A friend recently urged me to read the book “Don’t Think of an Elephant!” by George Lakoff. Its major argument is a simple one: that ideas and language are critical in framing political debate.

Lakoff asserts that Republicans are winning elections because they know what they want American society to be like and can effectively communicate their message to a majority of voters. Lakoff’s thesis can be applied to Maine politics by analyzing the language surrounding the recently passed two-year state budget that takes effect July 1.

The $5.7 billion document increases aid to public education but also borrows $450 million, which will be raised from special revenue bonds. It contains no increases in sales or income taxes. The budget was passed largely by party-line voting and just before April 1, which allowed it to become law with a bare majority in each chamber.

Democratic leaders claim the mantle of “responsibility.” For example:

Sen. Beth Edmonds of Freeport called it “a responsible budget that has earned the votes of the majority.”

Sen. Peggy Rotundo of Lewiston asserted that “we have crafted the most responsible budget possible, given the constraints we were working within and the obligations we have to the people of Maine.”

What underlying message are they trying to send? The budget is responsible because a majority of the Legislature voted for it. If pressed, they might say something like, “It was hard work getting it to pass; this must mean we did the right and responsible thing.”

Democrats also believe that emphasizing obligations will resonate with Mainers. Since obligations can be perceived as moral duties, the budget is responsible because the state will fulfill its obligations to its residents.

Republican leaders also profess that they are standing up for responsibility. For example:

Sen. Kevin Raye of Perry wrote that, “In a sad failure to accept responsibility for their spending decisions, the authors of this budget have masked the true costs of state spending …”

A GOP press release stated that “Governor Baldacci … avoided the tough decisions expected of a leader, and indebted our children and grandchildren for decades to come. This wholly irresponsible action will echo well into the state’s fiscal future …”

What underlying message are the Republicans trying to send?

The Democrats cannot be trusted because the budget was essentially balanced with smoke and mirrors. Moreover, their lack of political courage will compromise the future. If they were in charge, they would have made the tough choices now.

Who’s right? Both parties are but in different ways. The Democrats are responsible because there are genuine obligations that government owes its citizens. These include access to quality and affordable health care, public education that gives children the opportunity to reach their potential and adequate assistance to the disabled and elderly.

Wouldn’t slashing access to MaineCare and closing down public schools be breaking the moral obligations of government?

The Republicans are responsible because government should be honest with its citizens about how much money they expect to raise and how much they need to pay the bills. Government should also be a model that others can follow. How many individuals or businesses can balance their budgets with gimmicks?

It seems the state cannot simultaneously be fiscally honest and fulfill its obligations. Why is it so difficult to be straightforward and dutiful at the same time? It doesn’t fit into how taxes have been politically framed over the years.

Ever since the late 1970s, taxes have been a toxic topic; the only time a winning politician ever mentioned them was either in a whiff of disgust or with a sigh of shame. Nobody wants to be associated with increasing taxes. Since they cannot be honestly debated in an atmosphere of openness, gimmicks become the rule: either special revenue bonds at the state level or massive borrowing at the federal level.

Can you blame the Democrats for not wanting to raise taxes? They want to stay in power. If their leadership publicly embraced a tax increase, their image as big taxers would get reinforced. It wouldn’t take Republicans and their interest groups more than one news cycle to begin to remind Mainers of the “true colors” of Democrats.

The broader battle involves language and ideas. If Democrats want to continue to succeed in Maine (and do better around the rest of the nation), the whole idea of taxes needs to be reconceptualized and be replaced with a different concept.

Democrats could study how the Republicans crafted their successful image as “compassionate conservatives” and fit two seemingly contradictory ideas of their own into a single concept. How about “Upholding Moral Obligations Through Disciplined Investment in People?” O.K., that’s too long but something which communicates that essence.

If this new concept becomes accepted, then perhaps Maine Democrats could begin to do more than just win elections: They could govern more fiscally honestly.

Karl Trautman has taught political science for more than 20 years. He has been a policy analyst for the Michigan legislature and a research assistant for “Meet The Press.” He chairs the Social Sciences Department at Central Maine Community College and can be reached at [email protected].