Martha Burk notes the apparent influence of George Lakoff on Howard Dean's language during last week's "Meet the Press." But she doesn't discuss my favorite part -- Dean's unintentionally revealing slip:
Absolutely. I'm not advocating we change our position. I believe that a woman has a right to make up her own mind about what kind of health care she gets, and I think Democrats believe that in general. Here's the problem--and we were outmanipulated by the Republicans; there's no question about it. We have been forced into the idea of "We're going to defend abortion." I don't know anybody who thinks abortion is a good thing. I don't know anybody in either party who is pro-abortion.
Lakoff-style framing is not a solution to the Democrats' problems (see here and here), but it especially doesn't work when you admit that you're trying to manipulate people. It sounds like a NPR game show: "Wait, wait, don't outmanipulate me!"
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