Frank Luntz creates new talking points for the Republicans to defeat Financial Reforms
(This video is from 2005)
Conservatives will once again try to pull a scam on the America people which is known as "The Luntz"
Frank Luntz has drafted the new GOP playbook to try and stop Financial reform and it's not going to be pretty.
Nine months after he penned a memo laying out the arguments for health care legislation's destruction, Republican message guru Frank Luntz has put together a playbook to help derail financial regulatory reform.
In a 17-page memo titled, "The Language of Financial Reform," Luntz urged opponents of reform to frame the final product as filled with bank bailouts, lobbyist loopholes, and additional layers of complicated government bureaucracy.
"If there is one thing we can all agree on, it's that the bad decisions and harmful policies by Washington bureaucrats that in many ways led to the economic crash must never be repeated," Luntz wrote. "This is your critical advantage. Washington's incompetence is the common ground on which you can build support."
Luntz continued: "Ordinarily, calling for a new government program 'to protect consumers' would be extraordinary popular. But these are not ordinary times. The American people are not just saying 'no.' They are saying 'hell no' to more government agencies, more bureaucrats, and more legislation crafted by special interests."
...read on
Republicans are ahead of the game once again. Chris Dodd is possibly backing off of the agency too. Bloggers were screaming at the administration to take more of a populist approach in their dealing with the economy, but we were ignored and then FOX News created the Teabaggers and that was that.
Marc Ambinder reports how the Democrats plan to fight back now:
In the wake of the Massachusetts Brown out -- or -- hastened by that event -- the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee wants their Senate candidate to emphasize two main points on the campaign trail: pin down Republican opposition to a tax on banks -- and pin down Republican support of the Citizens United decision, which would open the door to increased corporate influence in American elections.
73 percent of Americans say that Washington hasn't done enough to regulate Wall Street, according to the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. This is one reason why Democrats plan to schedule a series of votes on campaign finance -- and to try to bait Republicans into voting yes. This is one way for Democrats -- in power -- to run against powerful interests.
So the Republicans are going to run with a message that Washington caused the economic crisis by bailing out the banks and therefore Washington is too corrupt and inept to be entrusted with regulation. The Democrats are going to counter with a tax on banks and campaign finance reform. (And they're both trying to out deficit hawk each other.) Maybe it'll work, but the GOP narrative is quite elegant, while the Democrats don't seem to have any kind of plot at all.
The Dems don't have any decent public speakers either to go out in media-land and sell their messages while republicans have talk radio, sports radio and FOX News to do their bidding. Good luck winning another battle that should be easy.
It's very easy to bash and blame the government over and over again during an economic crisis because those mythical "independent voters" generally 'kick out the bums' that are in charge at the time if their own lives aren't working. That's what's happening now.
I haven't seen Axelrod be able to put together a cohesive strategy to implement any of the polices President Obama is behind and I don't believe he's figured out what to do next either. You would think that regulating the Financial world and adding a Consumer Protection Agency would be a no brainer and Americans will be behind it completely, right? Even the CEO of BOA is for it. Get ready for more psycho demonization.
I think it will finally put an end to the argument being made that teabaggers can be peeled off to join us in anything that will hurt conservatives. And Digby finishes with this:
The Democrats either didn't see that (or chose to ignore it) and foolishly went on to allow this populism to get caught up in health care reform and tie the agenda up in knots. We watched it, aghast, every day.
I guess at this point, the president can keep going on TV and getting mad at Wall Street and the Democrats can run on campaign finance reform, trap the Republicans into voting against taxing the banks and try to be deficit hawks, but the Republicans are already way ahead of the game with their much simpler anti-Washington populist narrative. It's not clear to me how the Dems catch up, but they'd better come up with something quick if November isn't going to be a bloodbath.
Update: After reading this, I think that maybe running on campaign finance reforms may actually be good. It certainly seems to be necessary. This is awful.
I'm not positive...
...but I think "luntz" is Yiddish for "A manure salesman with a mouth full of samples."
new lies would be a better way to describe what luntz does
These people will be so embarrassed if they ever devlop the capacity to feel shame.
I think everyone will have to admit that. I just don't understand how they can sleep or even rest? What a shamefull bunch of people these guys are. My heart weeps for their parents, having to watch how poorly they did their jobs.
republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness!
He's such a doughy little shitbag.
