Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision

In 2004, George Lakoff's bestselling Don't Think of an Elephant! delivered a path-breaking account of the conservative monopoly on the effective framing of political issues, touching off a national discussion about the role of values and language in politics. Lakoff's work on progressive values and ideas gave rise to a chorus of pleas for more: What is the progressive vision of America? Why are progressive values America's values? How are frames necessary to serve the truth? What is the "Center," and how can progressives address it? How do progressives trap themselves, and how can they escape those traps? How can political arguments and narratives be put together to counter the right