Dem's acquiesce to neocon redefinition of English terms

[Robert Oak]

They constantly go along with the hijacking of the English language
by Rove * Co. which hide the true agenda.

1. legislative titles
"leave no child behind" - designed to bankrupt public education
"American jobs act"- gave huge corporate tax incentives to outsource jobs

2. social values
"moral values" - defining dogma and fundamentalism religion extremes as morality
"hopeful and decent" society - banning gays of any rights to form partnerships or a government recognized union

3. economic terms
"ownership society" - privatization and giving greater control to investors and corporate holders our previously held assets set aside for the common good.
"tort reform" - to deny US citizens the right to sue on malpractice
and more importantly any stock or corporate misrepresentation and fraud.

And so forth.

I personally am tired of the democrats acquiescing to this tirade of propaganda efforts. It's like being in Nazi Germany and instead of confronting these redefinitions and calling a spade a spade...
the opposite actually starts using these terms! They should never
use these terms, disallow them, confront them in plain English, what they mean. By enabling the radical right to redefine abstract concepts
to mask their radical agenda of nation-state destruction gives even more power for these neocons to create an image of the opposite as "enemy".

[ClassWarrior]

1. Read "Don't Think of an Elephant" by George Lakoff.

We need to take the language back.

NGU.

[quiet.american]

2. Democrats do confront them

I've heard many, many Democratic politicians and other prominent Democratic authors and speakers constantly point out the sick game Republicans play with these words.

[DireStrike]

3. Don't forget "partial birth abortion"

[T Bone]

4. What are the Dems supposed to do ? Send an email to the networks?

It's the media stupid. Bought and paid for and bent over for the GOP.

[Robert Oak]

5. What I'm saying is this:

They should simply refuse, absolute, to utter these new redefinitions, period.

They should name these things themselves, stick to their own definitions, never mention these propaganda terms in the Press,
refer to their own definitions.

For example, "America Jobs Act".

They can call it "corporate tax giveaway" or HR 4520, the "corporate
tax giveaway" and refuse to endorse this propaganda effort.

They will still get on cable and all of the rest, but by acquiescing
and repeating these terms they advance the propaganda machine.

[Robert Oak]

6. like right now "moral values"

they need to dig in and find out specifically what those exit pollsters
did to get "moral values"

and then redefine it by never uttering "moral values"
and instead calling a spade a spade...

banning gay marriage
denying a woman's right to choose
reduction of America's personal freedoms.

Right now they are running around saying the terms also..
as if "moral values" is actually moral!

To me, it's very immoral and goes against the principles America was founded on.

[SmokingJacket]

10. Here's a moral value: "Thou shalt not steal... elections" n/t

[ClassWarrior]

8. We have to TEACH them to do that. Read the book I suggest above...

...then donate to the Rockridge Institute, which Lakoff helped found. Go to www.rockridgeinstitute.com.

Heck, buy an extra few copies of the book (they're less than $10 each), and put them personally into the hands of your Senators and Congressperson.

NGU.

[Nordic]

9. Newt Gingrich started this shit. Check out this link.

http://www.littlepiggy.net/advertising/newt.php

(snip)
  As you know, one of the key points in the GOPAC tapes is that "language matters." In the video "We are a Majority," Language is listed as a key mechanism of control used by a majority party, along with Agenda, Rules, Attitude and Learning. As the tapes have been used in training sessions across the country and mailed to candidates we have heard a plaintive plea: "I wish I could speak like Newt."

   That takes years of practice. But, we believe that you could have a significant impact on your campaign and the way you communicate if we help a little. That is why we have created this list of words and phrases.
(snip)

Here are some of his "bad words" to be used negatively:

*liberal
* lie
* limit(s)
* machine
* mandate(s)
* obsolete
* pathetic
* patronage
* permissive attitude

[Nordic]

7. and "prisoners" are now "detainees". "fraud" = "irregularities"

"Operation freedom" = "kill the muslims"

[Jade Fox]

11. The Right has think tanks funded with millions of dollars...

where they sit around thinking of ways to do just what you've described:
frame the issues in their favor. Its a huge advantage they have over us.

