Voters' Brains and Framing Politics

First, a video of Jonathan Haidt - Morality: 2012 (Hat-tip to Kevin):

The social and cultural psychologist Jonathan Haidt talks with Henry Finder about the five foundations of morality, and why liberals often fail to get their message across. From "2012: Stories from the Near Future," the 2007 New Yorker Conference.

Second, a post by Drew Westen - Winning Hearts and Minds: Why Rational Appeals Are Irrational If Your Goal is Winning Elections:

The difference between the Clinton ad and the Kerry ad -- like the difference between the Clinton campaign and virtually every other Democratic presidential campaign of the last three decades -- reflects the difference between understanding and misunderstanding mind, brain, and emotion in American politics. If you think the failure to tell a coherent story, or to illustrate your words with the evocative images, is just the "window dressing" of a campaign, you're missing something very important about the political brain: Political persuasion is about networks and narratives.

Finally, the latest articles from the Rockridge Institute:

Debating Energy as if Communities Mattered

What the Media Is Missing about the Summer of Love

To Catch a Wolf: How to Stop Conservative Frames in Their Tracks