George Lakoff, message-framer extraordinaire, coming up on AAR!

[jean]

Howard Dean says Lakoff is one of the most influential political thinkers of the progressive movement.You can read a sampler of Lakoff's book 'Don't think of an Elephant' here:
http://www.chelseagreen.com/images/DTE_Sampler.pdf

He's on right now!!!

Lakoff canvassed for Kerry in LA with Sean Penn...is a linguist at the Rockridge Institute

Gay Issue:
Radical Right talks about Gays in terms of sancity - Progressives need to talk about love and commitment re marriage and we assign special privileges for partners who are together for live

Gay marriage conjures up images of gay sex which turns people off - talking about love and commitment is the way to go plus the special right that goes along with the love and commitment of marriage


How can Dem party be more aggressive?
Values were main issue - we predicted that moral values would be issues now and in 2000. The right understood how to talk about moral values, the Dems did not.

Dems seem to believe that people vote their self interest - but NO - people vote their identity, their values. True for progressives, true for conservatives. We're training people how to talk about values and moral issues at Rockridge.

Radical Right uses Orwellian (wrong word-can't understand him!) language - we need to call them on that and reframe the issue. Lots of people who vote Repub actually have Dem values and that's why the RADICAL RIGHT use Orwellian (that's not the right word) language - they say one thing but mean totally something else.

How do we refer to the Right?
Call them RADICALS - they do not have traditional American values, are re-interpreting the Constitution in a radical way that most Americans don't believe in.

It has always been an American right - that marriage means love and committment and is part of our social fabric.


Stop thinking in terms of issues and think in terms of VALUES (people's identity)

Janeane disagrees on the values issue - says the Right often only votes on one issue - their pocketbooks - MONEY.

Lakoff - polls showed they voted their values, not their pocketbook.

Taxes - needs to be reframed. Call it the Baby Tax - look at our deficit, unpaid future -

Our kids and everyone's kids will have to pay for the Bush deficit.

$100,000 per baby born to pay for Bush's deficit...every baby born is given a huge tax bill at birth.

BUSH DEFICIT HAS PUT A BABY TAX ON ALL NEW BABIES

What do you pay for in taxes and what do you get for it?
HIghways, Internet, paid for by taxes not your refund

oops - They ran out of time.

Senior Fellow at the Rockrodge Institute, George Lakoff

[crispini]

1. Coming up next!

:kick:

[crispini]

2. Lakoff on gay marriage:

It needs to be framed as an issue of "love and committment." Marriage is about a lifetime committment based on love... that's how we all understand it. Keep the dialog on love and committment and the rights that go with marriage.

[crispini]

3. Lakoff on values:

His group predicted that this issue would be about values. We have moral values but we don't really talk about them in the right way.

When we talk about issues we talk about things in term of self-interest. We think that people vote what they think will benefit them the best, but they don't. We need to learn to talk about our values, learn how to reframe.

Clean skies act = dirty skies act.

They use orwellian language because they know they're weak on the issues. A lot of people who vote repub actually have progressive values... that's why they have to use that orwellian language. We need to attack them on this very clearly.

[crispini]

4. Trial lawyer = public protection attorney. Brilliant!

[crispini]

5. We need to reframe the right as the "radical right."

They are people who are radically interpreting the constitution according to their ideas and away from traditional American values, embodied by us.

It's wrong to think in terms of issues. Start thinking in terms of values and principles. The right has gotten people to do this. Values are not just about gay marriage and abortion.

[gumby]

6. "Baby Tax"

Brilliant (as usual).

[regnaD kciN]

13. Actually, I'd rephrase it as the "Birth Tax"...

..to echo the right-wing's caricature of estate taxes as the "Death Tax." Also since "birth" has "pro-life" connotations. :evilgrin: (Pro-lifers want more births, but don't really care about the babies themselves.)

[gumby]

15. "birth" is a female medical-like verb.

But "babies" are warm and fuzzy icons EVERYBODY can relate to.

See, "our" values are just as warm and fuzzy as yours?

You are suggesting a cold, clinical, female-dominated word.

[Paxdora]

28. Since when is "birth" female/medical-related???

How did you get here? The stork? And what about "The Birth of a Nation"? Everybody (every mammalian, male as well as female) was born via "birth". And what's with your perspective that birth is "medical-like"? It's an organic, natural process! Warm, wet & wild! Doctors are not even necessary for the event, so I don't understand why you see "birth" as a "medical" word (and it's usually a noun , not necessarily a verb, btw).

[ClassWarrior]

32. Gumby's making an aesthetic call.

"Birth" sounds more clinical than "baby." It's one reason "partial birth abortion" sounds like an actual medical procedure - even though it's pure marketing. This is where research by a Rockridge would come in handy. To discover all the connotations people have with certain words.

NGU.

[Paxdora]

26. JD Walley, that's brilliant!

"Birth Tax" - I love it, it's a perfect mimicking of the way the radical right euphemizes formerly 'ugly' concepts (filthy skies = "clear" skies).

Ooooh...you do have an evil mind, right up there with Rove's!

[NYCGirl]

7. He's incredibly brilliant. (eom)

NT

[MissMarple]

8. George Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute absolutely rock!

www.rockridgeinstitute.org

Go there, it's a good place, you'll learn something. :bounce:

[crispini]

9. Let's talk taxes.

The baby tax. If you look at the deficit, that's unpaid future taxes. Our children will have to pay those future taxes. Each baby's share 100,000 per baby. Each baby born is given this huge tax bill just by being born.

