The Man Who Framed Himself

There is an interesting profile of Democrat linguist George Lakoff at Reason magazine online. The author discusses Lakoff's political worldview and his ideas about the differences between Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians. In the last paragraph, Lakoff is quoted from his book:

(Conservatives) have figured out their own values, principles, and directions, and have gotten them out in the public mind so effectively over the past thirty years that they can evoke them all in a ten-word philosophy: Strong Defense, Free Markets, Lower Taxes, Smaller Government, Family Values.

With the exception of "Family Values," each of these items means something concrete and identifiable. Strong Defense implies a military with all the resources it requests, Free Markets means capitalism without tariffs, price controls, or excessive government requlation of business, and Lower Taxes and Smaller Government are self evident. These are all testable goals.

Lakoff proposes that Liberals develop their own ten-word philosophy, to wit:

Stronger America, Broad Prosperity, Better Future, Effective Government, Mutual Responsibility.

Notice that none of these are actually achievable goals.

A stronger America? stronger than what? And what wields this strength? The military? The state department? The EPA?

What is "broad prosperity?" Is it equal incomes? Free food? How will we know when prosperity is broad enough? And if we want to empower the Liberals to broaden prosperity, why not empower the Communists to broaden it even further?

As for a better future, how will anyone ever know in the future if the present is "better" than it would have been if the Conservative path had been followed? The idea of a "better future" is entirely undefinable and untestable. As for the lifestyle we lead in the present and how we achieved, I would sooner trust the people that gave us much of what we enjoy today - our fellow citizens and capitalists, not politicians.

An effective government is and oxymoron along the lines of jumbo shrimp. Want proof? Read the U.S. Tax Code or the ADA Accessibility Guidelines someday.

Finally, we have mutual responsibility. Responsibility for what, we don't know. I can only say that being responsible for myself is challenging enough, without the burden of carrying some societal shared responsibility.

As the author concludes, the Liberal agenda "sure sounds like mush to me."