no. 884

“There is a common belief that there is an ideological ‘center’— a large group of ‘moderate’ voters either with a consistent ideology of their own or lined up left to right on the issues or forming a ‘mainstream’, all with the same positions on issues.

In fact, the so-called center is actually made up of biconceptuals — people who are conservative in some aspects of life and progressive in others. Voters who self-identify as ‘conservative’ often have significant progressive values in important areas of life. We should address these ‘partial progressive’ biconceptuals through their progressive identities, which are often systematic and extensive.

A common mistaken ideology has convinced many progressives that they must ‘move to the right’ to get more votes. But this is counterproductive. By moving to the right, progressives actually help activate the right's values and give up on their own. In the process, they also alienate their own base.

George Lakoff, from “Twelve Communication Traps Democrats and Progressives Must Avoid.”