"Baby tax." I love it. That's brilliant.

Can you spend your money better than the government? (Conservative argument). You're not going to build a freeway with your tax refund. You're not going to build the internet witht your tax refund.

[KellyPaDem]

10. I'm confused

I think what he was saying is that we have to use words against them by simplifying the argument or is he saying we should also use Orwellian language to reframe them meaning of issues. If it is the second then I have to disagree, despite this election I believe that truth wins in the end and Liberals have to work on getting the truth out there not changing the meaning of words.

Could someone help me understand his argument. Thanks :)

[MissMarple]

11. It means talking in a language that people can understand.

It means understanding the differences that people have, honoring those differences, and getting beyond that so you can be heard. If you understand what George Lakoff is saying you will know that it is quite ethical, quite effective. He is talking about communicating so that people with other world views can understand you and can see what we all have in common. Check it out. Truth to tell :D

www.rockridgeinstitute.org

And read the books. The elephant one is quite short.

[gumby]

12. I second MissMarple

Read the books
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/104-1258421-7940725

"Moral Politics" changed my thinking. And it has nothing to do with lying. And you might consider that "truth" has little currency these days.

[sangh0]

16. And I would add

it means using words that help communicate the values that underlie the policy you are supporting. Calling a "Baby Tax" is not at all Orwellian because that's what a deficit *is*.

[dorktv]

17. He is not saying be false but he is saying that we need

short phrases that start a chain of thoughts in people's head using their frame of reference.


Baby tax= babies are cute and helpless and need to be taken care of=if you harm a baby you are harming someone who should not be hurt=if you tax someone you are hurting them in their pocketbook=if you tax a baby who has no denfences then you are being mean=tax cuts mean we have deficit spending=we are making babies pay for this=baby taxes are bad and we should pay our own way.

something like that.

[Kurovski]

18. He said that

because many conservatives actually have liberal views, the Repubelickins must resort to using Orwellian language (double-speak)to fake them out.

But we can tell the truth, we just have to learn how to speak to them so the message is heard.

Which would mean that calling them stupid for not figuring things out on their own is verboten. That would be for starters.

[Kipepeo]

24. he is saying they use Orwellian Language

when they are trying to hide something. That's how you get things called the Clean Skies Act or the Healthy Forrest Initiative.

We don't have to use Orwellian Language because we are not hiding shit, BUT we can take a cue from the other thing they do with language: they simplify their message and get their frame out there by having everyone repeat it.

Some of their frames that everyone and their grandma has heard by now: The "Death Tax," "Partial Birth Abortion," "tort reform."

We need to get our issues out there in clear concise frames as well, that strike a chord with people.

I really recommend his book "Don't Think of an Elephant."

[jab105]

14. HOLY SHIT - I just read that pdf, it was incredible!!!!

Oh my gosh!! I'm floored...I need to digest, this is where hope is at...

[ClassWarrior]

20. I'm glad you had an epiphany!

Anyone interested in creating a corps of DUers dedicated to advancing Lakoff's work, please PM me. I've been interested in doing something like this for awhile now.

NGU.

[jean]

21. the book is about $8 at amazon - I donated a dozen to my library system

[funkybutt]

19. This man is genius...we'll need to include him to move forward

I read the "don't think of an elephant" book. It was exactly what I needed. Shame that you'd have to read a book to understand how to express what you really stand for. The republicans have been doing this for so long. I wish Lakoff would have been more recognized earlier. I just heard of his book a couple of months ago.

[ClassWarrior]

33. It's just a matter being smarter. Not assuming.

Understanding that everyone's not coming from the same place as we are. I'm glad you're in on the fight FB.

NGU.

[Kipepeo]

22. His new book is a MUST READ

if we are to reshape our message, the way we present it, the way we debate.

[choicevoice]

23. I have been thinking about this for some time now

We can't just say they want to ban abortion. Abortion is an ugly word to most Americans. We can't just say "keeping a womans choice available blah blah blah....

Instead we talk about their "FORCED BIRTH INITIATIVE" The subconscious image of some young female strapped to a operating table being FORCED to give birth will ring in every females mind.

[ClassWarrior]

30. FORCED BIRTH INITIATIVE - That's AWESOME.

Also, we need to emphasize the fact that if abortion is outlawed, we will have hundreds of thousands of unwanted children to care for - which means higher taxes and an expanded welfare state. How can we capsulize that? The Pro-Life Tax? Any other thoughts?

NGU.

[NoBorders]

25. Damn - missed it! I've been trying to spread the Lakoff gospel

wherever I can. If you read it, you'll understand WTF just happened to us on 11/2. And you'll realize that we aren't just in for a little tweaking of the ground game, but a recasting of the progressive movement at fundamental levels.

[deutsey]

27. I'm a big fan of Lakoff's

I wish I had known he was going to be on AAR today. :-(

[Kipepeo]

29. It was actually last night, on the majority report

you can go to www.airamericaplace.com and download last night's show if you want.

[ClassWarrior]

31. Last night, on The Majority Report, FWIW...

Here's a link to the archive: http://www.airamericaplace.com/archive.php?mode=show&id=7

NGU.