Really interesting discussion from a linguistics professor on the problem we have communicating between conservatives and progressives.

Linguistics prof. George Lakoff dissects the "war on terror" and other conservative catchphrases: "What's in this new 'essential guide for progressives'? Even the Democratic Party seems to have trouble defining what makes a liberal.


Well, for that reason I wrote a chapter on what unites progressives — a moral system, certain political principles, and what I call policy directions as opposed to policies. A policy direction is something like 'Let's have a sustainable environment' and 'Working people shouldn't be living in poverty' and 'Everybody should have health care.' The problem is that the Democrats have wanted to talk about programs rather than policy directions, and programs call up distinctions, which tend to separate people. For example, Kerry should be talking about health care for everyone, and just put a white paper with the details of the program on his website. The values, principles, and general directions are what people care about and what brings them together. It's pointless to argue about the policy-wonk details, because they're going to change anyway."