Thursday, November 6, 2014

George Lakoff — Democratic Strategies Lost Big. Here's an Alternative

Democratic strategists have been segmenting the electorate and seeking individual self-interest-based issues in each electoral block. The strategists also keep suggesting a move to right. This has left no room for the Democrats to have an overriding authentic moral identity that Americans can recognize. 
Those strategists form an infrastructure that all Democrats have come to depend on; not just the candidates, but also the elected officials, Democrats in government, and citizens who either do, or might, find progressive policies morally and practically right. The strategic infrastructure includes PR firms, pollsters, consultants, researchers, trainers, communication specialists, speechwriters, and their funders. 
It is an important and powerful infrastructure and we all depend on it. I believe it is vital to separate this infrastructure from the strategies it has been using. I believe the strategies can be greatly improved so as to give a true, deep, and moral picture of what progressive politics is about - one whose content and authenticity will resonate with, and inspire, a majority of US citizens. 
I have just published a book about how to do this: The ALL NEW Don't Think of an Elephant! It is an updated and much expanded version of the original, which introduced the concept of conceptual framing, which is about ideas, not just about slogans. The present book includes what I have learned over the past decade by bringing to bear results in my academic disciple, the Brain and Cognitive Sciences..…

Truthout | Op-Ed
Democratic Strategies Lost Big. Here's an Alternative
George Lakoff | Goldman Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at the University of California

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