The Palin Choice: The Reality of the Political Mind - Lakoff

[groovedaddy]

This election is about realities. But the election campaign depends on the political mind-how people understand the candidates and the realities. Democrats have mostly criticized Sarah Palin as unqualified to deal with the realities we face as a nation. But the choice of Palin had to do with the way the political mind works in elections. In dealing with the McCain-Palin ticket, Democrats must take the way voters think into account, in addition to the external realities.

This election matters because of realities-the realities of global warming, the economy, the Middle East, nuclear proliferation, civil liberties, species extinction, poverty here and around the world, and on and on. Such realities are what make this election so very crucial, and how to deal with them is the substance of the Democratic platform .

Election campaigns matter because who gets elected can change reality. But election campaigns are primarily about the realities of voters' minds, which depend on how the candidates and the external realities are cognitively framed. They can be framed honestly or deceptively, effectively or clumsily. And they are always framed from the perspective of a worldview.

The Obama campaign has learned this. The Republicans have long known it, and the choice of Sarah Palin as their Vice-Presidential candidate reflects their expert understanding of the political mind and political marketing. Democrats who simply belittle the Palin choice are courting disaster. It must be taken with the utmost seriousness.

http://www.truthout.org/article/george-lakoff-warns-dems-reality-based-arguments

[Locrian]

1. important

Lakoff has been on target and knows the WHY.


Palin is the mom in the strict father family, upholding conservative values. Palin is tough: she shoots, skins, and eats caribou. She is disciplined: raising five kids with a major career. She lives her values: she has a Downs-syndrome baby that she refused to abort. She has the image of the ideal conservative mom: pretty, perky, feminine, Bible-toting, and fitting into the ideal conservative family. And she fits the stereotype of America as small-town America. It is Reagan's morning-in-America image. Where Obama thought of capturing the West, she is running for Sweetheart of the West.

[noel711]

2. Lakoff is brilliant, yet cautionary.

The republicans know their 'base,' understand the 'meta-messages'
they need to communicate with them on a primal level.

Democrats are so varied that there is not one 'language' of
the base.

The way so many progressives over-reacted, almost irrationally,
to the Palin 'menu' of scandals was frightening. Like chum
thrown into a bay of sharks, the blogosphere may devour itself,
to the detriment of our future.

There has been so much justification of ripping apart a story
that was imploding... I hope we can hold up when the dust settles.

I wish Lakoff would advise us how to deal with 'red meat' without
deconstruction any political progress we've made with this campaign.

I simply cannot exist with another conservative administration.
This will destroy any hope for our country.

[trthnd4jstc]

3. I recommend anyone with a rational mind to read the link.

Well written. Thank you Mr. Lakoff, and Thank you Groovedaddy for posting this.

[CitizenPatriot]

4. our talking points:

snip from the OP article:


What is at stake in this election are our ideals and our view of the future, as well as current realities. The Palin choice brings both front and center. Democrats, being Democrats, will mostly talk about the realities nonstop without paying attention to the dimensions of values and symbolism.


Democrats, in addition, need to call an extremist an extremist: to shine a light on the shared anti-democratic ideology of McCain and Palin, the same ideology shared by Bush and Cheney. They share values antithetical to our democracy. That needs to be said loud and clear, if not by the Obama campaign itself, then by the rest of us who share democratic American values.

cut

our list for youtube/digg/blogs/etc:

shared anti-democratic ideology of McCain/Palin shared with Bush/cheney
anti-american mccain/palin

[groovedaddy]

5. You're welcome! This can be the difference between winning and losing...n.t

[Triana]

6. HOW to get this to the Obama camp where it will be SEEN? Fax to Chicago HQ?

Email to Plouffe?

[CitizenPatriot]

8. I'm going to send it to my team leader who talks to them daily nt

[central scrutinizer]

7. Lakoff is spot on, as usual

If you haven't read it yet, grab a copy of his 2004 book "Don't Think of an Elephant" and use it as a manual for your political discourse.