Huffington Post had that this morning with the headline "he will kill financial reforms". As a liberal blog that understands the dire need for these reforms I expected a more positive rebuttal to this jerk's talking points. Which is why I just read Huffpost for the eye candy these days.
Is it the 21st century yet?
Luntz said if you can't control a Town Hall it would get ugly...LOL...he was right.
What a stinking pile of crap!
For one, it's not "bad decisions and harmful policies by Washington BUREAUCRATS" that caused the meltdowns of the banks and the economy - it was collusion between corrupt ELECTED representatives and BANKERS.
For two, counselling Republicans that "Washington's incompetence is the common ground on which you can build support" is amazingly cynical, seeing as it's the Republicans who ran the economy into the ground.
When will government of the people, by the politicians, for the corporations perish from this Earth?
Not soon enough!
We need a trap for the weasels.
Throw the first punch, and make it a doozy! Don't, for God's sake, sit around planning what you think you might do *if* the Repigs do this or that or something... No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.
It's always funny when Cunning Luntz sends out his talking points to the Repubtards. They repeat the lines verbatim like it was the Pledge of Allegiance. Then some news show splices all the idiots saying the same thing exactly over and over. It's like watching children banging on pots and pans, funny at first then migraine inducing later.
Unfortunately, Jon Stewart nailed it when he said "republicans are nasty and play for keeps; they know how to get stuff done, no matter how bad it is. Meanwhile, democrats are sitting in the principals office, trying to figure out how they glued their balls to their thigh?"
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
The Democrats need do nothing more than stay on message trumpeting how we got where we are, who did it, and how Mr. Luntz was the word smith behind the selling of it.
I like it.
Especially that part about Luntz.
If I were a psychopath, I would join the republican party, and get in on the gravy train taking the Teabircher morons to the cleaners.
Luntz who? ...damn democratz!
F*cking brilliant.
I love Samantha Bee. She's Canadian, you know.
I'm so f*king glad Ms. Bee is finding this heartbreaking, surreal, creepy comedy gold in the USA instead of the Great White North. If people like Frank Luntz and his nutcake colleagues were fixtures of the Canadian political system, I think I'd open an artery.
I love Americans, but Lordy Jesus - your Media-Industrial Complex is completely insane.
... after he "retires." I'm guessing he'll make plenty.
Republican "talking points" are the distraction. Democrats will sell this one out.
And why hasn't Glass-Steagal been back in effect for a year now? It is nearly universally recognized as the single greatest cause of the "too big to fail" problem. Yet, a year later, it took John McCain to put it in a bill.
Corruption favors the wealthy.
why didn't McCain put it in a bill sooner.
The repeal of Glass-Steagal was a colossal and widely admitted mistake. Why weren't McCain, Obama, Reid. Pelosi, Emmanuel and every other politician on the planet calling for its reinstatement a year ago when we were handing the banks hundreds of billions of dollars with no strings attached?
This isn't lefty. righty or centrist. This is math. Yet, one year later, nothing has even been voted on.
Corruption favors the wealthy.
he's pulling a careful sleight of hand: acknowledging anger against the banksters, but blaming government for cozying up to them and giving them the store--and then saying government created the problem.
It's a deft but ultimately pointless maneuver if we continue to hammer the banksters.
Why hasn't Luntz been hired by the Dems? Surely there are several wealthy Dem party organizers who can afford to do so. Lure him away from the Republicans.
psychopathic way. I was once involved in a situation where a stalker was relentlessly pursuing a woman, and she was not his first victim. He was also eventually suspected in the disappearance of a college student who was never found, dead or alive. Anyway, he did things like this: He broke into the house of one of his victims during a dinner party they were having. He stole their dog and a ring from the house during the party. The home owners called the police, and later that night, after the police had left the residence, he threw a big rock through their dining room picture window. The police were sent to his house, and he opened the door in his pajamas looking like he had just got out of bed. The cops couldn't do anything as he denied being anywhere but bed for the past several hours. A day or two later, after the homeowners had the window repaired, he threw another rock through it. This guy was a psychopath. He always went way, way over the line, and no one saw it coming. Luntz is one of those same people. I see him coming, and now so do you all.
that these political "pollers" are really political propagandists in disguise, and sadder yet that they are allowed to manipulate and influence a supposedly intelligent electorate in how they vote. We Americans MUST wake up and take responsibility for the propaganda we seem to accept as truth and act on. This Luntz clown's toupee is apparently too tight, it seems to be squeezing the sh-t out of his brain.
