As I’ve noted before, conservatives are much better than progressives at framing the language of a debate, time and again seizing the upper rhetorical hand on matters of policy.

See? I can say positive things about conservatives. They routinely win the battle of words because they play the game better than progressives. As someone who made a career on the use of words, I have to respect that – while lamenting it.

Kind of like watching the Houston Astros routinely beat my New York Yankees.

Perhaps the best example of the dominance in discourse comes on the issue of abortion, with conservatives aligning behind a “pro-life” banner. The implication is that the other side is by necessity anti-life, or pro-death, and it’s hard to make a compelling argument for either of those.

Progressives, as a result, start at a decided disadvantage since “choice” is a wishy-washy term better applied to the process of selecting among various laundry detergents or pasta options.

But here’s how crafty conservatives are: They hijack the notion of choice and turn it to their own ends when it suits them. Case in point on the same topic: the bumper-sticker (and Tennessee specialty tag) admonition to Choose Life.

Again, hard to compete with that. “Choose autonomy when it comes to women’s health and reproductive care” lacks punch, admirable though the sentiment may be. And when a sizable portion of the electorate digests information only in slogan-size servings – MAGA, anyone? – brevity is a winning play.

The notion of choosing also is acceptable – preferable, even – for conservatives when it comes to channeling tax money to private schools via vouchers. (Or, as Gov. Bill Lee has cannily and deceptively labeled the tool, Education Savings Accounts.)

Never mind that it undermines the system of public education by robbing it of money; the claimed greater good is to offer parents the say in where to send their children for learning, with a tax-funded assist toward the tuition.

Besides, undermining public education is not a hidden agenda for conservatives. It’s right out there in the open. And, again, words are among their primary weapons.

I’ve started following some conservative sites on social media – “opposition research” is the term of art – and I’ve noticed a tendency for them to refer to “government” schools, instead of public. The dots aren’t hard to connect: Government is bad, therefore government schools …

Which brings me, rather circuitously, to the recently floated suggestion that Tennessee might be best served by rejecting federal money for education. The speaker of the House, Cameron Sexton, did the floating. Murmurs of possible concurrence have been offered by Lee and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally.

Tennessee could readily replace the $1.8 billion or so in federal money from its own purse, Sexton says, and free itself of pesky Washington oversight. “Basically, we’ll be able to educate the kids how Tennessee sees fit,” Sexton told The Associated Press, without “federal government interference.”

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education has called Sexton’s proposal “political posturing.” Sexton’s response, again according to The Associated Press:

“The Washington education regime is afraid of freedom, hates states’ rights, and knows that us rejecting federal money for overbearing policies like Common Core will ultimately lead to a total demise of their bureaucratic Big Brother approach.”

Freedom! States’ rights! Big Brother! In the verbal sparring match, Sexton wins by knockout.

Except that among the uses for federal money, as pointed out in The Tennessean, is to provide support for low-income students, English learners and students with disabilities. The DOE spokesman told The A.P. the money helps those disadvantaged students “to access tutoring and academic support, afterschool and summer programs, school counselors, mental health professionals and other assistance.”

What are the chances the legislature will want to pony up $1.8 billion to help those categories of children even once, much less every year?

One more reason conservatives win the rhetorical battle: They lie.

Joe Rogers is a former writer for The Tennessean and editor for The New York Times. He is retired and living in Nashville.