Progressive people have firm principles. Progressive ideas are deeply moral. But conservatives are easily able to make an exclusive claim to principle and morality because they have something that progressives lack: the language to make their values clear and compelling in every issue they discuss.

Republicans call themselves the party of principle. "Moral values" is a widely-understood code phrase for anti-abortion and anti-gay-marriage activism. How on earth have things reached a point where conservatives seem to have a monopoly on moral ideas, American values, and sound principles?

Thanks to people like Ronald Reagan and Frank Luntz, conservatives have language for almost every issue that connects directly to their well-defined worldview. They have used language so well that their words are what many people in the press use when talking about issues. And every time the words are spoken, it reinforces their world view.

This glossary is my attempt to propose the beginnings of a progressive lexicon. The words I propose are true to my beliefs and values. They are designed to effectively stop right-wing spin in its tracks. They are ways to use progressive values to call a spade a spade.

I should present the following warnings: The words on this website have been researched by me thinking about them a lot. I hope that there are progressives out there who have the resources or the ability to use focus groups and dial sessions to refine these words the way Frank Luntz does, but I am not one of them. Also, these words are my thoughts alone -- they are not the result of any collaborative process. Many are based on ideas coming from George Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute, and I hope to build future terms from user comments on this site, but for now they are simply the best suggestions of one person.

All text is licensed under the FreeBSD Documentation License, so feel free to use it however you like.

I intend to write a short explanation of each term that appears in the dictionary. Watch for future updates on usage, related frames, and the fundamental values I see in each term.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave a comment on the relevant page or email me at fang2415 at fangjaw dot com.