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Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision By George Lakoff ( Farrar, Straus and Giroux )
Release Date: 2006-10-03
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Product Description
Two years ago George Lakoff published the bestselling Don’t Think of an Elephant! Its account of the conservative monopoly on effective framing touched off a national discussion about political language. It also gave rise to a chorus of pleas for more:
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* What is the progressive vision of America; * Why progressive values are America’s values; * How frames are necessary to serve the truth; * Why sloganeering alone doesn’t work; * How progressives trap themselves and how they can escape those traps; and * How political arguments and narratives can be put together to counter the Right.  Thinking Points satisfies that call with a bold, concise, and systematic explanation of how conservatives think and use language—and how progressives can fight back . Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute offer a new understanding of the so-called political center and explain why the most effective way to appeal to those who identify themselves as moderates or conservatives is to remain true to progressive values.
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This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to participate in shaping an America that serves the common good.
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 Disappointingly simplistic ( thetrustedseller )
Ok, so if you've never studied linguistics, the first book you read by the team behind Lakoff may have points of interests to you. But there are more thought provoking books out there.
The metaphor models behind this political application seem deep and intricate. The "nurturing mother" and "strict father" models are not. And by all means, they are both simplistic and erroneous. Were they as true as Lakoff claims they are, a "quick fix" of the democratic parties would've helped them in the elections (and they really tried since 2004... with no results).
The disappointment in this book, as in the previous, "Don't think of an Elephant", is that the oversimplification of mental spaces and metaphors makes everyone think a simple fix in language will fix how people think. That preconception is wrong. Yes, framing issues will help, but that alone will not help you against strong arguments which are much complex than the sexist mommy/daddy dichotomy pervasive to Lakoff's theories.
Read if you are trying to see simplistic applications of certain linguistics theories, but move on to better thought-provoking books.
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Recycling Points ( doomsdayer520 )
George Lakoff's insights into political rhetoric have been brilliant, and his explanations for conservative rhetorical victories and the resulting failures by progressives are right on the money. Unfortunately, Lakoff made his most insightful points long ago, and this particular book is unrewarding for anyone who has read at least one of his previous books on the general topic of linguistics in American politics. I'm a great fan of Lakoff's work in this area, being introduced to it via "Don't Think of an Elephant" which I found revelatory, while I was also impressed with the more specific but somewhat repetitive "Whose Freedom." Those two books, plus the earlier "Moral Politics," are merely summarized into handbook form here, with a new quick-hitting format that might be useful for progressive strategists in the future but is a disappointment for anyone hoping for new insights from Lakoff. There is even a fair amount of repeated text within this short book itself.
When an author releases a new book, it's supposed to signify that he has created something new. But the only substantive new material in this book is found in Chapter 2, in which Lakoff expands upon the theory of "biconceptuals" in political thought and defeats the myth of a moderate center. But otherwise, most of the rest of the book consists of repeats of Lakoff's previous works condensed into soundbite form, as indicated by the frequent instructions for the reader to consult those three earlier books for more information. Meanwhile, an incongruous detour into policy idealism wrecks Chapter 7 - "Strategic Initiatives" that turn out to be political reactions of the type that Lakoff strongly disdains in all his other writings. Fundamentally, while Lakoff's insights remain useful, here he merely preaches yet again to the choir that is familiar with his earlier groundbreaking work. With his now-proven penchant for repeating his basic ideas in multiple books, it appears that Lakoff has said all he can say on progressive rhetorical political strategies. His breakthroughs will advance no further until progressive politicians and activists make real use of his ideas. Repeating all of the above in more books won't make that happen. [~doomsdayer520~]
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 Thinking Points ( mgharcourt )
A 'must read' progressives. The ideas of framing cut across all issues. This articulates progressive values, and points out the verbal 'traps' used by the right wing.
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Framing Made Concrete ( pervo208 )
In this short volume, Dr. Lakoff presents a more concrete, 'work-a-day'approach to activists who wish to employee the technique to both frame their own messages, and recognize other's frame when they are presented. 'Moral Politics' was Lakoff's original analysis; "Don't Think of an Elephant" the cliff notes for it, and now we have 'Thinking Points'- the Chilton manual.
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a keeper ( azularab )
A fine book that everyone should have in their library - and read more than once
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