Luntz discussed his use of the term, "energy exploration" (oil drilling). His research on the matter involved showing people a picture of current oil drilling and asking if in the picture it "looks like exploration or drilling." He said that 90 percent of the people he spoke to said it looked like exploring. "Therefore I'd argue that it is a more appropriate way to communicate." He went on to say "if the public says after looking at the pictures, that doesn't look like my definition of drilling—it looks like my definition of exploring—then don't you think we should be calling it what people see it to be, rather than adding a political aspect to it all?" Terry Gross responded: "Should we be calling it what it actually is, as opposed to what somebody thinks it might be? The difference between exploration and actually getting out the oil—they're two different things, aren't they?"
It makes us wonder if Ezra Levant's well-funded *ethical oil* gig was an attempt to use Luntz' template for language re-engineering.
About 18 months ago, we suggested Karl Rove might be approached by Stevie's Contempt Party to provide them with a little war room coaching. As luck would have it, Rove's been quite busy putting out fires and preventing, at times not so successfully, Republican candidates' meltdowns. So ...
In April this year, Emily Dee at Voices for Democracy posted this. So the accountability (and accessibility + transparence) thing was a fucking smoke screen - suggested by Luntz. Very meta, that.
Rove is old school. Grow bigger and bigger lies: even when their fraud is unmasked, voters will be too embarassed to admit even to themselves they were taken in by the con job.
Luntz uses distraction. Locate voters' buttons then push those to shift focus on to the chosen distraction.
Though Frank Luntz may have the support of the 1% his marketing sleight-of-word is not exactly *scientific-y* foolproof.
And as Canadian Cynic would gleefully point out: Ladies! He's available AND unattached!
Oh. Wait. Like Jason Kenney?
When we updated this post about ConJobs dirty tricks to unseat Liberal MP Irwin Cotler, we added links that are worth re-posting.
And Alison at Creekside gives credit to other bloggers keeping track of the Harper Government™© obfuscations.
2 comments:
I've always loved wordplay, and in that context I can't help but admire Luntz's talent for it. Maybe some day he'll use it for good instead of evil :p
Now jj, you know that from Luntz' perspective, he is using it for good - the good of the 1% that is.
I went out and got one of his books. Dammit, if Teabaggers can co-opt Saul Alinsky for their own nefarious goals, we should use Luntz' tactics against his clients.
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