Yes, Wolf Blitzer is a conservative, and I’m an astronaut/brain surgeon/Nobel-prize winning physicist.

AZCoyote on June 21, 2008 at 10:22 PM

You too? I can’t believe it, we have virtually the same occupation, except I am also a porn star….

I know the conservative bug has me now. Was cruising through FOXnews and saw this headline….

17 Dead as Typhoon hits Philadelphia

My first thought was OMG what did Bush do now?????!!!!!

Then I realized it really said…

17 Dead as Typhoon hits Philippines

Limerick on June 21, 2008 at 11:06 PM

Brilliant

Leftists have put great stock in rhetorical manipulation since the 60’s. Seeing how much they’ve deconstructed America (and intimidated the right) since then, I wish we’d learn how to defeat it.

It’s called “a well-armed populace”.

There are a plethora of well-constructed philosophical arguments against everything Lakoff says (and even the main thrust of Chomsky’s LINGUISTIC argument, as opposed to his political stances, contradicts Lakoff), as well as a variety of self-contradicting statements he makes (meaning it doesn’t even require an external critique to disprove his sh*t), as pointed out above, yet he still persists in spouting his crap 24/7.

From these facts, I have deduced that nothing short of a hot war against him and those who support his “ideas”, (which are actually in their own way a form of self-interest because, after all, who’s going to police the “framing” of Lakoff’s future utopia if not a bunch of little Lakoffs, with maybe Lakoff himself as head of The Department of Framing? And presumably they will be renumerated for that activity at a far greater relative rate than they are renumerated today for their activities), is likely to put paid to the debate. Just like there were a million logical arguments against slavery, but it took the crushing defeats of actual battle to put an end to the institution of slavery.

In the near-term, it will suck (civil wars always do), but decades hence, when there are no more leftists, the world will be a much better place and no one will miss them, just like no one misses the “Old South” or the French aristocracy or any number of losing factions in any number of countries’ civil wars.

Call me a pessimist, but this is what I believe will happen. Anything short of civil war is like a best case for me.

we really need an HA chat link here, like LGF’s…

JustTruth101 on June 21, 2008 at 11:21 PM

Yes please please please please please PLEASE!

We see that the democrat party does repeat their criticisms (lies) over and over again so often that they now firmly believe the nonsense!

Vince on June 22, 2008 at 11:56 AM

Also we allow them to frame the debate, often without recognizing the mistake and how decisive it is. He who defines the terms of debate usually wins it, especially when emotional appeals are used to trump fact and reason.

Leftists have put great stock in rhetorical manipulation since the 60′s. Seeing how much they’ve deconstructed America (and intimidated the right) since then, I wish we’d learn how to defeat it.

We see that the democrat party does repeat their criticisms (lies) over and over again so often that they now firmly believe the nonsense!

Neuroscience shows that pure facts are a myth

Is that a fact?

JiangxiDad on June 22, 2008 at 8:24 AM

Yeah, it’s Russian. I’m prone to cursing in Russian – it’s a very descriptive language.

But our times have already been illustrated as the most twisted and illogical as deconstructionists abound everywhere with their insolvent molotovs.

Hence, whatever vocabulary the ubertard Rousseau disciples flaunt is vapid upon reflection. They play Lord of the Flies as though their revisionism rules the ending. ONLY IF YOU LET IT. I defy their lies. I am not alone.

From this, Lakoff’s agenda follows. In place of neoliberalism, he offers neuroliberalism. Since voters’ opinions are neither logical nor self-made, they should be altered, not obeyed. Politicians should “not follow polls but use them to see how they can change public opinion to their moral worldview.” And since persuasion is mechanical, progressives should rely less on facts and more on images and drama, “casting progressives as heroes, and by implication, conservatives as villains.” The key is to “say things not once, but over and over. Brains change when ideas are repeatedly activated.”

“…the rank and file are usually much more
primitive than we imagine. Propaganda must
therefore always be essentially simple and repetitious.
The most brilliant propagandist technique will
yield no success unless one fundamental principle
is borne in mind constantly…it must confine itself
to a few points and repeat them over and over.”

