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The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law- Section 2

Section 2 of "The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law"

Multi-Issue Think Tanks and Communications Organizations

The right-wing foundations described in Section 1 fund a coordinated network of advocacy organizations, providing general operating support rather than funding narrowly-focused programs. At the center of this network are multi-issue, e.g., tort reform, school privatization, pro-life, etc., think tanks that are marketing and communications organizations, oriented aggressively toward media relations and public communications, as well as traditional scholarly idea generating institutions. Because they address a variety of issues from the same philosophical perspective, the think tanks are able to advance an underlying ideological agenda.

The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law - Conclusion

Conclusion of "The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law"

 

This report has shown that the tort reform movement is part of a two-pronged effort to influence public opinion and gain political power. Industry tort-reform groups utilize "independent voices" -- PR agencies and phony "grass-roots" front groups that appear to be independent of the direct beneficiaries of "tort reform." Meanwhile, the Right has in place a tremendous ideological messaging infrastructure, working for the past 30 years to influence the public's underlying social and ideological attitudes on issues, including tort reform. They have been disciplined, strategic, and patient. They have focused substantial resources on changing the underlying political and social environment, rather than focusing only on single issues.

The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law - Appendix 1

Appendix 1 of "The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law"

Example of Coordinated Dissemination of a Strategic Message

One of the tactics used by the Right is repetition of messages that are designed to resonate with the public and evoke a desired reaction. This appendix presents an example of coordinated use of one such strategic message, which has been repeated in various media, and by various organizations and prominent individuals. In this example the strategic message is that lawyers, lawsuits, etc. are "out of control." The unspoken, subliminal implication of this phrase is that "we have to get it under control."

The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law - Appendix 2

 

 

 

 

Appendix 2 of "The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law"

An Example of Interconnectedness

This is a look at a portion of one individual's tort-reform work, to demonstrate how interconnectedness leverages the work of individuals and organizations tied to the right-wing movement.

An Example of Interconnectedness - Appendix 3

Appendix 3 of "The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law"

 Examples of Ridiculing and Demeaning of Trial Lawyers

  • Mallard Fillmore Comic Strip [102]

Reprinted with special Permission of King Features Syndicate

The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law - Appendix 5

Appendix 5 of "The Attack on Trial Lawyers and Tort Law"

Examples of the Involvement of Organizations That Advocate Tort Reform (no funding data included)

Americans for Job Security (no website)

AJS is a "stealth" issue-ad organization that exists to develop and run "issue ads" against Democratic candidates. See the information on this organization at Campaign Finance Institute. [146]

The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) and The American Tort Reform Foundation

Website: http://www.atra.org/

Republicans– Get Right or Get Out

A recognizable pattern is emerging in Republican Party behavior, and it’s not pretty.  Cannibalism might be a fair characterization to describe the goings on in Republican circles, both inside Congressional halls and in the country at large.  It appears that a major battle has been initiated by right-wing conservatives for control of the party.  The ultimate goal is to create a society characterized by limited government, individual liberty and Biblical morality.  The conservative Republicans maintain such a society was envisioned by the Founders, and thus its re-establishment is a desirable goal.  In the fight for control of the party, moderate and liberal Republican influence is being eliminated, often ruthlessly.

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$1 Billion for Ideas: Conservative Think Tanks in the 1990s

 

Introduction

               Ideas are the very stuff of politics.
         – Deborah Stone

              Whoever decides what the game is about also decides who gets into the game.
                  – E.E. Schattschneider

              How the national debate is framed, and what options are put before the public, can be more important ultimately than the immediate choices made. The   framing defines the breadth of the nation’s ambitions, and thus either raises or lowers expectations, fires or depresses imaginations, ignites or deflates political movements. 
       – Robert Reich

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