Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind, thoughts, words and images that are conductive to action and then success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action.
Many of us are passionate about politics and often get so caught up in what we are fighting against, that we tend to forget what we are fighting for, what we represent and why it is important to us.
Why is it important to frame what we say as political activists in a positive manner? Because while negative tactics in politics often involves “getting things done at the expense of others” and “being willing to win while others lose,” positive politics is the ability to influence opinions, obtain resources and work with people to get things done.
When we practice positive politics we are acting in the service of our organization and our mission. We become powerful advocates for our stated cause. While building an understanding and mutual network of support with those around us. Even those that do not fully understand what we are fighting for are willing to listen when the message is framed in a positive light.
In debate class, students quickly learn that whoever frames the message in the most positive manner wins the debate. This is an important skill for those of us fighting for Liberty to understand and incorporate in our interactions with others. As an example, when the abortion argument began, both sides of the debate fought to see who would be able to best “frame the message” which they believed would recruit more followers to their viewpoint. One side started calling those who were against abortion “anti-choice.” The opposing side responded by framing those who were for abortion as being “pro-death.” Today, this framed marketing message has polarized both groups into the Pro-life / Pro-choice movement. This matters because it clearly states what they are fighting for and not what they are fighting against, thus attracting people to the cause.
Those of us fighting in the liberty movement should understand the physiological way that others respond to the message that we are presenting. We need to be able to articulate what we are for, instead of always with what we are against.
If we want to be leaders in our respective political parties, we need to be able to communicate a clear, positive, call to action to potential supporters. Outstanding leaders are able to positively express an ideological vision congruent with the deeply-held values of their followers. Real leaders display a passion for, and have a strong conviction about what they regard as the moral correctness of their vision. They engage in outstanding or extraordinary behavior and are willing to make tremendous self-sacrifices in the interest of their vision and mission. We need to learn to do this in order attract people to the cause of Liberty and communicate with them the importance of what we are trying to accomplish.
Once we learn to “frame the Liberty Message” in a positive, upbeat way, we will have more curious bystanders join our cause. Those who are apprehensive will begin to listen. People become fascinated with and are drawn to a message of hope and encouragement. After all, the ultimate goal is attracting more people to our message of Liberty and Freedom.
How do we frame the issues that are important to us in a positive manner:
Our opposition to the Patriot Act- We support protecting all American’s privacy and personal liberties.
Opposition to the current managing of the Federal Reserve- We support a sound monetary policy that is transparent to all Americans
Not being willing to Vote for the lesser of 2 evils in elections- We believe American’s should only vote for someone whom they agree with on fundamental Republican principles.
Our Opposition to unprincipled republicans such as Charlie Crist, John Thrasher and other such as them- We support holding all Republicans accountable because it is the only way to insure our party remains true to its principles.
Our opposition to Interventionist Foreign Policy- We support a Constitutional approach to foreign policy thus allowing us to build a strong national defense.
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October 7th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
The Republican Liberty Caucuses are groups of active Republicans who work to support the Party Platform principles of freedom to trade (not free trade or free markets), entrepreneurship (not capitalism, which is a dirty word to the public after the recent Wall Street happenings), X, Y, and Z.
We are a national organization with groups in ___ states and we have a local chapter here in Jax. We get together on the first Tuesday of the month to hear terrific speakers and discuss current events and issues. We publish resolutions, distribute position papers by our membership, and work with the Republican Party leadership as well as local, state and national government in support of Republican principles.
I would like to invite you to attend our next meeting. Here’s a card with contact and Web site information so you can see if this is something that might interest you.
October 7th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Great meeting last night! It is nice to take a moment to reflect and see what we (the RLC) need to do to improve ourselves and our communication of our message. We have made mistakes, but one of the best things about the RLC is that we DO take time to stop and fix thing. We are constantly learning and we are not afraid of improvement.
I greatly appreciated Kristi Dunn, Dan Quiggle, and Brian Swensen for taking the time to give us their feedback on the RLC and how to better frame our message of liberty.
Thank you very much!!!
-Kimberly
October 6th, 2009 at 12:06 am
My 30 second snippet of what the RLC is about:
The Republican Liberty Caucus is working hard to return the Republican Party to a Constitutionally conservative platform. If you feel the Party has drifted away from you… If you want to get involved and DO something to change it back… If you believe in liberty, smaller government, lower taxes, personal freedom and responsibility, and you want to see the Republican Party stand for this again, the Republican Liberty Caucus has a place for you.
