Lakoff lives

Some say frame master George Lakoff is fading as a Democratic seer, but Harry Reid's speech suggests the U.C. Berkeley is still guiding the Dems.

Harry Reid: "At best [more oil] is an 18th century answer to a 21st century crisis; at worst it's pure baloney."

Title of Lakoff's current book: The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics With an 18th-Century Brain.

Comments

[Matthew]

Hah.

You could understand 21st century politics with a 2nd century brain. Read Tacitus, instead of this twit.

[Geoff Nathan]

Alas, George is actually a friend of mine (we're both linguists) and he's actually right about a lot of stuff in linguistics, but he's never considered the possibility that there are alternative metaphors besides gov't as father and gov't as mother. Such as gov't as cop or thug on the street (both libertarian guiding metaphors). Some day I've promised myself, after I retire, that I'll work out the whole set of fundamental metaphors that libertarians use when they think about government and politics.
The NYT had an article a couple of months ago about why George was washed up, but I guess they were a little premature.

[alan]

The Democratic Party, the party of science (as one conventioneer called it). Hydrocarbons are useful because of their chemical composition and that wont change whether it is 1800, 1900, 0r 2200.

The party of science that every four years attempts to pass off its candidate as a possessor of magical powers.

BTW, how did this man-gina get elected in Nevada of all places?

[atrevete]

Did they even DRILL for oil in the 18th century?

I thought they hunted whales for the oil in their foreheads or something.