Why Aren’t We Shouting the Battle Cry of Freedom?
By Bernie Horn
Created 06/15/2008 - 8:40pm
Why freedom? It is, quite simply, the most popular political principle in America. This is not merely an assertion; it is the conclusion of a nationwide poll conducted by Lake Research Associates. Why should we be surprised by that? Freedom is the cornerstone of America’s value system. It is the most sacred word in our civic religion. It’s the battle cry that best sums up the reason for our nation’s founding.
But it is also a major stumbling block for progressives, because this word is barely on the fringe of our vocabulary. That is our biggest message framing problem because, as Celinda Lake says, “If we want to compete on values, we have to find a way to use freedom.”
After years of warrantless wiretapping, illegal imprisonments, and torture, we should all be saying the F-word with regularity. No, no, I mean freedom. Why do progressives seem allergic to this word? Why aren’t we shouting the battle cry of freedom?
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