The highly convoluted yet ultimately simplistic ideas of Berkeley professor George Lakoff (conservatives are “strict fathers,” leftists are “nurturant parents”) are a constant topic of debate and discussion and hamster-wheel spinning among the “progressive” Kos Kidz, and here’s their latest eye-glazing long-winded exploration: Daily Kos: Book Review: Jeffrey Feldman’s ‘Framing the Debate’.

It’s more than a little reminiscent of the manipulative cult-like techniques of Scientology. They spend an enormous amount of time and energy trying to get their “framing” just right.

UPDATE at 4/29/07 11:40:40 am:

Zombie did a piece on the Lakoff hamster wheel last year: Markos Moulitsas, Joan Blades and George Lakoff panel discussion.

UPDATE at 4/29/07 6:36:28 pm:

In a reverse double-framing backflip, the Kidz are framing LGF: Daily Kos: LGF Discusses DailyKos.

Apparently, we suck. Our suckiness is so majestic, it’s salubrious.

The truth is that there is little insightful to say about their thread, but it does provide an interesting glimpse at a completely different take on DailyKos. Now humorous, now sad, a trip to LGF is a journey into the heart of darkness; for me, it is salubrious and uplifting to remind myself just how low a discourse can sink, and how far from that nadir we remain, even at our lowest moments.