I've just started reading George Lakoff's forthcoming book,
Whose Freedom?, and it's a barnburner. The timing of the release of this book - July 4th - is no accident. It's almost by serendipity, though, that I received my preview copy of Lakoff's book just as I kicked off my "
talking to the reptile" series.
For those of you unfamiliar with Lakoff's work, he's a linguist and the Democratic Party's equivalent of Frank Luntz. His new book takes a close look at how the GOP has dominated our national narrative by hijacking concepts such as "freedom", and branding those concepts as Republican. As I noted in my own previous post on the topic, Luntz, Rove, et. ux. consciously tailor their talking points to the reptilian brain stem - our most basic needs. In large part, Democrats don't seem to grasp the necessity for appealing to the same level of brain functioning if we're going to compete on a level playing field of ideology.
But there's hope - indulge me by following the bouncing meme below the fold...
Two Senate actions in the past 24 hours have given the Democratic Party spinmasters an opening large enough to drive a Peterbilt through, and reach right down to the core functioning brain stem of every American.
Item 1: GOP senators killed a bill that would increase the national minimum wage (even as they voted to increase their own salary):
WASHINGTON -- Senate Republicans on Wednesday killed an effort to raise the minimum wage, but Democrats who back the measure say they will try again both in Congress and through ballot measures in several states.
The federal minimum wage has been $5.15 per hour since 1997...
Here's your reptilian money-shot: since 1997, the
GOP-controlled congress has voted
to raise it's own salaries seven - count'em - seven times, for a total of over $30,000.
On a procedural measure Wednesday, senators voted 52-46 in favor of raising the wage to $7.25 in three steps, but that was short of the 60 votes needed to move the legislation forward.
The vote came one day after House Republican leaders made clear they won't allow a vote on the issue, fearing it might pass...
Fearing that it might pass???? WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY AFRAID OF? That some poor schmuck washing dishes in a local restaraunt might actually be able to afford to move out of mom's basement some day? That the cost of a burger at a fast food joint might rise 10 cents to cover the increase? That some minimum-wage mom might not have to make the choice between an antibiotic prescription for a sick kid at the expense of her own medication?
Jeebus H. Kheeerist. And this is the party of "compassionate conservatives"?
Ahem. Attention Howard Dean: The DNC talking points are calling on line 5:
Republicans do not want working class Americans to make a living wage. They are anti-family. They do not care about you.
Item 2: GOP cancels Voting Rights Act renewal (actual headline from the Chicago Sun-Times). And they walked right into Lakoff's discussion on whose freedom are we talking about, when the GOP blatantly disrespects our liberties and freedoms by punting on a no-brainer? You really need to read the Sun-Times article to understand just how egregiously the GOP disrespects one of the most basic civil rights tenets of modern American society (voting) - and I'm not even going to get into how the GOP rigs elections - you can get your fill at Brad Blog. After this little dustup, I don't understand how any minority voter could even consider voting anything other than a straight Democratic Party ticket.
Ahem. Attention Howard Dean: Still more DNC talking points are calling on line 6:
The GOP wants to take away the right of poor and minority citizens to have the unimpeded right to vote. Kanye West was right: the GOP doesn't care about black people.
If you're talking to any reptiles today, remind them: the GOP hates freedom. In the past two days, they've really shown their slimey, snake-oil sodden, corporate-beholden true colors.
(And listen - here's some preemption on my part - please don't pick apart the Kanye West reference. I'm doing exactly what the GOP does. I know West said "George Bush doesn't like black people"...but GWB is the GOP.)