Lakoff: Romney beating Obama on economic framing

Last Wednesday both Obama and Romney had economic speeches. According to Lakoff and Wehling Romney won this round. How so? They insist framing should be foremost in moral terms, which Romney did. Obama focusing on specific policy issues, which are important but secondary and must flow from the moral vision. Obama then repeats Romney's framing, albeit in negative terms, but even so this reinforces the former. And Obama did not address the moral need for The Public, i.e., government, necessary for private enterprise to flourish. As one example, instead of calling it 'spending' as if its a waste of money use the term 'investment,' which every good businessperson understands. Romney successfully used conservative framing making government the villain with no credible counter from Obama.

Lakoff and Wehling offer very helpful feedback and suggestions (see article). Unfortunately conservatives understand framing while liberals are generally still stuck in logical policy speak, as if that by itself will win the day. If they haven't learned this fallacy by now then progressives are doomed in November, again. And the country will move even further into corporate fascism. Liberals are always asking where they went wrong but won't listen when the solution is staring them in the face. WTF will it take for liberals to wake up? They better do so before government is irreparably in the hands of corporate cronies and it cannot be reversed. Please encourage (overwhelm) Obama and liberals generally with letters and emails to take framing seriously and get with the program now.