Words That Don't Work

From George Lakoff -- a response to Frank Luntz's remarks to the Republican Governor's recent gathering:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-lakoff/occupy-rhetoric_b_1133114.html?ref=daily-brief?utm_source=DailyBrief&utm_campaign=120711&utm_medium=email&utm_content=BlogEntry&utm_term=Daily%20Brief

Progressives had some fun last week with Frank Luntz, who told the Republican Governors' Association that he was scared to death of the Occupy movement and recommended language to combat what the movement had achieved. But the progressive critics mostly just laughed, said his language wouldn't work, and assumed that if Luntz was scared, everything was hunky-dory. Just keep on saying the words Luntz doesn't like: capitalism, tax the rich, etc.

It's a trap.

When Luntz says he is "scared to death," he means that the Republicans who hire him are scared to death and he can profit from that fear by offering them new language. Luntz is clever. Yes, Republicans are scared. But there needs to be a serious discussion of both Luntz's remarks and the progressive non-response.