George Lakoff and the Obama Magic
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George Lakoff, author of the New York Times Bestseller Don’t Think of an Elephant!: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate and the recently released The Political Mind: Why You Can’t Understand 21st Century Politics with an 18th Century Brain, takes on Obama’s perceived shift to the center in a new article on the Huffington Post.
From the article:
Barack Obama should not move, or even appear to be moving, toward right-wing views on issues — even with nuanced escape clauses. Arianna Huffington, Paul Krugman, and the NY Times Editorial Page all agree, for various reasons. I agree as well, for many of the same reasons, as well as important reasons that go beyond even excellent political commentary.
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But before I get into the details, it is important to get a sense of why Obama might be “moving to the Right.” There are at least three possibilities. The first is for political expediency. The second is to reassure voters that he is a responsible leader, not a crazy radical. The third is that he thinks that nuanced positions don’t have the effect of the moving to the right.
