Don’t Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate
George Lakoff

I’m A Proud American – I’m a proud American. I’m a meat-and-potatoes Democrat who is tired of blood-thirsty conservative phonies and their holier-than-thou attitudes. But I’m also sick of flip-flopping politicians within my own party and whiners who complain that “our side” lacks message discipline; message discipline requires a discipline of belief and what our side lacks is a discipline of belief. You have to know where you stand. I’m a proud American. And what I value can be summed up in 10 words: greater safety, responsible spending, equal opportunity, healthier families, more hope. You don’t have to mimic a Republican to beat a Republican. You don’t have to find God and babble about religion. You don’t have to support a shameful war to show you’re tough. You just have to know where you stand – and then take a stand. James Carville taught us years ago that every election comes down to one question: Do you want change or more of the same? The time is ripe for change. Dr. Lakoff’s book notes that people vote their identities and values more than their self-interest. So who are we and what do we believe? Generations ago, our country’s founders declared that certain truths are self-evident and set out to form a more perfect Union. I’m a proud American and it’s my responsibility – and yours, too – to help shape our more perfect Union, to help create a better tomorrow by ensuring greater safety, responsible spending, equal opportunity, healthier families and more hope. The elections in 2006 and 2008, as always, are the Democrats’ to lose. And lose we will if we fail to nominate candidates who can successfully deliver this message because they fail to fully believe this message. America is my home. And I’m a proud American. And I believe we can build a better tomorrow, together.