Here’s a Quote of the Day:
“I’m so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I’m frightened to death,” said Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist and one of the nation’s foremost experts on crafting the perfect political message. “They’re having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism.”
Frank Luntz is an evil genius who conducts tests on ordinary citizens to see how they can be best deceived into supporting policies that truly screw them over. The Republican Governor’s Association met down in Orlando this week, and Luntz gave them a presentation on how to answer the rhetoric of the #Occupy Movement. We ought to file this next quote away for later use:
“I’m trying to get that word [“capitalism”] removed and we’re replacing it with either ‘economic freedom’ or ‘free market,’ ” Luntz said. “The public . . . still prefers capitalism to socialism, but they think capitalism is immoral. And if we’re seen as defenders of quote, Wall Street, end quote, we’ve got a problem.”
Can we be brutality honest here and note that Mr. Luntz is saying that the Republicans cannot be seen for what they actually are or they’ll have a problem? Let me drive home the point. Here’s Luntz talking about taxes and the middle class:
“If you talk about raising taxes on the rich,” the public responds favorably, Luntz cautioned. But “if you talk about government taking the money from hardworking Americans, the public says no. Taxing, the public will say yes.”
“The [Democrats] cannot win if the fight is on hardworking taxpayers. We can say we defend the ‘middle class’ and the public will say, I’m not sure about that. But defending ‘hardworking taxpayers’ and Republicans have the advantage.”
Isn’t it clear that Luntz is conceding that the Republicans are not defending the middle class? He makes no effort to argue that (through some kind of jujitsu) Republican tax policies will actually trickle down to the middle class. Instead, he offers straight-up obfuscation by conflating the richest 2% of Americans with anyone who considers themselves “hardworking.” He doesn’t even want Republicans to claim they are helping the middle class because his studies have shown him that people see right through that bullshit.
Other helpful tips offered by Luntz include:
At least he didn’t recommend that they blame the blacks for the hardships facing the white middle class. But Fox News and Rush Limbaugh have that part covered.
He may be the worst person in the world, but I’m wondering if I’ll live long enough to see our side learn one-tenth of what he’s already forgotten about getting the public on your side.
We need a Frank Luntz. Now, obviously, it would be better to live in a system that wasn’t manipulated by Frank Luntzes. But we don’t. So we need one.
It’s kind of weird, because the two parties are not just two sides of an argument.
In most cases, the Republican position serves either a small elite or a sizable minority opinion. They cannot afford to make straightforward factual arguments because, in most cases, people either don’t agree with them or they lack objective third-parties who will back up their arguments.
Democrats frequently can bolster their arguments by appealing to the CBO or to scientific studies or experts in certain fields. It’s much rarer that Republicans can use this type of persuasion.
So, while the Democrats could do much better at “framing” and adopt Luntz’s language games, too, it’s not absolutely necessary. The Republicans literally can’t do without it.
Democrats frequently can bolster their arguments by appealing to the CBO or to scientific studies or experts in certain fields.
Problem is, that’s a guaranteed strategy for losing low-information voters — and, really, anyone who has to work long hours and deal with kids and aging parents and everything else life throws at you, especially those who weren’t fortunate enough to go to elite schools, where you get used to processing the work of experts.
I don’t know that it guarantees that you lose the argument.
Let’s stipulate that what Luntz does is very effective at combatting and sometimes overwhelming factual information and expert testimony. But he’s the one starting at a disadvantage.
It takes a lot of work and money to raise and maintain doubt about climate change, for example. You have to found and maintain several think tanks, keep an army of “journalists” and “experts” on retainer, and hold constant conferences to dispense your talking points.
All we have to do is read and cite a bunch of reports and ask experts who are getting paid to do science to help us make the case.
Yes, we could adopt more persuasive language, and that would help us make our case.
But what I am trying to say is that the Mighty Wurlitzer is all the Republicans have. Everything goes into it.
We don’t need to do that.
All we have to do is (1) tell the truth — but (2) tell it effectively and get it out there. The second part is harder than the first part.
this is so true. that’s why I have no sympathy for the ‘voter’s remorse’ in Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, etc.
THIS IS WHO THESE MOFOS ARE.
W-T-F did you think they were going to do when they got into power?
I don’t have any sympathy for it either, but it is very good that it’s there. 2010 was a midterm election.
“The [Democrats] cannot win if the fight is on hardworking taxpayers. We can say we defend the ‘middle class’ and the public will say, I’m not sure about that. But defending ‘hardworking taxpayers’ and Republicans have the advantage.”
This is hardly innovative. The Reps/Right have been harping on exactly this at least since 1980. Both parties studiously avoid saying anything about the poor and underpaid, opting instead to yammer on about the “middle class” and thereby skate around the fundamental economic sickness in this country.
Luntz is evil, but no genius. He’s simply applying the same hoary Madison Avenue “wisdom” that’s used in every product ad on TV: as the old ad creep famously put it, “sell the sizzle, not the steak”. Orwell is only one of many who figured out the art of misdirection ages ago. The only innovation the likes of Luntz and Rove brought to the game was full-on sociopathic lack of shame.
Yes, misdirection. Luntz isn’t new but he’s a professional from my perspective. But the belief that everything can be solved by a slick pr design is false. That doesn’t help you when multiple cores are melting down.
Yes, this. I hate all of this talk of the middle class. No one ever talks about the poor.
is that “Occupy” has changed the entire landscape of American politics.
I think you’re right.
That’s even what Luntz himself is saying.
By far, this is the great thing about Occupy.
Or maybe he’s just saying that it will change everything if it isn’t effectively bottled up — a task he’s already hard at work on.
The problem is if you point out that they mean medicare and social security are waste, and at the same time have to get up and whine about defense spending (thanks Obama!), well people aren’t buying that. Now, you can talk about nothing for a long time. But eventually you have to get to the point, and nobody likes the point that right wing talking points actually gets to. Really, virtually nobody. They’ll nod their head to tendentious circumlocutions and slogan mongering, but ultimately they have to get democratic cover to get the dreamed for destruction of the social welfare system.
What did ‘ol doc say?
“When the going gets tough, the weird turn pro”.
Like this gem from Luntz:
“I’m so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I’m frightened to death, they’re having an impact on what American people think of capitalism”.
Helloooooooooo??? That is the whole idea you hideously dumb-ass.
Of course like all reich wingers working in the propaganda profession (a “profession” only slightly older than prostitution) Luntz refuses to glance at actual causality.
In this case, the problem is not, oh horrors! with how we do capitalism in the U.S.; the problem is a large group of people banding together to point out the system ain’t working very well– for them and numerous others.
We should all be praying fervently Italy keeps it together (I assume the Fed gave them a shitload of money this week) or we’re going to see just how bad things can get due to a handful of out of control assclowns.
If the Euro goes down the toilet; so do we. I can’t wait to see the propaganda from the pro-uber capitalism crowd IF that happens.
OT: Check out this little YouTube. Democratic media strategists take note.
Newt Gingrich: Serial Hypocrisy
So why would Ron Paul do such a nice thing for Democrats?