Stories by George Lakoff
George Lakoff is the author of Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate' (Chelsea Green). He is Professor of Linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley and a Senior Fellow of the Rockridge Institute.
The true power of the speech is that it does what it says. It not only talks about empathy, it creates it.
Posted on Mar 26, 2008
How politicians communicate has more influence than policy details. Why else would the public accept destructive practices like domestic spying?
Posted on Feb 28, 2008
The hubbub over MoveOn's "General Betray Us?" ad in the
New York Times revealed that the Bush Administration and its active supporters have betrayed the trust of the troops and the American people.
Posted on Sep 17, 2007
"Centrism" is the creation of an inaccurate self-serving metaphor which marginalizes the progressive cause, and it is time to bury it.
Posted on Aug 20, 2007
Through unfair tax cuts paid by the wealthy and the cost of Iraq, our national wealth is being drained and the American infrastructure allowed to fall apart.
Posted on Apr 16, 2007
The media and progressives' ability to reframe Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq has changed the public's perception of Republicans' Iraq agenda.
Posted on Feb 15, 2007
What the president is discovering is that it's not so easy to make us forget his position on Iraq: The laws of language are hard to defy.
Posted on Oct 30, 2006
Progressives need to start talking about values and avoid the common pitfalls that cause us to lose voters' hearts and minds.
Posted on Sep 26, 2006
The 9/11 attacks were a crime -- a crime against humanity. But Bush called it a war, then used that frame to justify an invasion he had planned since his first days in office.
Posted on Sep 11, 2006
Bush's bumbling folksiness causes progressives to disregard him -- but he has been overwhelmingly competent in advancing his harmful conservative agenda.
Posted on Jul 3, 2006
With millions of Americans displaced, injured or dead in the disaster's aftermath, America watched modern conservative ideology -- less government, lower taxes, a strong defense -- crumble.
Posted on Oct 18, 2005
Katrina's tragic consequences were not just due to incompetence, natural disaster, or Bush policies (though he is accountable). This is a failure of moral and political philosophy.
Posted on Sep 6, 2005
Though politically useful for Bush and his minions, the 'war frame' never fit the reality of terrorism. It was successful at consolidating power -- but counterproductive in dealing with the real threat.
Posted on Aug 1, 2005
Renowned cognitive scientist George Lakoff expounds on how moral and spiritual beliefs affect political beliefs and actions.
Posted on Jul 21, 2005
Is liberalism dead? What will it take for us to bring about a rebirth of inspiration, hope and optimism for a new American future?
Posted on Jun 16, 2005
Those who dwell in the nation's progressive oases must learn to communicate and connect with a much broader swath of Americans. Our panel of progressive thinkers tackles the problem.
Posted on Jun 7, 2005
Winning the debate over unwanted pregnancies requires Democrats to embrace four powerfully moral ideas -- and none of them have to do with 'choice.'
Posted on Jun 2, 2005
An excerpt from the
Start Making Sense section Understanding the Right Wing.
Posted on Apr 20, 2005
If progressives communicate their values clearly, most people will recognize them as their own, and more deeply American than those currently put forth by conservatives.
Posted on Nov 24, 2004
In this excerpt from his new book, "Don't Think of an Elephant!" George Lakoff talks about how transforming the language of politics can help win the good fight.
Posted on Sep 8, 2004
George W. Bush yet again used the crutches of "liberty" and "freedom" to frame his candidacy.
Posted on Sep 3, 2004
Wednesday's Republican convention speeches framed John Kerry using deceptive and dishonest language.
Posted on Sep 2, 2004
The gay marriage issue is not just about same-sex couples. It is about which values will dominate in our society.
Posted on Feb 18, 2004
The President's speech, like most right-wing discourse these days, was in a kind of code, based on a moral system that not all Americans share.
Posted on Jan 27, 2004
An analysis of Schwarzenegger's victory shows how conservatives use framing to win elections – and that Democrats ignore the power of framing at their peril.
Posted on Oct 13, 2003
Here is a cognitive scientist's prescription for progressives: Say what you believe and say it well, without hesitation and with moral fervor.
Posted on Sep 24, 2003
Whether or not the Bush administration lied is the wrong question to ask. The real issue is betrayal of trust.
Posted on Sep 15, 2003
As in his father's Iraq war, President Bush has floated two powerful storylines to effectively, and dangerously, frame America as both victim and hero.
Posted on Mar 18, 2003
