Pundits such as David Brooks love calling the Democratic party the "mommy" party, and the Republican party the "daddy" party. As we know from Lakoff, the analogy as a whole is just a part of the Republican's frame of reference -- seeing the government as like a "strong father," whose roll is to establish the law, punish the bad, administer healthy doses of tough-love to the weak. Within their frame of reference, calling the Democratic party the "mommy" party is a type of insult, insinuating that the Democrats are weak, soft, and coddling.
But it occurs to me that there is an enormous dichotomy between the "strong father" frame of reference and the real reason people are signing up for the Republican party.
The real reason people are signing up for the Republican party is not that they want the government to be like a strong father, but quite the opposite -- they want to act like children.
- They don't want to do their homework and learn the facts
- They don't want to be accountable for their actions
- They don't want to have to be nice to their international neighbors and make friends
- They don't want to pay their dues
Lakoff has excellent suggestions on how to promote the Democratic framework -- that framework being that we are caring, responsible people. But we can also be what the Republicans claim to be, but aren't: a strong parental unit, who sets things straight. A good family is one that embodies the best of any philosophy. We can be caring, but also firm. We can be wise, but also strict. If the Republicans want a strong father, we can give them one. Frankly, I think they could all use a good spanking.