September 9, 2014 4:18 PM

Bearse: Wordplay

From the right: Language frames debate; enhances chances of success or failure

I am fascinated by the use of language in politics. The framing of issues often determines the winner of a debate at the outset.

Take the issue of abortion. The reason Wendy Davis has never recovered politically from her abortion filibuster is she fought on turf where she couldn’t win. Outside of San Francisco and New York, most Americans oppose late-term abortions. In winning the public relations battle at the time -- becoming the national darling of the leftist intelligentsia -- she set herself up to lose the political war. She was arguing on the wrong turf.

Perhaps we know more today than we did back then, after the revelation about her own heartbreaking experiences. What would have offered a more compelling reason at the time of the filibuster – the trauma of whether to give birth to a child with a severe brain abnormality -- was shelved for an ideological argument. Which brings us to an important rule: while people can argue with your politics or ideology, they can’t argue with your own personal experience.

Rule #2 seems to be men can’t take part in the debate about abortion. The fact every man has passed through the female uterus apparently gives us no standing. But I’m not here to argue about abortion. I’m interested in the framing, and the words used by both sides.
Check out the rest of Eric Bearse's column in today's R&D Department.

By Eric Bearse