March 18th, 2009 by heath
The Political Moment.
Something happened on November 4, 2008—on that much we can all agree. Americans went to the polls in record numbers and elected a candidate whose most consistent message over the nearly two-year long campaign was as simple as it was clear: Change.
But what kind of change? How fast, and in what directions? Now that we’re being heard, how do we want to set the agenda? These aren’t idle questions, particularly for Underground and our clients, many of whom have spent the past eight years fighting a rearguard action against policies that were an unmitigated disaster for the environment, human rights, and the very idea of using science to fashion solutions to the immense problems we face. So where do we start, and how do we begin?
We’re glad you asked:
- Come out of your defensive crouch. There’s no question that we’ve been down so long, it was starting to look like up. Crafting communications strategies in a world where you could almost always count on the administration and its allies doing pretty much the worst possible thing on any given issue at least had a kind of comforting consistency to it. They’re for it? We must be against it, then. But that world is gone, and it’s time to get off defense, to stop thinking about stopping bad policy, and start thinking about what the best policy might look like. Realize that the public is on your side. You have allies in government who will be willing to listen. You need to help them set the agenda.
- Take a moment to take stock. Of course, this incredibly hopeful political moment is happening at the same time our economy is in collapse, and many of our organizations are facing a financial storm the likes of which we’ve never seen. With budgets tight and uncertainty in the air, it’s time to take a deep breath and ask some serious questions. Who are we as an organization, and who do we want to be? What changes in approach are we likely to see from the new administration on the issues we work on? Even if your budget won’t allow you to launch a major campaign right now, what plans can you lay for when the economy turns around? Remember that smart, efficient communications become even more important in an economic downturn.
- How will you take advantage of new opportunities? From the economic recovery package to renewable energy standards and a dozen other major initiatives, the new administration will be moving legislation through the Congress. Now is the time for some strategic thinking. Where do the issues you care about fit into the President’s agenda? What can you do to influence policy? How can you tie your priorities into the big initiatives that are going to dominate the news for the next year? A lot of trains are about to leave the station. Make sure you’re on board.
- Learn the lessons of the 2008 campaign. Smart organizing and clear messaging tied to cutting-edge social networking led to political victory in 2008. There’s no reason it can’t do the same for policy wins in 2009. A whole new generation of politically engaged young people looking for practical solutions is ready to be mobilized. They grew up on the Internet, and have no hesitation about using it to connect, organize, and even define who they are as people. We need to be doing everything we can to understand the tools they use and how they use them. Political identities formed in youth can last a lifetime—if we can get this generation to realize they’re environmentalists, or care about human rights, we’ll be building a durable majority for the issues we care most about.
- Find a new frame. There’s a common thread running through the disasters of the past eight years. Ideology, self-dealing by the powerful, and an assault on science-based policy have left us with bankrupt institutions, metastasizing crises on half a dozen fronts, and a mounting sense that our leaders aren’t up to the challenge. The good news is that the people who led us down that path have now been thoroughly discredited. We need a new frame: a clear-eyed acknowledgement of the mess we’re in (without getting bogged down in looking backward), coupled with a firm commitment to working our way through our problems with science, reason, and plain old hard work. The public believes we’ve gone seriously off the rails the past few years, but don’t bet against the American people’s core optimism. We all know we’re in a world of hurt right now. The real fight is going to be over how we get out of it. Focus on finding solutions.
- Look forward boldly. It’s tempting to pull back right now, play it safe and stick with what’s worked before. But that’s precisely the wrong path to take. Our budgets may be reduced, but they’re not gone completely, and we need to turn up the volume on our efforts, find and champion the best ideas, choose messages and creative that will cut through the clutter and get the attention of our constituents (and our funders). Now is the time for bold answers to big problems, and it’s our job to supply them.
Tags: communications, framing, politicalmoment
