Seattlest: George Lakoff on the Conservative Linguistic Frame-Up

trinidadca

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:40:02 -0800

George Lakoff's reference to Scott McClellan's book as "bipartisan ammunition for impeachment," may be interesting, however, Vincent Bugliosi in his new book THE PROSECUTION OF GEORGE W. BUSH FOR MURDER, lays out the case law for an action much more significant than impeachment. Such a charge can only be made, says Bugliosi, AFTER the President is no longer in office, by any district attorney in any of the 50 states, because there have been American Military Servicemen from every state among the victims of the Iraq war. Both books may be only the first wave of what could turn out to be a flood of media attention swinging from right to left cresting around the third week of January 2009. In any event linguistic manipulation may play a more significant role in the politics of the future

MvB

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:20:05 -0800

The idea is that there *may* be a center in aggregate, but that statistical centers don't vote, people do. And people can be fiscal conservative and social liberals. Or maybe they're literally a strict father at home and a labor union representative at work. So people can take up firm positions to the right or left, depending on which area/issue is on the table. If you try to appeal to them as a "moderate," you turn them off across the board. I think it's probably better said as, "You can't be all things to everyone."

Kim Ruehl

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:07:41 -0800

But isn't "running to the center" precisely about playing to the notion that there's no actual far-right or far-left? that's the argument that's always baffled me.