Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Un-great moments in framing

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“Framing” — the association of two or more things, even if denying the connection,  thereby reinforcing the connection in the public’s mind. A distant cousin of the Freudian slip.

Richard Nixon, November 17, 1973:

“I am not a crook”

… at which point pretty much knew he was a crook.

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley today:

“We have not failed in Iraq,” Stephen Hadley said as he made the talk show rounds.

We must have failed in Iraq. Past tense.

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Comments

    • As Lakoff pointed out again and again, it was SOP for Dems to frame themselves into a corner … they always run (ran) races that sounded like “Vote for Jim Dem — who’s not really a cop killing baby-eater!” etc. etc.

    • “I voted for it before I voted against it.”

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      “Yeeeaaaargh!”

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      “It depends on what the definition of ‘is’ is.”

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      “Say hello to our friend macaca.”

      • Those aren’t examples of framing.  Those are verbal blunders which got turned into catchphrases and/or soundbites. “macaca” did bring new attention to unsavory parts of the candidate’s record…

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        A better example is “I did not have sex with that woman.” 

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        Speaking of Clinton, there needs to be a corollary to Godwin’s  rule regarding the number of posts before a threatened net conservative brings him up. It’s kind of the net version of “so’s your old man.”

        • He IS still the most prominent member of the party, is he not?

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          As much as it may pain you to be reminded of his personal fecklessness, he remains the titular head of the party, and the inevitable comparisons of W’s policies, personality, and legacy will continue to weighed against Bubba’s.

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          Most of the people in this country do not speak of Clinton with gushing reverence. You just need to accept that, and get over it.

          • You just haven’t talked to the right people.  Without the 22nd Amendment, Bill Clinton would still be president, “personal fecklessness” and all that bothersome peace and prosperity notwithstanding.  You just need to accept that, and get over it.

            • Because without the 22nd amendment, Reagan would have probably died in office in 2004.  Clinton who?

                • At the same time his party was calling for the repeal of the 22nd amendment, somebody was having to tell him his own name every 15 minutes or so, and remind him he wasn’t married to Jane Wyman anymore…Funny; why aren’t they calling for repeal now?  Oh, that’s right, there’s no need; with Alito and Scalia on the Supreme Court, W can just declare a red alert and cancel the election in the name of national security.

        • I’m a threatened net conservative?  Really?  Wow…I better tell the ACLU and MTA to cancel my membership.

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          I was bouncing off this idea of “unframing.”  For instance — Dean was working hard to move the frame being applied to him as a cRAzY liberal, and the scream merely re-affirmed that frame.  Kerr’ys line re-affirmed the Bush frame of him as a flip-flopper, and so on.

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