A Day in the Life of Joe Republican

By John Gray, Cincinnati, Ohio - jgray7@cinci.rr.com - July - 2004

Joe gets up at 6:00am to prepare his morning coffee. He fills his pot full of good clean drinking water because some liberal fought for minimum water quality standards. He takes his daily medication with his first swallow of coffee. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to insure their safety and work as advertised. All but $10.00 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance, now Joe gets it too.

He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs this day. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

Joe takes his morning shower reaching for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with every ingredient and the amount of its contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to stop industries from polluting our air. He walks to the subway station for his government subsidized ride to work; it saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day; he has a good job with excellent pay, medicals benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union. If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.

Its noon time, Joe needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FDIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the depression. Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some stupid liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his life-time.

Joe is home from work; he plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive to dad's. His car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards. He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural Republicans would still be sitting in the dark!) He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.

After his visit with dad he gets back in his car for the ride home. He turns on a radio talk show. The host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn't tell Joe that his beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day.) Joe agrees, "We don't need those big government liberals ruining our lives; after all, I'm a self made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."

-- Author John Gray - jgray7@cinci.rr.com

DON'T THINK OF AN ELEPHANT

Reviewed by Jess Minks 

As I read Lakoff’s book, don’t think of an elephant, I realized that in the anti-Bush message is not going to change the next two years. No change will be forthcoming, until we change the U. S. House and Senate.  We have to address the issues. The issues must be framed to be understood by those we are communicating with. Democrats have to transform the language of American politics. When you control the language, you control the message, and the corporate media will do the rest.

Lakoff understands that the Democratic Party has to start working on media framing. To do this we have to be cognizant about how we communicate, the words we choose, and the framing we evoke, AT ALL TIMES.

The book is just the first step in making the changes. Language and framing is all about metaphor, and reclaiming the language. Reframing is changing the way the public sees the world. It is changing what counts as common sense. Thinking differently requires speaking differently.

People do not necessarily vote in their self-interest. They vote their identity. They vote their values. They vote for the party they identify with. Voters vote their identity, is the one thing I believe we as Democrats must stop assuming that voters simply voting in their self-interests. The opposing party says what they idealistically believe. They say it; they talk to their base using the frames of their base.  Democrats have to learn to do this and not follow just the numbers of the pollsters.

The goal is to activate OUR model in the people in the middle. What we want to do is to get them to use our model for politics—to activate Our worldview and moral system in their political decisions. WE do that by talking to people using frames based on our worldviews. One way to do this is the use of Orwellian language—language that means the opposite of what it says—to appease the people in the middle at the same time as we pump up our base.

Many think the Democratic Party has all the ideas needed to win. All they need is media access. Or some magic bullet phrases. When we think we just lack the words, what we really lack are ideas. Ideas come in the form of frames. When the frames are there, the ideas come readily.  What I agree with Lakoff, we need to know about the cognitive science phenomenon called hypocognition -- the lack of the ideas we need, the lack of a relatively simple fixed frame that can be evoked by a word or two. Look at the two words TAX RELIEF….they have the voters thinking taxation is an affliction or burden, which allows for the two word phrase. When in reality taxation is what we pay to live in a civilized country, what we pay to have democracy and opportunity, and what we pay to use the infrastructure paid for by the previous taxpayers. Looking at taxation in this manner makes people think of taxation as an investment, not an affliction or a burden.

This is a simplified example of what the book has to offer. Another is a concept called Strategic Initiatives. A strategic initiative is a plan in which a change in one carefully chosen issue area has automatic effects over many, many, many other issue areas. For example, "tax cuts" seems straightforward, but as a result there isn't enough money in the budget for any of the government's social programs. Think about it, the Democratic Party, generally doesn't try to figure out what minimal change we can enact that will have effects across many issues.

Lakoff also speaks of the slippery slope initiatives, take the first step and you're on your way off the cliff. Conservatives are very good at slippery slope initiatives. That "partial-birth abortion" as an issue. There are almost no such cases so why do conservatives care so much about it. Because it is a first step down a slippery slope to ending all abortion. It puts out there a frame of abortion as a horrendous procedure, when most operations ending pregnancy are nothing like that.

