George Lakoff, in "Whose Freedom?", "Moral Politics" and "Don't Think of an Elephant", asserts that political ideology and rhetoric often reduce to reasoning in virtue of common underlying metaphors. A cognitive linguist, these views are deeply rooted in his theory of "embodied mind". For example, Lakoff asserts that over a wide range of issues, conservatives and liberals disagree because they use fundamentally different concepts of family, and a metaphor of governance as family (or alternatively, the nation as a family). Conservative viewpoints frequently rely on a "strict father" model, wherein the family is headed by the father, who is responsible for the physical security of the family, and the proper moral upbringing of children. Progressive viewpoints tend to use a "nurturing parent" model, where parents work for the protection and well-being of the child. Lakoff claims that these two different understandings of family are the basis of conservative emphasis on strong national defense, and "family values", and of liberal emphasis on addressing education, health care, and various social needs.

More importantly, for his consulting work, Lakoff posits that how an issue is framed, and what metaphors political rhetoric evokes has a large factor in how opinions will be received.

Lakoff has brought these views into the political world, attempting to help various organizations boost their image, or control their message by giving consideration to the cognitive linguistics involved in political rhetoric. In statements prior to the 2006 midterm elections, Lakoff had explained the efficacy of GOP rhetoric as being based in very careful framing -- Lakoff, with the Rockridge Institute, hopes to bring progressive rhetoric and framing up to par.

Lakoff is controversial not only within political circles, but also within academia. "Whose Freedom?" prompted a scathing review by Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, who accused Lakoff of irresponsibly caricaturing and simplifying political views, and over-estimating the power of metaphor and figurative language.