[Robert Oak]

14. yeah? well, how about us

think tank. Big deal. How many on these boards have just as much education and insight as these guys? by outsourcing all of the white collar jobs, they just let loose a whole group of people with advanced degrees, high IQ's and way too much free time.

It's pretty clear to me the education level on DU is fairly high.

We've all read the public relations texts, sociological crowd behavior,
how the Nazi's came into power and psychological warfare tactics.

How about us? How hard is it to create our own terms?

DU has already created it's own terms:

DU this, freeper, troll.

The blogosphere in general calls a spade a spade. It's up to our representatives to cue off of this culture and start using this language directly.

We've got an advantage too. We're just talking about the truth versus spending hours and hours on how to dress up a lie to sound nice.

[Jade Fox]

15. I agree

The guy who wrote the book mentioned in another post "Don't think of
an Elephant" (I think that's the title) has started just such a liberal/left
think tank to start doing what the right has done: frame the issues to
our advantage. Unfortunately, as always it comes down to money. The
right has the millions and is willing to put them to such a questionable
use. We have a lot less money to throw around, and tend to think it
could be used better. But as the author Lackoff has said, we better
start doing this or they will keep winning.

I agree with you that all of us are intelligent and can start doing this on our
own. Over this last week I've posted a lot of stuff I have thought up as
have many others.

[Robert Oak]

16. think tanks use mailing lists?

I agree, most think tanks are corporate sponsored for some multinational corporate agenda...

with the worse being the many "studies" on how free trade is great
and outsourcing is great. almost never gets reported who funded those studies and the conclusion of the paper was written before the studies
are even done to fill in the middle.

That said, I'll email my contacts to start an idea of creating mailing lists and feedback paths to volunteers.

There are plenty of people who care, who can take time to dissect one small issue or give feedback on terminology points and so forth.

Things like focus group studies, etc. well, not, but basic research
and idea bashing could be much more democratized than it is right now.

[ClassWarrior]

19. You're not the first one to comment on DU as being a virtual...

...think tank. It's a great thought. And I know of some people who, as I type, are trying to use DU in just such a way. But, in case you hadn't noticed, getting most things organized around here is like herding cats.

A formal think tank would ideally be well-funded (sorry, sad but true) and well organized. Lakoff has mentioned that our think tanks should serve as "farm teams," churning out young progressive pundits and thinkers. They should have TV studios and production facilities inside them, like the Radical RW think tanks, to give us easy access to the media. And they need time. It took the Radical RW 40 years to get to this point.

So I don't think the parallels between DU and an actual think tank are accurate. But I'm willing to begin here, since for now it's all we have.

NGU.

[OHdem10]

12. Letting Republicans declare they have a mandate

especially in 2000. Bush delcared a mandate then went
radical. I guess getting 51% they consider a SHUTOUT.
They are already threatening those Dem Members from the
Red States. You do what we say or will do to you what we did to Daschle.

Framing it a Mandate and letting it stand is a losing proposition for Dems. They have to be quick and ready to attack at any
minute.

[pinto]

13. Yes, hijacking the terminology, through repetition, has served the RNC

well, regardless of the content. I'll avoid the hot button issues they've promoted and include these:

The Clean Air Act. (loopholes for industry to avoid EPA standards, the former NJ governor resigned in the face of the hypocrisy)

Overhauling the tax system - a massive income redistribution plan (once an albatross of "oh, European" socialists) to move after tax income, in this instance, to corporations and upper income earners, resulting in an increase in the demand for government services which are being cut due to "budget constraints"....agggh!

Saving Social Security (by killing it).....

Health care reform - (stay well, pay or die)

etc, etc.

Off the top of my head, I think tax restructuring is a bona fide killer Democratic argument if we phrase it well....the deficit is a part and parcel of Republican income redistribution.....and guess who pays?

Thanks for your post. I hope we have more of this discussion here.

[montieg]

17. "Fundamentalists"--NOT "evangelicals" n/t

[tom_paine]

18. I absolutely agree, it is one of the MAIN reasons America is GONE

Imperial Amerika is a land of Orwellian Redefinitions and Double-Standards.

the saqd truth is that our Leadership doesn;t even see it.

Hell, this morning on C-SPAN fucking JOHN PODESTA called it the 'Democrat Party'

If they don't understand NOW, they never will!