Or, in this case, “I am not a liar”.
Remember, don’t think of an elephant?
Saying that Palin is not a liar elicits the ‘liar’ frame together with her name. Mentioning her name and the word “lying” in the same sentence reminds people she is lying.
When Nixon said he was not a crook, everyone thought of him as a crook. Inserting the word “not” means nothing – that is not how a human mind works.
So, did they lose their framing magic?

Which is the same reason that Obama’s ad “Not maverick” has the unintended opposite effect – reminds people that McCain is supposed to be a maverick:

Come on, guys, get your framing mojo right!

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