Dear progressives, why do we fight on their terms?

Here's my question for liberals/progressives.... why do we play into Republican Tea Party games by discussing issues on their terms? We're "debating" a group that has no qualms about playing fast and loose with the facts, and will sink to childish levels to insult the targets of their derision. Don't forget, we're "the Democrat Party", because they don't like our association with Democracy when clearly we're all Marxist/Leninist socialists.

More to my point, why do we discuss the Bush tax cuts, when we should be discussing the Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthiest 2%?

It's subtle, sure, but as a group we do a horrible, horrible job of framing arguments.

Picture this, a middle-class family who doesn't really pay attention to the news. They hold no real opinion on Obama. Maybe they voted for him, but don't have any particular allegiance to him. they're flipping through the news and hear the following: "President Obama is trying to repeal the Bush tax cuts"?

How are they likely to react?

You know how they're going to react.

Now, the same family is watching the same news and hears the debate where the progressive frames it as: "The President is trying to repeal the the Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthiest 2%"?

Do you think the reaction would be different?

I know it would.

We don't have a Frank Luntz on our side to frame these arguments. However, my fear is that if we did, we don't have the unity or discipline within the party to toe the line on these distinctions. However, the core issue remains: we do not frame our arguments well.

"the bailout"

"health care"

"the stimulus"

You know damn well that if those were GOP ideas, they'd be branded differently. "the Saving America's Economy Act", "A Healthy Future for American Families", "The Getting America Back To Work Plan". In the age of filibusters, it's not enough to have the GOP and the ConservaDems oppose those ideas, you have to be able to hold their feet to the fire come election time. Ask Ben Nelson to oppose putting Americans Back to Work. Ask Blanche Lincoln why she opposes healthy American families. Ask john Boehner why he doesn't want to save America's economy.

And for Zeus' sake, ask the Republicans why they want to give money away to the wealthiest 2% while there is such rampant joblessness.

But at least in the blogging community, we need to start framing our arguments better, and that begins with not discussing them in the terms that Republicans have branded them as, but as what they really are.

And that starts with the Bush Tax Cuts For The Wealthy.