret "gay agenda," and our counter-claims that we don't have an agenda aren't believable. We must be upfront about what we want (equal rights), and why the health of American democracy depends on our agenda succeeding.

Framing our messages by following polls or "moving to the center" weakens the progressive cause. Voters can sense inauthentic behavior a mile away. Downplaying our desire for civil marriage when battling anti-marriage amendments is senseless. If marriage wasn't that big of a deal to us, why would we be fighting the initiative?

 

I believe Obama won the presidency because he really does feel he can bring the United States "change we can believe in" and because he excels at framing progressive goals as an extension of America's promise as a nation. His authenticity and his ability to formulate responses that do not denigrate his opponents' beliefs are worth copying in our advocacy work.

Luckily, one of the most powerful political reframing tools we have as a community is also one of the simplest - coming out. It is not so much the announcement itself that makes a difference, but how we relate to others after we come out. In everyday ways, we show our neighbors, co-workers, family and friends that our walk matches our talk.

In the long run, this will swing elections, legislators and judges our way. It is hard to argue the merits of limiting the civil rights of an amorphous group like "the gays" with people who come to our weddings, play Scrabble with us at our kitchen table and who barbecue at the park with us.

Do your part in advancing our agenda - be yourself!