This book is an analysis of how political words, concepts, and, frameworks in US politics are understood in a conservative paradigm due to gradual linguistic shift orchestrated by conservatives since the 70s. The book features ample examples from the lexicographical roots as well as the evolution of word meanings in contemporary usage. Many examples came from the author's "Going Nucular". So if you enjoy his lexicographical genealogy and witty narratives, you will find them here.
The conservative linguistic shift was done by a two-step process. First, it begins with what Rorty called "final words", plain, common, everyday basic words used for propositional attitude towards actions and beliefs. These final words have been captured under conservative understanding. Politics also has its final words such as "conservative" and "liberal", "choice" and "freedom", "values" and "freedom", "elites" and "plain folks". The second step involves final words under certain narratives entering the public discourse to become political symbol words. "Values" means conservative beliefs such as family values, patriotism, school prayer, sanctity of life. "Value candidate" or "value voter" becomes a symbol word for conservative politics. "Elites" now means media elite, Hollywood celebrities, and the academia while it used to mean business executives and the rich in early 20th century. "Cultural elites" became a catch all phrase for liberal establishment. The conservative meaning of words are not just used only by conservatives but also by their opponents and the media. Nunberg thinks this acceptance was just passive acceptance consciously or unconsciously. That maybe partially true. It seems another reason is that if conservatives discuss issues under their framework and understanding, rejoinders can only make sense and fruitful if words are used under the same understanding. Once you become an interlocutor, you are using the words in their framework.
The linguistic shift enables the conservative to dominate the political hermeneutics in various ways. One way is to change the meaning of political label. The label "liberal" has been changed from the original FDR New Deal meaning to any character the conservatives want to demonise to such a degree that no Democrat or liberal is willing to use it, and, hence adopted the new label "progressive". Another way is to change the meaning and narrative of common political concepts. Political class is no longer defined by occupation and income, but by lifestyle, such as choices of wardrobe, diet; beverage, car, media consumption. J.C. Penny vs Lacoste, baloney sandwich vs sushi, Chevy vs Volvo etc. Nunberg's work provides many examples of how conservatives distorted meaning, interchanged meanings, added meaning of final and political words, exhibiting his expertise in polysemy as a pragmatician.
Nunberg thinks the Democrats cannot rectify this linguistic shift accomplished over decades just by reclaiming the terms and reassigning ad hoc meanings. What is required are narratives to go with the terms. The narratives must associate with stories that the public can identify and sympathise, such as Clinton's "people who live from paycheck to paycheck" or Mario Cuomo's "people who work for a living because they have to". They need to be a political narrative that coherently connects the Democratic issues. It seems that has shown to be no easy task given that the Democrats always get drawn into a defensive battle to talk about what the Republicans want to talk about while trying to sell liberal social issues that only minority interest and action group care.
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