Joseph Goebbels, German Minister of Propaganda, 1933-1945

What is it with the linguists?

emailnuevo on June 21, 2008 at 10:22 PM

My exact thought….I wonder if this guy ever studied at MIT?

Bravo!

God said, let there be light. And there was light. And God blessed the light because it was good. And God separated the light/knowledge of truth from the darkness/desire for evil. He who has eyes to see, let him see and act in accordance with the light.

To hell with the MSM. No wonder the (AP) threatens those who dare to quote what they write! It’s fodder for swine and they can’t bear to be held accountable in the bold sunlight for the depth of their deceitful lies. Their minions are the roosting Chicken Littles at home in their swill.

It’s more than merely a lie, it’s a rejection of the very idea of “lie,” a perspective that there are no ethical connotations whatsoever to the use of language, only a Machiavellian determination that any utterance is acceptable if only it results in the desired distribution of power. He has no interest in language conveying useful information, only in its manipulating emotion. It’s the kind of thing Orwell prophecied, and it is absolute human evil.

Blacklake on June 22, 2008 at 12:40 AM

Excellent posts, Blacklake!

Since Lakoff and Chompsky are the leading rhetorical strategists for MoveOn, Soros, ‘progressivism’ and the radical left generally, we can expect any reliance on facts and reason to be deflected by emotional appeals and rhetorical bullying.

Very entertaining article. It’s strangely written, though, since there is no indication of the author’s disapproval until the second page, and then he unloads.

I found that interesting too.

I would agree in general except when ‘winner take all’.

He (and other leftists) think the best way for freedom and liberty is an all-powerful, all-providing and all-controlling central government.

Its a truly idiotic line of thinking(hate to throw insulting words but no other ones fit).

Led by Lakoff, ‘progressives’ want to transform the country, by re-engineering our minds to make it happen. For tools, they reject facts and reason, in favor of images, frames and repetition (propaganda). The significance of communication is no longer the veracity of its message, but whether it accomplishes its desired effect. Is this Brave New World, or what?

Lakoff blames “neoliberals” and their “Old Enlightenment” mentality for the Democratic Party’s weakness. They think they can win elections by citing facts and offering programs that serve voters’ interests. When they lose, they conclude that they need to move farther to the right, where the voters are.

Since voters’ opinions are neither logical nor self-made, they should be altered, not obeyed. Politicians should “not follow polls but use them to see how they can change public opinion to their moral worldview.” And since persuasion is mechanical, progressives should rely less on facts and more on images and drama, “casting progressives as heroes, and by implication, conservatives as villains.” The key is to “say things not once, but over and over. Brains change when ideas are repeatedly activated.”

Blacklake on June 22, 2008 at 12:40 AM

I stand corrected. You are right. It is completely conscious.

Too many zhopniks in that field.

Russki?

Growing up with my mom (who’s really a conservative liberal), I was quite left myself. Then, I joined the Navy 3 days after the USS Cole was attacked… and proceeded to witness 9/11 nearly a year later. The Navy matured me, and changed the way I looked at the nation and world politically. The rest of the conservativism came when I met my (red-born and bred) husband.

As an exemplar of conservatism, Lakoff cites the CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer.

I’ll see your conservative Wolf Blitzer, sir, and I’ll raise you exemplar of liberalism, Michelle Malkin!

They’ve been “preparing the seedbed of our brains with their high-level general principles so that when ‘tax relief’ was planted, their framing could take root and sprout.” And “as a result, progressive messages don’t take root.”

An example of what has taken root, even among the AP,Ed and other pundits, is the notion that the NYT is an American institution that must/should be listened to. It has been a long time since that was true, yet here we are.

My attitude toward the Times and TV is simple. The bad far outweighs the good, so I don’t use them. Although another traitorous article like this certainly helps McCain get elected, so on balance, this one might have to go into the good column.

Anyway..I was a life-long democrat, raised in a family of lifelong democrats. After 9/11, I was disgusted with the actions of the dem party and their non-ideas to protect us from another attack.

I immediately switched parties and became a republican….much to the shame of my liberal brothers. hmm..perhaps I was brainwashed at a young age?