Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision

In 2004 George Lakoff published the bestselling Don’t Think of an Elephant! Its account of the conservative monopoly on effective framing touched off a national discussion about political language. It also gave rise to a chorus of pleas for more: What is the progressive vision of America; Why progressive values are America’s values; How frames are necessary to serve the truth; Why sloganeering alone doesn’t work; How progressives trap themselves and how they can escape those traps; and How political arguments and narratives can be put together to counter the Right. Thinking Points satisfies that call with a bold, concise, and systematic explanation of how conservatives think and use language - and how progressives can fight back Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute offer a new understanding of the so-called political center and explain why the most effective way to appeal to those who identify themselves as moderates or conservatives is to remain true to progressive values.