Here's how you do propaganda:- Republicans call the estate tax a "death tax".
- O'Reilly calls Dr. Tiller an operator of a "death mill".
- Sarah Palin makes up stuff about "Obama's death panel" (which you must "stand in front of" - making it even more ominous).
The comment by Palin was almost certainly co-written. On her Facebook page, the term "death panel" was in quotes, which allows for some deniability; the "standing in front of" element (noted above) is a melodramatic touch that's not Palin's style; other elements of her statement have an Investors Business Daily-like construction.
posted by Quiddity at 8/10/2009 11:01:00 AM
This is explained by the work of George Lakoff. Here is a quote from wikipedia describing his work, "he is most famous for his ideas about the centrality of metaphor to human thinking, political behavior and society." Once a debate has been framed in phrases as you printed, it is almost impossible for the other side to win.
