Taken from the article by Dr. Lakoff’s entitled "Thinking Points". I plan to address them one at a time in order to make each entry short and specific.
http://www.policyalternatives.ca/MonitorIssues/2006/12/MonitorIssue1518/
or here for the whole article which can be downloaded for free and is well worth the read. http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/
2. "The Poll Trap. Many progressives slavishly follow polls. The job of leaders is to lead, not follow. Besides, contrary to popular belief, polls in themselves do not present accurate empirical evidence. Polls are only as accurate as the framing of their questions, which is often inadequate. Real leaders don’t use polls to find out what positions to take; they lead people to new positions."
The Green Party is rapidly falling into this trap. We poll high in between elections but nose dive on Election Day. Why? The question that created the poll result earlier had nothing to do with the reasons going through the voter’s head on Election Day. It’s that simple. What is that question? The answer is, “Who do I trust?” Right now in the last two elections the answer is, “No one really. Not yet.” We need to show Canadians where we believe Canada should go. We need to describe and demonstrate what Canada will look like after a decade of Green Party government, not Green Party influenced government, Green Party government. That vision of Canada is a Canada that has recognized and lived up to its core social values nationally and internationally and moved forward without falling prey to the politics of fear. We need to show the light at the end of the tunnel, not just the tunnel. War on drugs! War on poverty! War on Terrorism! War, War, War, War! More police! More soldiers! Bigger prisons! More guards! Rogue nations! Mad, rogue leaders! Violent image after violent image, violent language, that creates a violent vision that creates a violent future. We need to promote the politics of hope. The politics of solutions to problems not problems created by solutions. That’s the one poll question no one is asking.
3. "The Laundry List Trap. Progressives tend to believe that people vote on the basis of lists of programs and policies. In fact, people vote based on values, connection, authenticity, trust, and identity."
We need to stick to the concept of Canadian values, diversity, fairness, equality, the pursuit of individual prosperity based on hard work and dedication. The more we talk about these things directly the more we demonstrate how far the other parties have strayed from these values. Argue that Green values come directly from these established Canadian values and many Canadians will begin to see the divide between these values and the Conservative agenda, liberal track record, and NDP desire for centralized government control anchored solely in ideological “left” politics.
This blog reflects my personal opinion.
It is not official Green Party Policy.