Woody McBreairty
years ago that when every news organization was reporting the exact same talking points that they were being fed what to report. I don't know when Frank Luntz became involved but Rove certainly had a hand in it.
that he doesn't approve. He runs a tight ship. Talking points arrive every morning from "RuMur." You know, "RuMur has it that..."
Durring the 2000 election, Chris matthews had this sname on his show on a regular basis. Luntz used his favotire tricks and tools, the room full of "cross section of america" and the turn the knob if you like or dislike what you hear. (recently used by CNN with the SOTU address).
not once did Matthews announce that Luntz was a "republican" pollster and strategist. He was always refered to as something other than what he was, a Rove media plant and manipulative little prick snake. Yes indeed, Matthews was loving him some Luntz magic back then.
the bailing out of any financial companies no matter what. It will be popular. Then they wait until the financial companies commit suicide again.
Frank Luntz came to Canda a couple of years ago to impart his evil methods upon our PM Harper and his corrupt Conservatives.
So pay attention to shit spewing from Ottawa
Sorry folks, it's my fault.
I tried to think of the most harmless thing in the world, something that would never hurt us, and this is what appeared.
"Someday somebody related to some of these sufferers, these victims, these collaterally damaged souls, may try to kill you. And I have to tell you, I think you’ll have it coming." - Christopher Cooper
I just can't believe that the Tea Baggers will think that not getting our money back from the banks that caused this insane collapse should not happen. Are the Tea Baggers that stupid and easily manipulated? I hope that the Frank Luntz Republicans try to tell the Tea Baggers that they should not get the money back from the banks. Then the Obamians should make a HUGE HUGE deal out of it!!!!
An example, when asked about the Financial Crisis:
36% believe individuals took out loans they couldn't afford and are to blame
34% blame Washington
30% blame Wall Street
So, even though only 36% believe Wall Street and the government are blameless, this excuse (which happens to fit directly into the anti-regulation, pro-corporate party line) MUST be true.
"The Dems don't have any decent public speakers either to go out in media-land and sell their messages while republicans have talk radio, sports radio and FOX News to do their bidding."
the democratic party has plenty of fine debaters and orators. reps. barney frank, Kucinich, Grayson, and sens. Franken, Sanders (I), ex DNC chair Gov Dean, and pres. Obama himself to name a few.
Media Matters of course provides the best-organized and complete watchdog function on the GOP propaganda media machine.
to a lesser degree there are media outlets like MSNBC with Maddow, Olbermann, and Shultz, and a few influential blogs like crooks and liars, huffpost, and dailykos.
the main problems the democratic party has which the GOP doesn't have to deal with are those of organization and caucus solidarity.
the democratic party, by it's own intent has a big tent philosophy, which by one yardstick increases the ranks of registered democratic voters and elected officials, but at the same time makes the whips job that much more difficult as the ratio of competing interests within the caucus is higher than the shrunken and somewhat litmus tested GOP. this is why the on paper 60-vote supermajority, in reality is nothing more than a wil-o-the-wisp.
what the democratic party needs, and desperately, is a committee that monitors the GOP propaganda efforts and directs their best media assets to counter those efforts quickly, and in a focused fashion. the right is organized, is putting their money where their mouths are and have created juggernauts like fox news which the democratic caucus and the left have no viable counterpart available with which to do battle. in this the left concedes the field of battle before the war even commences.
and quite frankly, Soros? if you're listening it's time to buy MSNBC and mold it into an unabashed counter to fox news.
The Repub message is dispersed much more widely than that of the Democrats. Ed Schultz was dropped from radio in my area because the nutjobs listening to the other 22 hours of conservative programming complained.
So he's returned to spray more perfume on dog turds huh? Well I guess he's never actually stopped unless you believe he's actually doing legitimate "polls" of the common man for FOX "News".
Fat,Bald and Stupid is NO way to go through Life Son!
there are times in life when I truely can not decide which slimey repube makes me want to barf more, the feeling is the same when i see or hear Dubya, Dick, Rove and this snake. But when Luntz starts talking so proudly about how effective he is at selling distructive ideas, and knowing they are disctructive, I feel like I need a shower.
Global warming surely must be caused by the devil stoking the fires of hell in anticipation of the arrival of this quartet.
That gets in front of a microphone should immediatly and as often as possible, warn Americans that this is coming.Luntz screwed the American people on HCR and we will have no one to blame but ourselves if we let him get away with it this time. Fool us once, shame on him. Fool us twice, shame on us.
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