October 5th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Here’s my question, which may end up being several. Are you chiefly concerned with framing the message of the RLC or the message of liberty itself? As you undoubtedly know, liberty itself is attractive message by default. If it was not then why would so many of our founding fathers have given up so much in its defense? I could be preaching to the choir. I agree with you that you need to be positive and paint your views in a positive light but isn’t the thrust of marketing to have that point of differentiation. Isn’t it saying “This is how we are different from (fill in the blank)? Perhaps I am just convinced that liberty can win its own battles because “liberty nd justice for all” strikes a chord with humanity. It moves me every time I read the constitution or the founding fathers because I believe in liberty and those things I read are essentially a peripheral vehicle of transporting the message of liberty that appeals to reason, common sense, but mostly something that cannot be taken from me- my humanity.
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:08 am
Here’s my 30 second description of the RLC… what I try to tell people when they ask who and what we are…
“The Republican Liberty Caucus is a group within the Republican Party that is trying to bring our party and our country back to the values and intentions of our Founding Fathers. We are not afraid to hold our elected officials accountable and often point the finger at our own party in an effort to keep those that represent us principle-oriented and value-driven. We call ourselves the conscience of the Republican Party because we stand for individual liberty, free-market capitalism, and for upholding the integrity of our Constitution. Come join us at one of our meetings… if you consider yourself a true patriot, you will find it’s well worth your time.”
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:49 pm
The RLC has stood for free markets, individual liberty, and constitutionally limited government for over 20 years. The caucus works to bring the party to the libertarian ideas of freedom in the spirit of people like Milton Friedman, small “l” libertarian, capital “R” Republican.
October 2nd, 2009 at 7:17 pm
I tell people this….
“If you want a working knowledge of the Constitution and the founding priciples of this country then you really need to go to an RLC meeting. You’ll learn how to publicly debate articulated points and how to hold Republican leaders accountable for their decisions that affect you and your families. It’s a non-threatening environment that allows you to have your own opinion if you can back it up with facts. The worst thing that’ll happen to you is you’ll learn something new.”
That’s what I tell people about the RLC.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
The letters stand for Republican Liberty caucus. We are a group of people from all walks of life that believe our government has failed the people and grown out of control. That the leaders of our country and the congress are not operating under the guidelines of the constitution and we must return the power to the states and the people. That large corporations, banks and law firms control our elected officials and that government should and must be by the people for the people. Come join us sometime for a meeting. I will send you the website address and you can check it out and see if our program makes sense for you.
October 2nd, 2009 at 2:51 pm
” …working to return the Republican Party, …”
Sell the future, not the past.
The freedom, that some enjoyed, in the past was really only enjoyed by white males.
You can’t argue that minorities were at some point in the past freer than they are today.
And even if you could make that argument, it doesn’t matter, because the general public would disagree.
Stop the education and play politics by building on what people think to be true now.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 am
Hey Tom… can you be a Suit *and* a Trekkie?
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 am
The RLC is working to return the Republican Party, and through it the nation, to the values of the Constitution, and we believe in holding politicians to those principles. It’s not a red or blue thing, an R or D thing, it’s a Constitution thing. Simple as that, we believe in the Constitution and we’re working to restore it in this nation. If you’re interested in those values of liberty and individual rights, I think you’d be interested in the RLC, and you should consider checking out a meeting.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:49 am
The Republican Liberty Caucus is a diverse group of people within the Republican Party that advocates the return of limited constitutional government. Philosophically, many of our members define themselves as little “l” libertarians and work within the party to promote candidates and legislation which espouse less spending, lower taxes, and free markets. We are the “activists” of the Republican Party. We have a great time spreading the message of liberty and fighting for lower taxes and minimal goverment intervention; if you love liberty and fantastic people join us at our next meeting.
October 2nd, 2009 at 10:09 am
My 30 Second Description of the RLC:
We refer to ourselves as the conscience of the Republican Party. We are a coalition of traditional conservatives and liberty minded Republicans working to promote individual liberty, state sovereignty and the Constitution.
We hold Republicans accountable.
We meet on the first Tuesday of each month at.
You should come check us out…
October 1st, 2009 at 11:52 pm
From the tdl (me) school of libertarian politics.
There are 3 types of libertarians.
Suits, trekkies and gorillas.
Suits are professionals that are very sociable and have several suits in the closet.
Trekkies are the backbone (and deep pockets) of the libertarian movement.
You need anything related to computer done? We got ya covered.
18% of libertarians have done post doctoral work.
Gorillas are people that have the people skills of a gorilla.
They do more harm, than good to the libertarian movement.
You’re wasting your time, trying to convince them that they need to be diplomatic. Not going to happen.