James Stimson,
a poli sci professor at Chapel Hill, joins the list of lefties who
complain that policy is on the side of the left despite the rising tide
of conservatives.
He blames the press for setting the agenda in favor of the president.
He claims that people support conservative symbols but progressive
policies. He compares the average person to residents of Lake Wobegon
who think they’re conservative but want more government spending.

More than the linguists like Lakoff, Stimson’s argument reminds me of Paul Krugman’s “idealized median voter.” In their view, the people are just riff raff who don’t care about politics.