Q & A about Democrats use of language

[kentuck]

A thoughtful piece on "framing".
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/19/readersopinions/bai-questions.html?ei=5070&en=721d42b30d68025e&ex=1124164800&pagewanted=print

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Q. 1. What makes you, or anyone for that matter, think that the Democrats are losing because of a lack of communication? The Democrats were the party in power for decades; is it possible that the American people might be too familiar with their politics and are rejecting them in the 21st century?
— Freda Neuwirth, Miami Beach, Fla.

A. Well, Freda, I don't think Democrats are losing because of a lack of communication. My article was a long piece, I know, but if you read the whole thing, you'll see that that's not my point of view at all. I think good communication helps, but ultimately you have to have a strong sense of what kind of argument you want to communicate, and they don't.

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Q. 6. What do you think about the Republicans' using the word "faith" instead of "religion"? It seems to me that faith makes people think of a small girl kneeling by her bedside, while religion makes people think of the Catholic Church that Luther wanted to reform. Sort of like Lakoff's nurturing mother vs. strong father argument. The First Amendment says no establishment of religion, not no establishment of faith. So religion is already unconstitutional but faith is as American as apple pie.
— Peter Persoff, Piedmont, Calif.

A. I've never thought of that before. I wonder what Dr. Lakoff would say. Seems to me that "faith" is more universal and accessible than "religion," since anyone can have their own personal faith, while religion feels more institutional.

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[TheFarseer]

1. You raise a good point.

Republicans have made their policies more palatable by use of better language such as the faith vs. religion example.

The question now is how do we re-state our policies so that they will seem like the good ideas that they are. For instance, universal healthcare is not a good phrase. It is too easily shouted down as "communism" and "too expensive". Raising CAFE standards is shouted down as "taking away my SUV" Fair taxation is shouted down as "raising my taxes" Of course I suppose any new term we could come up with could be demonized by Rush Limbaugh.