This is only a small part of what the first chapter has to offer, so please read the book and find out "the rest of the story."

Jess Minks
SCDC Chair

Forwarded from Van Buren Dems (via Gary Karch)
Subject: Protest sign/bumper sticker ideas - something for everyone -please forward

1. Blind Faith in Bad Leadership Is Not Patriotism.
2. If You're Not Outraged, You're Not Paying Attention.
3. If You Supported Bush, A Yellow Ribbon Will Not Make Up For It.
4. Support Our Troops. Impeach Bush.
5. At Least in Vietnam, Bush Had an Exit Strategy.
6. Send the Twins.
7. Poverty, Healthcare, & Homelessness are Moral Issues.
8. Remove Bush's Feeding Tube.
9. Support Our Troops. Bring Them Home Now.
10. Bush Lied and You Know It.
11. Religious Fundamentalism - A Threat Abroad & A Threat at Home.
12. GOD BLESS EVERYONE. (No exceptions).
13. Bush Spent Your Social Security on His War.
14. It is the Duty of the Patriot to Protect His Country from Its Government. (Thomas Paine)
15. Pro America. Anti Bush.
16. Who Would Jesus Bomb?
17. If You Support Bush's War, Why Are You Still Here?
18. Screwed His Country.
19. My Values? Free Speech, Equality, Liberty, Education, Tolerance.
20. IS IT 2008 YET?
21. Dissent is the Highest Form of Patriotism. (Thomas Jefferson)
22. Don't Blame Me. I Voted Against Bush Twice.
23. Nobody Died When Clinton Lied.
24. Of Course It Hurts. You're Getting Screwed by an Elephant.
25. Annoy a Conservative. Think for Yourself.
26. VISUALIZE IMPEACHMENT.
27. STOP MAD COWBOY DISEASE.
28. George W Bush: Making Terrorists Faster Than He Can Kill Them.
29. Where Are We Going? And Why Are We in This Handbasket?
30. Hate, Greed, Ignorance are Weapons of Mass Destruction.
31. Honor Our Troops. Demand the Truth.
32. Rebuild Iraq? Why Not Spend $87 Billion on America?
33. The Last Time Religion Controlled Politics People Got Burned at the Stake.

POSTED 1/25/06 From Janet Personette via Dave Weaver

Think About This!

--A car company can move its factories to Mexico and claim it's a free market.
--A toy company can out source to a Chinese subcontractor and claim it's a free market.
--A major bank can incorporate in Bermuda to avoid taxes and claim it's a free market.
--We can buy HP Printers made in Mexico.
--We can buy shirts made in Bangladesh.
--When I need to speak to someone about my computer, I talk to somebody in India.


We can purchase almost anything we want from 20 different countries. But, heaven help the elderly who dare to buy their prescription drugs from a Canadian pharmacy. That's called un-American! And you think the pharmaceutical companies don't have a powerful lobby? Please forward this to every person you know over age 50. It is an interesting point of view. Maybe this is an issue that should come up in the next election! Forget the 50, send it to everyone. Sooner, or later, we're all in this boat together!

This came from a blog; but we don't have the name of the blog to give credit. If you have seen this item posted on a blog, please let us know so we can give proper credit. It was written by "Anthony."

Democrats gave us . . .

  • Democrats gave us Social Security (the most successful government program ever)

  • Democrats gave us civil rights legislation

  • Democrats gave us Medicare

  • Democrats gave us seatbelts & airbags

  • Democrats gave us public broadcasting

  • Democrats gave us the Freedom of Information Act

  • Democrats gave us environmental laws

  • Democrats gave us the Americans with Disabilities Act

  • Democrats gave us workplace safety laws

  • Democrats gave us food safety laws

  • Democrats gave us food labeling laws

  • Democrats gave us the GI Bill

  • Democrats gave us low-income housing

  • Democrats gave us the Tennessee Valley Project

  • Democrats gave us the Peace Corps

  • Democrats gave us the longest period of economic expansion in history (under Bill Clinton)

  • Democrats gave us the lowest infant mortality rate in history. (It’s going up now, of course)

  • Democrats gave us consumer protection laws

  • Democrats gave us improved air quality

  • Democrats gave us the internet

  • Democrats gave us the Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Republicans hate this kind of stuff; they’re very mean)

  • Democrats gave us Affirmative Action (which 64% of Americans favor. Don’t listen to the right-wing disinformation machine: affirmative action has helped the income, promotion and labor force participation rates of both women and minorities. That’s why Republicans hate it. If it hadn’t worked, they wouldn’t mind.)

