Is Kerry trying to activate the 'nurturant parent' frame

[cestpaspossible]

with his Kids First campaign?'

If you are unfamiliar with Lakoff, he talks about politics in terms of two different views, the 'strict father' model for the Republicans, and the 'nurturant parent' model for Democrats.

There are many aspects of life, and many people live by one family-based model in one part of their lives and another in another part of their lives. I have colleagues who are nurturant parents at home and liberal in their politics, but strict fathers in their classrooms. Reagan knew that blue-collar workers who were nurturant in their union politics were often strict fathers at home. He used political metaphors that were based on the home and family, and got them to extend their strict father thinking from the home to politics.

This is very important to do. The goal is to activate your model in the people in the "middle." he people who are in the middle have both models, used regularly in different parts of their lives. What you want to do is get them to use your model for politics--to activate your worldview and moral system in their political decisions. You do that by talking to people using frames based on your worldview.

--George Lakoff, Don't Think of an Elephant, p.21

Is Kerry trying to activate the 'nurturant parent' frame with his Kids First campaign?

[Jesus Saves]

1. Probably not consciously

By the way pubs play this frame too, just in different ways.

[Califooyah Operative]

2. yes. he's been framing since the campaign,

not as effectively as recently, but he started using it at the very least as a strategy back during the campaign, when they were using th slogan of something along the lines of 'stronger at home, more effective abroad'. It wasn't till after the election that the democratic leadership got the lakoff memo though. Now, thank god, everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon.

[Lexingtonian]

3. forget about Lakoff, please....

This isn't a new bill. I think it's actually one from the late Clinton years. It's the first step in universal health care, nothing more and nothing less.

It's simply an effort get the Democratic agenda pointed in the right direction, toward fixing real problems rather than spend all the time just on the defensive.

[marcologico]

4. I'm glad you said that.

And we really don't need another poll with a "Kerry sucks" option, haha. It's getting old.

[cestpaspossible]

5. Call it

a pressure release valve.

[cestpaspossible]

6. So, how'd you vote?

[karynnj]

7. May fit Lakoff, but Kerry is doing it because he genuinely cares

During the campaign and afterwards, any time Kerry has spoken about children it is clear that he was talking from the heart. When he was a proscecutor, he set up and was involved with programs for disadvantaged kids likely to get in trouble. I think he really meant it when he said that he wanted to continue to fight for the goals expressed in the campaign. These were not just campaign promises that were designed to win an election.

[rockymountaindem]

8. Notice how only 3 people say "Kerry sucks"?

I guess the vocal minority of Kerry haters really is in the minority.

[KittyWampus]

9. Hope Not, Cause "Nurturant" Parent Is Antithetical To What Executive

Leadership is all about.

Executive leadership is about Vision, Oversight, Discipline.

What the Democrats need to do is portray the GOP as the control-freak, over-bearing, mean-spirited, self-centered jerks they are.

[karynnj]

10. Not true - the best bosses are nurturing

Of all the supervisors that I knew at when they were not at very high levels one of the most nurturing, is currently CEO at a major company. I was not in his department, but in a research group supporting them. During one crunch, many of us were in on a Saturday working to meet a tight deadline. He made a point of sincerely thanking all of us there and, even though this was a chaotic time, he took the time to call his peer in our group to commend us for the work done. At a large meeting with many very level people where topics related to our work were being discussed, he took the time to come over to a person in his group and me and explained how what we did fit in and why it was important. As a work was essentially part of a contingency plan, it wasn't obvious.

[cestpaspossible]

11. agreed

[KittyWampus]

12. The Best Bosses Set The Agenda & Let Staff Do THEIR Jobs.

Nurturing has NOTHING to do with Vision and Executive Leadership.

You have mistaken Attentiveness with Nuturing.

[karynnj]

13. In a work situation, nurturing

I think nurturing would include giving positive feedback when earned, making sure the tools needed are available, providing political support when needed, and providing good feedback including guidance on how to improve. A nurturing boss would not be one who looks over your shoulder or who checks every thing you do.

A good boss needs vision and executive leadership. A great boss needs those qualities in abundance, but to provide a good work environment they need to be nurturing and have the skill to motivate a group. The difference in the work environment between having a boss who is nurturing and one who is not is major.

I worked for 25 years in a very large corporation, it is very possible that in a different environment this might not be necessary.

[KittyWampus]

18. Again, The FUNCTION Of Executive Leadership Is The Issue

Nurturance is NOT the function of Executive Leadership.

The Head/Brain is where information is recieved, processed and integrated and then decisions are made.

YES, Attentiveness is essential for the whole organism to do well.

But the HEAD decides on a course of action and allows the rest of the body to implement it.

YES, the HEAD needs to make decisions based on keeping the entire system healthy.

But it is the BODY that does the work of getting food, eating food and assimiliating it. In other words NURTURE.

You are confusing the Electricity from the Circuitry that carries it.

[cestpaspossible]

19. I just disagree with your premises.

You state very forcefully Nurturance is NOT the function of Executive Leadership.

But your followup analogies are not convincing. Head/body/electricty/circuitry... wtf are you talking about...you need both your head and your body.

Everyone has both these frames in them... a good leader can activate either when appropriate.

[New Earth]

14. that's real nice.

"Kerry sucks" as an option?

Wait, what forum am i on again? :freak:

[cestpaspossible]

17. The reality is, it is how some folks here feel.

Not me, I'm a fierce Kerry loyalist, but, there are some here who feel that way. In order to have valid poll results, you need choices that run the full gamut of opinions. Plus I figured if they had the option of choosing that, they might be less likely to dump all over the thread.

[TayTay]

15. Is Lakoff supposed to be taken literally?

I read his book and it was okay. I didn't find it to be earth shattering as the ideas expressed in it have been kicking around for years. (Which is not an unusual event at all. Sometimes good ideas percolate for a while before they enter the mainstream thoughts of a political movement.)

The problem I have with Lakoff is figuring out how to translate this 'nurturing parent' thing to canvassing with voters. If I went to the mobile home park that I visited in the last election and started talking about 'nurturing parents,' I would get the door slammed in my face. (On the other hand, using the line "You're being screwed over and here's how" worked okay.)

So, is Lakoff for the press only or what? How are you supposed to put this into actual talking to actual voters?

[cestpaspossible]

16. Putting kids first is a moral value.

One that 'activates the nurturant parent frame' - to put it in Lakoff's technical language.

When you talk about putting kids first, you activate a liberal frame. One that even people who don't vote Democratic share. They vote Republican, but they understand the concept of putting the interests of their children ahead of their own. So just by using the words 'Kids First', you activate that frame. It is a liberal value that you put kids first, therefore you might be willing to, for example, give up some short-term profit to ensure that your children have clean water and air. You might be willing to take the tough choices to balance the budget to avoid saddling your children with a massive debt. And so on.