democracyLab

“It’s gonna take the government (stupid!)”
Changing the Public Perception of Government

Answers to Policy Battle Royale Contest Questions

What’s the current strategy and general timeline?

Reinvigorating trust in and support for government will be one of OCPP’s principal areas of work in 2008 and beyond. Not only will it constitute a specific campaign, but the idea itself will be woven into all of OCPP’s policy work.

OCPP began laying the groundwork for this effort in February 2005, when we brought together more than 30 progressive leaders to hear a presentation by the staff of the “How to Talk About Government Project” of Public Works: The Demos Center for the Public Sector. Since that time, OCPP staff have been trained by Demos and their partners at the FrameWorks Institute, and we have infused the lessons into much of our messaging on public policies.

In 2007 OCPP added a communications director and education and outreach coordinator to its staff as part of our strategic plan to expand our capacity to educate Oregonians on the role of government.

With our expanded staff capacity, OCPP plans to build a broad coalition that is committed to strategically and skillfully trumpeting the message. Staff and board leadership from these coalition partners will take part in training and messaging workshops throughout 2008, becoming part of a strong statewide infrastructure for delivering the messages. The trainees will take back to their organizations and communities a solid understanding of reframing and an enthusiasm for strengthening public support.

After the workshops these leaders of progressive organizations will begin to deliver messages by various means, including op-eds and letters to the editor, blogs, speaking engagements at local community group meetings, local cable television appearances, and communication with their elected officials. OCPP will provide on-going “technical assistance” to hone the skills and messages. OCPP will also distribute sample written materials and talking points to this new network of progressives committed to improving Oregonians’ knowledge about and support for the public sector.

What prizes would you select and how would you put them to use?

OCPP would use the media and email components to both drum up support for the workshops and distribute messages about the role of government. Volunteers would be used to assist in promoting and conducting the workshops and to “take actions” such as writing a letter to the editor, blogging, talking to a community group, or knocking on doors to engage neighbors in a discussion about the important role of the public sector. Money would be used to help fund workshop expenses (rooms, food, copies of materials, etc.) and message promotions in media markets. (Monetary contributions would go to OCPP, a 501(c)(3) organization, for the purpose of implementing the campaign.)

About OCPP

The Oregon Center for Public Policy is a non-partisan research institute that does in-depth research and analysis on budget, tax, and economic issues. The Center’s goal is to improve decision making and generate more opportunities for all Oregonians.

The Oregon Center for Public Policy (OCPP) proposes a coordinated, strategic campaign by Oregon progressives to change the public perception of the proper role of government. The goal is to enhance trust, respect, and support for the role of government in the lives of Oregonians. The long-term success of progressive public policies rests on it.

Veteran pollster and public opinion analyst Adam Davis refers to Oregonians’ gross misunderstanding and widespread distrust of government as key components of a “perfect storm” of public opinion that impedes long-term progressive change and threatens Oregon’s past accomplishments.

This sad state of affairs did not arise spontaneously. From Ronald Reagan’s oft-quoted 1981 inaugural claim that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem,” to right-wing strategist Grover Norquist’s stated goal to cut taxes until government was “down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub,” conservative propaganda has molded public perception of government.

The public’s negative perception of government is a liability for progressives. Social justice advocates not only bear the burden of demonstrating that a particular problem can be ameliorated, but also must go the extra round and show that government is the appropriate and necessary agent for change. Until the public understands that government is “we” – not “it” or “them” – and that government serves a critical role in creating opportunity and leveling the playing field, progressives will be fighting with one hand tied behind their backs.

Misunderstanding and distrust of government has already taken its toll on Oregon’s progressive agenda. The Oregon Health Plan is a prime example. The plan was whittled to its current endangered species status by budget-cut driven policy choices from a legislature and electorate unwilling to support the program. The plan was (and is) popular, but it fell victim to the distrust of government. Efforts to again make Oregon a leader in health care policy are doomed, unless the public’s perception of the role of government improves.

The tenuous nature of Oregon’s land use system is another example. In the 1970s when the land use system was created, government was seen as a problem solver. Today government is painted as the problem-maker and the land use debate rages on. The Measure 49 win will be short-lived unless the distrust of government is addressed.

Distrust of government in the last 10 years led the legislature and voters to establish supermajority requirements for raising revenue, saving unanticipated revenues for rainy days, and spending reserve funds in fiscal emergencies. The public will never remove these power-to-the-minority fiscal handcuffs until they recognize and appreciate the important role of government.

Yet the time may be ripe for a pro-government campaign. Events such as Katrina and the health care crisis have revealed to many that the conservative mantra has led us down the wrong path.

The Plan. OCPP will bring together nonprofits statewide to develop a common progressive message and strategic campaign in support of the idea of government for the common good. The effort will engage staff, board members, and community members in message and media training and ongoing consultation. Davis and others have identified nonprofits (and small businesses) as the most trusted voices in Oregon today. The effort will need to develop a small and flexible infrastructure to sustain the long-term campaign.

Status. For some time OCPP has championed the idea that government helps ensure the common good and has introduced progressive colleagues to cutting-edge message development work by Dēmos. OCPP is now staffed to turn this work into a structured campaign. OCPP is well connected to and can draw upon a wealth of data and the experiences of progressives in other states pursuing a similar pro-government message agenda.

Contact information: Juan Carlos Ordóñez, communications director, 503.873.1201, jcordonez@ocpp.org.