“Callous Conservatism"? We Can Do Better Than That...

The Rockridge Institute, a thinktank that includes in its goals the reframing the terms of political debate, has come up with a theory that the right uses "Orwellian language" because it is weak. That is "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain - we are the great and terrible Oz!" Or great and chummy-enough-to-have-a-beer-with Oz, as the case may be.

It's an interesting article, but their alternative suggestions for replacing wingnut catch phrases like "compassionate conservatism" and "Clear Skies initiative, " fall a little short, IMHO. Using something like “Dirty Skies initiative" only sounds like a peevish rejoinder your prepubscent brother would use in a backseat argument. ("I said Adam Ant is cool!" "You mean 'Adam Ant's a fool!' <Snicker-nyark-nyark!>") And irony doesn't always work, either. Trying to make the SDI sound far-fetched by calling it "Star Wars" only made it sound cool. So how about we just call "Clear Skies" "Life-Choking Bullshit" and be done with it? Or are we still trying not to "go negative"? 'Cause that worked so well in the last campaign...