HATE VS. LOVE
DON’T TAKE THE BAIT
We knew this would happen. As more and more Wisconsinites band together to protect our freedoms, the politicians who rig the rules and try to control us are going all in on dog whistle politics.
As we all know all too well, across Wisconsin, millions of dollars in ads are flooding our airwaves, spreading lies about Wisconsin’s Black candidates and Black communities.
Paid for by billionaire donors and wealthy corporations on behalf of their hand-picked candidates, these ads have two goals: to divide us by where we live and what we look like; and to distract us as they attack our freedoms.
Our task is to say what we are for and then call out how certain politicians divide and scapegoat. In other words, we need to share with our friends and neighbors what is happening, why, and how we all can overcome it to protect our freedoms.
Thank you to ASO Communications, Way to Win, the Research Collaborative and We Make the Future for your guidance, which we draw on heavily below.
KEY GUIDANCE
It is infuriating to hear lies, especially about reforms and programs that are so important to our people.
It is jarring to see tragedies exploited so crassly for political gain.
And these lies are all the more cruel and insidious when they happen in our state — one of the most segregated in the nation — where politicians who’ve rigged the rules for corporate donors further the incarceration and exploitation of our people to the extreme.
And yet, as always, we know that arguing facts too often feeds the lies. Repeating the lies, even to negate them (“the sky is NOT purple!”), actually helps their words spread.
The work is to expose these lies and those behind them while keeping the conversation on the future and freedoms we are all fighting for.
HELPFUL FRAMES
Here are some helpful frames that can be adjusted to name individuals or issues most relevant to you:
This election is a clear choice between Wisconsinites who care for our families and value our freedoms and [certain politicians] who deliberately spread lies while trying to destroy the freedoms of anyone who doesn't look, live, or love like them.
Across our races, backgrounds, and genders, Wisconsinites work hard to provide for our families. But [certain politicians] rigged the rules and now try to blame Black, brown, and new Americans, hoping we won’t join together to demand what all of our families need.
From our freedom to decide how to grow our families to our freedom to vote to our freedom to live safely, [certain politicians] want to control us, use violence to overthrow elections and block the policies we favor.
This election is a clear choice between Wisconsinites who work hard to provide and care for our families and [certain politicians] who try to take away our freedoms.
[Certain politicians] are trying to take away our freedoms, from banning abortion nationwide to ending Social Security and Medicare in five years, to allow politicians to overturn the will of the people with no regard for our vote.
Most Wisconsinites want to provide for our families and create a better future for our kids, but [certain politicians] hand kickbacks to corporations and block every bill to lower costs, deliver clean energy and create good jobs.
This November, our rights, benefits, and freedoms are on the ballot. [Certain politicians] will protect our freedoms to breathe clean air, to get the affordable health care we need, and to decide whether and when we grow our families.
From our freedom to decide if and when we grow our families to our freedom to vote to our freedom for our families to thrive, [certain politicians] want to control us, use violence to overthrow elections, and block the policies we favor.
We’ve seen what happens when [certain politicians] have claimed to be for freedom, only to take it away and impose their will. This November, remember: You’re a part of the fight for freedom.
Just as we did in 2020, as voters, we decide what’s possible.
PROTECT OUR FREEDOMS
In a time where so many of our freedoms are under attack – from criminalizing abortion to attacking honesty in education, from January 6th to violence from men like Kyle Rittenhouse – it’s clearer than ever that our volunteering, community building and work is nothing less than fighting to protect our freedoms.
We must acknowledge, own and share that vital truth.
Here is a guide from our friends mentioned above of ways we can do so for thirteen different issues:
Abortion/Reproductive Justice: our freedom to decide if and when we grow our families / our freedom to decide whether we have kids
Climate: our freedom to have clean water to drink, clean air to breathe / our freedom to breathe easier / our freedom to leave a better life for our children, grandchildren, and future generations
Democracy/Elections: our freedom to vote / our freedom to have an equal say in the decisions that impact our lives
Economic Well-being, Taxes and Social Supports, Wages and Jobs: our freedom to make a good living/ freedom to thrive / freedom to prosper/ freedom to care for our families/ freedom to retire in dignity [with programs we rely on, like Social Security]
Education: our children's freedom to learn
Guns: our freedom from gun violence / our freedom to trust our kids will come home safe at the end of the day / freedom to go to the grocery store, send our kids to school, worship, live our lives, walk through our communities without fear of gun violence
Healthcare: our freedom to get the care we need (without fearing we’ll go bankrupt to get it)
Immigration: our freedom to move / our freedom to give our families a better life / freedom to be who you want to be, say what you want to say, and go where you want to go
Labor and Unions: our freedom to join together in union / our freedom to negotiate a fair return on our work so we can provide for our families
Medicare and Social Security: our freedom to rely on programs we trust, like Medicare and Social Security
Paid Family and Medical Leave: our freedom to care for our loved ones/our freedom to be there for our loved ones/our freedom to recover from illness or injury
Police Brutality and Accountability: our freedom to breathe/our freedom to get home safe/our freedom from police brutality/our freedom to be treated with dignity by those sworn to protect and serve
Trans and Queer Youth: our children's freedom to be themselves and pursue their dreams / our freedom to be ourselves
SHARE THE MESSAGE
Here are some sample videos you can use that highlight the frames we want to use. These videos are available open-source; email us to get the files.
Watch and Share the Video: https://youtu.be/cSXBFUV9stI
Together, we can make this a country where everyone can
💨Breathe
🗣Speak
🤸🏿♀️Live
This November, vote to #ProtectOurFreedoms.
Watch and Share the Video: https://youtu.be/pXv2j0zsawE
Watch and Share the Video: https://youtu.be/JRvy0ddr1uA
Sample Content: For all of the content available, see here
To download and find more, please visit this IntoAction library.
WHY WE LAUNCHED THIS SERIES
This year is a pivotal crossroads for our state and our nation. In 2020, we came out in record numbers. We marched, we voted, we volunteered, and we elected new leaders to govern in our interests.
But now, our time is running out to ensure that every person in Wisconsin knows how much they made a difference. If we cut through the noise, we can ensure they know that they changed the direction of our state, improved our lives, and will do it again.
Here’s the challenge: our collective knee-jerk reaction to disinformation and incorrect statements is to provide “enough” facts to win the day, argument and voter. But contrary to our instincts, this doesn’t work and can even strengthen our opponent’s narrative!
When we try to bust a falsehood, what ends up happening is:
We deepen the audience’s belief in the lie
We repeat and reinforce our opponent’s frame
We expose the lie to folks that might not have heard it before
At the same time, we know we can’t stay silent. This monthly newsletter will help inform how to dispel lies and call out dog whistles without repeating them.
