Disaster frame: Republicans exploit Los Angeles fires to spread partisan lies

In this edition of FrameLab: The first item is a short post (3 minute read) on how Republicans hijack news stories to frame political arguments. The second item is an important update on the FrameLab book club!

Lying Liars and Los Angeles on Fire

Summary: Whether it’s wildfires, immigration, or food prices, Republicans flood the media with false claims to hijack the conversation. Democrats, meanwhile, too often fail to frame the debate—even when the truth is on their side.

Ever notice how Republicans excel at the blame game? They always have a blame narrative waiting to go – no matter how false or ridiculous. One way or another, they impose their frame on the conversation. 

Here’s an example from today’s headlines: Wildfires raging in Los Angeles County have killed five people and destroyed over 1000 structures. A major evacuation is underway, and President Joe Biden has declared a disaster.

These tragic fires occurred due to extremely dry conditions and high winds. Scientists say global warming is making these disasters more frequent and more extreme. In recent years, those who live in California and the West have become increasingly accustomed to wildfire smoke.

But Trump and Republicans are framing the disaster as the fault of Democrats, environmentalists, “diversity,” and Ukraine. I won’t waste time by repeating every detail of these false and illogical claims. You’ve probably already seen them repeated in news reports and social media. The whole purpose is to flood the story with false claims and get those false claims repeated in the media.

Here’s the streamlined process by which Republicans hijack news stories with their frames:

1. Select a high-profile negative story.
2. Make false claims linking it to Democratic or progressive policies.
3. Get the press to amplify the claims to achieve media virality.
4. Threaten action (executive, legal, or legislative) to prolong coverage.

The press generally falls for it – hook, line, and sinker. Even publications that have fiercely opposed Trump and MAGA can’t seem to stop themselves from amplifying their lies. This ensures that, in the brains of millions of Americans, the disaster is not what’s important. Instead, the lie – usually a political frame – becomes the story. The narrative is simple, no matter the issue: If something terrible is happening, blame the opposition.

I’m not suggesting that Democrats start telling ridiculous lies to compete with Republicans. But you don’t need to lie to frame the debate. Unfortunately, Democrats too often fail to frame even when there’s a compelling and truthful story to tell. 

Take, for example, immigration. If Trump carries out his threats of mass deportation, Americans will suffer devastating economic consequences. Food prices will surge because our agriculture industry is highly dependent on the labor of undocumented immigrants.

From CNN:

Beyond the moral, legal and logistical questions raised by this campaign promise, mass deportations threaten to starve key industries of badly needed workers. And perhaps no industry relies on undocumented workers more than the food and agriculture industries.

That’s why agriculture executives, farm industry officials and economists tell CNN that if Trump keeps his deportation promises, groceries will get more expensive — perhaps much more expensive.

“If you take away those workers, you’re not going to have production. There’s only one way prices are going to go. They’re going to go dramatically higher,” said Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives and a former US Department of Agriculture deputy secretary.

The logic is simple: Fewer workers mean less food and higher prices.

Less food and higher prices? Why aren’t Democratic leaders shouting this from the rooftops? Since the price of eggs supposedly played a key role in the 2024 election, the threat of higher food prices should be a potent political argument. Why aren't Democrats issuing constant daily warnings to the American people that food prices are about to skyrocket under Trump? Framing the issue in catchy economic terms (higher prices!) also allows them to frame the moral case for respecting immigrants and their essential contributions to our lives.

Some polls indeed show that Americans now want stricter immigration policies, but that’s because the issue has been framed dishonestly. Republicans have framed immigration as a crime issue even though the vast majority of immigrants are hardworking people who are statistically far less likely to commit crimes than their American-born counterparts. Even some Democrats have started to accept the false Republican crime frame, with some falling over themselves to crack down on hardworking immigrants. This will only lead more Americans to accept the Republican framing. They will continue to see immigrants as a threat rather than as an essential part of our economy.

And then what happens if Trump deports undocumented workers and food prices surge? The Republicans will be ready with a frame that blames Democrats, environmentalists, diversity, space lasers, etc.

It’s time for Democrats to start framing, too. This requires going on the offense instead of just responding to Republican frames.

As Los Angeles burns, we’re seeing a conflagration of lies and disinformation

Bad-faith actors, including Donald Trump, are blaming the outcome on “diversity” in the fire department and a nonexistent “water declaration resolution.”

Mother JonesNitish Pahwa

More to come on this topic, but now it’s time for a book club update.

ZOOM this weekend: FrameLab Book Club

Over 160 people have expressed interest in attending an online FrameLab Book Club meeting. Our first meeting will be this Sunday at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. If you can, please click here to RSVP so we can get an idea of how many people will be joining and can make sure you get the link. The link will be sent out Sunday morning.

This one-hour session will cover the introduction and Chapters 1-2 of The Political Mind: A Cognitive Scientist's Guide to Your Brain and Its Politics.

Here's the plan:

Today through Saturday, book club participants can send us their questions. We will sort the questions and consolidate them. Then, during Sunday's Zoom, we'll have a panel where we put these questions to our special guest, Dr. George Lakoff!

The panel will be moderated by Jason Sattler and me. Jason is a writer and activist known as LOLGOP on most social media platforms, Jason is a FrameLab contributor and a longtime reader of Dr. Lakoff's work. He was a columnist and member of the USA TODAY Board of Contributors from 2017-2021. Back in 2017, he was essential in helping spread FrameLab's messages on social media.

Watch your inbox! Early Sunday morning, I'll send out a link to the Zoom.

How to send your questions

Until then, here's how to send in your questions on the introduction and Chapters 1-2 of the book:

1. Leave your question in the comments on this post. (Note: You may need to log in to FrameLab to do this. Go to the FrameLab homepage, click "log in" in the top right corner and follow the instructions.)
2. Email your question to me: gil@theframelab.org
3. Enter your question on this Google Doc.
4. Post your question on social media.
   1. Jason Sattler (LOLGOP) has posted an open thread on BlueSky where you can post a question.
   2. Dr. Lakoff's Facebook page has an open thread where FrameLab book club members can post questions.
   3. If you prefer Twitter (X), you can tweet questions to me, @gilduran76
5. If you prefer to send a text or voice message, the FrameLab hotline is 415-475-9644.

Note: This is our first time doing an event like this, so please excuse any hiccups! If there are any technical problems the day of the event, please check your email for any updates. Also: The Zoom will be recorded and may be used to create a future episode of the FrameLab podcast.