As was noted widely across the blogosphere last night and this morning, President Obama has just openly embraced the “Lakoff strategy” outlined in my recent review of the Democratic campaign guide The Little Blue Book. In that book (and in previous writings as well), George Lakoff over and over tells Democrats that in order to win elections they need to change their “narrative” and not their policies. In an interview with CBS news yesterday, Obama said this:
“When I think about what we’ve done well and what we haven’t done well, the mistake of my first term – couple of years – was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right. And that’s important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times.”
“Tell a story” = create a narrative.
What’s comical about this is that Obama is like an amateur thespian who reads the stage instructions as part of his dialogue, unaware that he’s not supposed to speak them aloud:
“Alas poor Yorick! Holds up skull. I knew him well, strides to front of stage.”
What Obama has done here isn’t create a narrative, but rather repeated the instructions from Lakoff that he should create a narrative.
Note to Team Obama: It doesn’t work if you announce what you’re doing.
Note to team Obama: ” It no longer works even if you DON’T announce what you’re doing”! -LOL- We The People have become wise to your ways!
Change the narrative? -LOL- This guy only knows one narrative, and it is now too late to learn another.
George Lakoff ‘s name tells all: BO – Record + Campaign = Lack Of Everything =0.
The incumbent candidate hasn’t been vetted (after 4 years, his own doing), but has been weighed — and found too light. An Amateur in the WH. Time to move on!
Hilarious, as are most of your columns! One of things about Obama that always amazes me is that, unlike Boy Clinton, he’s really not even a clever politician. The Democrats have lowered the standards for lying, too.
Apparently the Madoff strategy wasn’t working.
Your analogy is very funny — and perfect too.
There he sits, telling the “People” that they’re so stupid that they don’t understand his intentions, goals and policies.
The “People” “need” to have “stories” told to them —
because they’re so STUPID!
He just didn’t realize HOW STUPID they were until now.
And he’s so SMART he tells them exactly that he thinks they’re STUPID.
And all those othre “smart ones” are amen-ing his words —
saying, “Yes, OTHER people are STUPID so he’s right, THEY
NEED to be told STORIES … that will make them FEEL OKAY.
[It's such excellent material for use in a Romney PAC video!]
Hey, cut the fella some slack. He’s told plenty of stories, some real whoppers in fact. Heck, he’s even had a couple of those whoppers published.
What he’s absolutely failed to do is “tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times.”
Notice he says, “tell a story TO” rather than “tell a story ABOUT.” Big difference.
– of Rhenish upon his head.