  • Democrats promote space exploration

  • Democrats gave us the Family & Medical Leave Act

  • Democrats gave us the Consumer Product Safety Commission

  • Democrats cleaned up the Great Lakes (did so!)

  • Democrats protect endangered species

  • Democrats got a ban on CFC’s, DDT, PCB’s, & leaded gasoline (plus who knows what other toxic stuff we & our kids would still be enjoying–if Republicans had always ruled)

  • Democrats gave us rural electrification

  • Democrats got you public schooling

  • Democrats gave us the National Weather Service

  • Democrats gave us truth-in-advertising laws

  • Democrats gave us the Morrill Land Grant Act (this act is the reason nearly every state has a large public university)

  • Democrats gave us public universities (Democrats are less afraid of people getting educated than Republicans are)

  • Democrats promote & fund scientific research

  • Democrats gave us guaranteed bank deposits

  • Democrats helped women get the vote (the Republicans forestalled it until the 1920’s; bad Republicans!)

  • Democrats passed child-labor laws

  • Democrats got us Meals on Wheels

  • Democrats promote scientific & technological research

  • Democrats promote student financial aid

  • Democrats promote child immunizations (which reached record levels under the Clinton Administration)

  • Democrats make the poverty rate go down (Check it out: the New Deal reduced America’s poverty rate from over 50% to less than 20%)

  • Democrats lower the crime rate (it dropped for 8 successive years under Clinton–the longest continuous drop on record; what can I say?)

  • Democrats fought discrimination (The Republicans supported it: remember?)

  • Democrats help develop alternative energy sources (whereas the Republicans plan to take us down with the dinosaurs)

  • Democrats control immigration (better than Republicans; Bill Clinton exported more illegals than any President ever)

  • Democrats created special education programs, handicapped education programs, job retraining programs, etc., etc. (Republicans destroy same, capice?)

  • Democrats improve the educational system (whereas Republicans sell it down the river)

  • Democrats protect you from malignant corporations (Republicans feed you to them)

  • The GNP grows more under Democrats (thought you might like to know)

  • Democrats lowered the teen birth rate (under Clinton, to its lowest rate in 60 years)

  • Democrats deactivated more than 1,700 nuclear warheads from the former Soviet Union (Clinton again. Thank you, Bill!)

  • Democrats gave us the highest home ownership rate in American history (Clinton again)

  • Democrats converted the largest budget deficit in American history into the largest surplus (which GWB has incredibly turned back into the biggest deficit AGAIN!)

  • Democrats gave us smaller government (That’s right! The Federal government grows much less under Democrats)

  • Democrats reduce federal spending (to the lowest level since 1966 under the last elected President)

  • Democrats gave us the most exports ever (under Clinton)

  • Democrats can get the FDA working again (do not take any drugs approved under this administration; it’s that bad)

  • Democrats would represent most people (most people want the liberal things–environmentalism, gun control, international cooperation, less torture; Republicans, by contrast, want things that most Americans hate)

  • Democrats can fix this gross income-inequality thing (income equality correlates significantly with mortality rates, crime, poor educational outcomes, substance abuse, etc.)

  • Democrats are not so into crackpot science & crackpot stats (science backs up the Democrats; junk science backs up the Right)

  • Democrats will give us a health-care system (think about it; the lifespans of Canadians are now 2 years more than ours–because of their healthcare system)

  • The African-American poverty rates dropped to their lowest levels EVER under the last Democratic administration.

  • The poverty rate for single mothers reached its lowest level EVER under Clinton.

Comment by Anthony — March 1, 2006 @ 5:33 pm