Framing Issues Politically

Framing Issues Politically

FRAMING THE ISSUES

UC Berkeley linguistics professor George Lakoff has written articles and published books on the significance of using language to frame issues and in particular how the Republicans and right wing conservatives have employed this technique to conceal their true intent. Frank Luntz wrote the play book for the Republicans on framing has developed many of the popular Republican framing of issues. For example, the Republican frame for "trial lawyer" is "frivolous lawsuits" that run up the cost of everything. The trial lawyers re-frame with "public protection" from corporations and big business. The Republican frame for "clear cutting" forests is "healthy forests." The frame for "dirty air" becomes "the clean air act." Tax laws that benefit the wealthy become "tax relief" laws and so on. Karl Rove has been very successful in employing framing for his political party. Now we are told that the Bush administration has decided to cut and run from their frame "stay the course." No longer will this frame be used after months of hearing the President, White House officials and Republican politicians repeat the phrase over and over. The reason given for abandoning the frame is that "it failed to capture the dynamism of the administration’s response to the worsening situation in Iraq." The real reason is that the public isn’t buying the frame anymore. So, in the best spirit of George Orwell, since that isn’t working, they will change it to something they hope will work. This has been the second deadliest month for our troops. Some $800 million tax dollars have been stolen out of a $1.2 Billion dollar fund to equip the Iraqi army and much of the rest wasted or lost. I don’t think the administration’s new frame of the situation as "a study in constant motion…." will work for them.

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