Cognitive Policy Works

Yesterday I was asked to share my reflections on the tragic shootings that took place in Connecticut…  please share if this resonates with you.

This morning I read an article titled How the War on Women Became Mainstream that compelled me to action.  It chronicles the escalation of attacks on the basic human rights of women in the United States, painting a picture of religious fanaticism that came with the election of Tea Party radicals to state and federal [...]

Progressives had some fun last week with Frank Luntz, who told the Republican Governors’ Association that he was scared to death of the Occupy movement and recommended language to combat what the movement had achieved. But the progressive critics mostly just laughed, said his language wouldn’t work, and assumed that if Luntz was scared, everything [...]

I was asked weeks ago by some in the Occupy Wall Street movement to make suggestions for how to frame the movement. I have hesitated so far, because I think the movement should be framing itself. It’s a general principle: Unless you frame yourself, others will frame you — the media, your enemies, your competitors, [...]

If you’ve been watching the Occupy Wall Street protests these last few weeks, you may be surprised by how quickly it spread from a small group of disgruntled youth in New York to a planetary mobilization that is now active in more than 100 cities – all in a few short weeks.  This is an unprecedented [...]

Cognitive Policy Works has existed now for three years.  It started out as a consultancy that continues the mission of George Lakoff’s Rockridge Institute, which closed its doors in April of 2008.  We have offered workshops and trainings on the framing of health care and education, the workings of the political mind, values-based communication, and [...]

For the first two years of his administration, President Obama had no overriding narrative, no frame to define his policymaking, no way to make sense of what he was trying to do. As of his 2011 State of the Union Address, he has one: Competitiveness. The competitiveness narrative is intended to serve a number of [...]

There is no ideology of the “center.” What is called a “centrist” or a “moderate” is actually very different — a bi-conceptual, someone who is conservative on some issues and progressive on others, in many, many possible combinations. Why does this matter? From the perspective of how the brain works, the distinction is crucial. Because [...]

In order to challenge the rise in violent rhetoric in America, we need to label it in a concrete and memorable way. Chip Berlet presents an attempt to do this in The Becking of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. This interview with Thom Hartmann explains the term and challenges the false frame of equivalency that attempts to [...]

A tragic event unfolded this weekend in Tuscon, Arizona when a political assassination attempt was made on the life of Representative Gabrielle Giffords.  Several innocent people were killed and many more were injured.  Our hearts go out to the victims. We have been watching events unfold and looking for patterns that can help explain what [...]