Obama, 99% Movement Echo Each Other, Change Frame Of Economic Debate

When the words generally accepted to describe a problem change, the perception of that problem changes. This past week we saw that President Obama has accepted and is using some of the same words used by Occupy Wall Street protesters to describe the nation’s economic problems. In return, the protesters are quoting his words. It’s an important development because the way an issue is talked about, or “framed,” often determines the outcome of the debate. The national economic debate used to be dominated by language such as “deficit reduction” and “protecting job creators.” Talking about raising taxes on the rich brought the immediate rebuttal of “class warfare.” That changed this fall with the rise of the Occupy Wall Street movement. It has forced the national debate to also include the terms “income inequality,” and “corporate welfare.” Taxing the rich isn’t summarily dismissed, because it benefits the “99%.” When language resonates with people (as “no new taxes” has for so long), it generally works. This past week, as activists from all over the country converged on Washington, DC, to “take back the capitol,” they consistently framed the message in the language of Occupy Wall Street. The night before the rally, President Obama used that language in his “New Square Deal” speech he delivered in Kansas. He gave it his own twist, saying “Inequality also distorts our democracy. It gives an outsized voice to the few who can afford high-priced lobbyists and unlimited campaign …