Your humble author originally found this posted on Reddit, and since then it has been reported upon by others from the Washington Examiner and the Wall Street Journal on to multiple posts on the Ace of Spades HQ.
There are a few points, however, that fit in with what we’ve been saying in regards to the Progressives’ modus operandi.
The “Key Messaging Prinicples” they emphasize are:
- Always Focus on emotional and value-driven arguments about gun violence, not he political food fight in Washington or wonky statistics.
- Tell stories with images and feelings.
- Claim moral authority and the mantle of freedom.
- Emphasize that Extraordinarily dangerous, military-style weapons are now within easy reach across America.
- Empahsize that America has weak gun laws and don’t assume that people know that.
- Challenge the NRA on your terms, not theirs.
In effect, this list is all about winning the narrative. By setting the tone and the parameters of debate, the argument will have been won without a single argument either in favor of, or against, being made.
Further, the very terms used themselves are important, and harkens back to the the question of who is winning the War of Words. For examples, the guide tells anti-civil liberty zealots: “DO talk about ‘preventing gun violence.’ DON’T talk about ‘gun control’.”
Key messaging principles they stress in order to bring reason with emotional hyperbole include:
- Always start with the pain and anguish that gun violence brings into people’s lives.
- Use statistics to reinforce an emotional argument, not to replace it.
- Use images that bring your message home.
- Tell stories with feeling and energy.
- If you speak in a victim’s voice, make your story accessible, not exclusionary.
The “Preventing Gun Violence Through Effective Messaging” goes on with such dishonest tactics. Such tactics are usually successful, but the victory of our 2nd Amendment rights have been a wonderful exception to that. The full handbook can be seen below:
