While Karl Rove is easily the most famous political strategist in America, widely credited as being the GOP's 'conservative mastermind', perhaps no consultant has done more to shape modern American political discourse and policy than pollster Frank Luntz. He is a language consultant who uses polls, focus groups, interviews, and surveys to market-test political messages in order to help the Republicans sell their policies to the public. Believing that life is 80% emotion and 20% intellect, Luntz crafts phrases that bypass the facts, evoking powerful emotional responses and framing the debate in favor of the GOP.
Luntz first rose to prominence as the chief pollster and language consultant behind the Contract with America that swept Republicans into power in 1994. What is most impressive about his resume, however, is the sheer number of Orwellian phrases he has managed to popularize within the GOP. In Luntz's hands, a plan opening up protected woodlands to logging becomes the 'Healthy Forests Initiative'. An economy that rewards the haves over the have-nots is an 'Ownership Society'. The estate tax, which only affects the wealthiest 2% of Americans, suddenly seems horribly unfair when referred to as the 'death tax'. Eliminating tax deductions for working families is 'tax simplification'. While privatizing social security makes people think of huge profits for Wall Street, personal accounts suggest ownership and regaining control of one's retirement savings from the bloated coffers of the government. And who would even think of opposing something called 'partial birth abortion'?
Frank Luntz's work goes far beyond individual phrases, however. He regularly composes talking points memos that help Republicans to frame the debate on a variety of political issues. Beyond being downright horrifying at times, they provide fascinating glimpses into the mind of the enemy and help to explain why all too often, Democrats find themselves fighting a losing battle. The following is just a glimpse of some of Luntz's advice for selling Republican policies:
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War in Iraq
From Communicating the Principles of Protection and Prevention in the War on Terror
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First and foremost, "no speech about homeland security or Iraq should begin without a reference to 9/11" because "the American people have notoriously short attention spans, and don't always see the big picture unless it is unveiled to them".
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Before turning your focus abroad, however, it is necessary to vividly describe the threat terrorists continue to pose to our homeland security, and emphasize the potentially catastrophic costs of inaction.
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Since there is no smoking gun connecting Iraq to terrorism, "The Iraqi regime must be indicted because they committed the same kinds of actions as those of other terrorists. Associate them by their actions, their goals, and their behavior".
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Now that you have connected the dots, here comes the tricky part: making the case for military action in Iraq. Avoid using the phrase 'preemptive action' because "Americans are conditioned to think that hitting first is wrong". Instead, describe action in Iraq as prevention; this implies a more immediate threat.
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Personalize the threat, emphasizing that "it is better to fight the War on Terror on the streets of Baghdad than on the streets of New York or Washington".
And of course:
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"Do not forget Saddam. More accurately, do not let the American people forget Saddam".
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"Never, ever, EVER give a speech or issue a press release that makes no mention of our troops".
Global Warming
From The Environment: A Cleaner, Safer, Healthier America
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Always say climate change, which is emotionally neutral, rather than global warming, which is more alarming.
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"The scientific debate is closing (against us) but is not yet closed. There is still a window of opportunity to challenge the science". Emphasize that there is no consensus in the scientific community.
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"Emphasize the importance of 'acting only with all the facts in hand" and "making the right decision, not the quick decision".
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"Put the costs of regulation in human terms": job losses, lifestyle changes, and higher prices and taxes which will harm the most vulnerable among us, the poor and the elderly, the hardest.
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Appeal to American's sense of fairness; we should not subject ourselves to economic limitations that will put us at a competitive disadvantage with nations exempts from the same Kyoto standards such as China and India.
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Stress innovation and technology as the solution. Not only does this preclude government regulation and international intervention, but it implies that a solution will come in the near future, mollifying the public's concerns and delaying the need for government action.
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