Frank Luntz, GOP "word consultant", looking like he's squeezing out another loaf of deception.
For many years now, Republicans haven't had any new policy ideas to offer to the American people. By definition, conservatism is against change…unless it's regressive (good old days and all that)…..so no new ideas coming from Republicans is to be expected. It's in the GOP DNA.
How can Republicans get away with politically battling without any new policy ideas Americans might embrace?
Deception and disinformation…..and when even that's not enough…..Republicans are encouraged to just lie about stuff.
We witnessed this dynamic during the health care reform "debate."
Here's the repellent Frank Luntz, GOP word-guru…..explaining how GOP deception and disinformation would play out in the health care back and forth….
Q: Is it a correct description of the president’s plans for reform?
Luntz: We don’t know what he is proposing. We want to avoid “a Washington takeover.”
Q: But that’s not at issue. What the Democrats want is for everyone to be able to choose between their old, private health-insurance plan and an all-new, public health-insurance option.
Luntz: I’m not a policy person. I’m a language person.
Translation: It doesn't matter what Obama or congressional Democrats proposed to reform health care…..the reform would be labeled by Republicans as "a Washington takeover".
And so it was. Luntz's "language" lesson worked it's way through the rotted and decomposed corpse we still call the American mainstream media. Tea Partiers, unhinged and incoherent…yet passionate about disliking Obama as president…..carried the "language" forward. Result? No health care reform has been passed. Luntz, Republicans, Big Insurance, Big Pharma win again…..by deception and lies….Americans lose.
But what of the veracity of the GOP talking point that Obama and the Democrats were proposing a "Washington takeover"?
Doesn't matter, policy is not my concern, said Luntz…..I'm hired to deceive people with "language."
I bring this up because fat-Frank is at it again, working with Republicans and the Banksters-Who-Ate-America to deceive voters into believing the lie that if Washington regulates Banksters, Armeggedon (or something bad) will result. Why? Because….yep, you guessed it…..government was responsible for America's financial collapse.
"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."
"Public outrage about the bailout of banks and Wall Street is a simmering time bomb set to go off on Election Day," Luntz wrote. "Frankly, the single best way to kill any legislation is to link it to the Big Bank Bailout."
Think about what Luntz is saying. New legislation to rein in some of Wall Street's unregulated gambling schemes, the vortex of why the economy fell apart….or a new federal agency to protect consumers from the same types of trick loans which helped inflate a housing bubble…..can be defeated by Republicans by repeatedly chanting the words "Big Bank Bailout." Not because new government regulation of the Banksters wouldn't help prevent another future government bailout of same…..but because Americans recoil negatively at the words "Bank Bailout."
Luntz's deception business treats the American people like plantlife who automatically and mindlessly respond to sunlight….or in this case, lack of sunlight. Cattle easily fooled into going into the slaughter yard pen.
Personally, I dislike Frank Luntz, and have for years. He represents everything that is wrong with American politics.
But there's method and purpose in Luntz's word madness….
Luntz, who gained national recognition for his role in shaping the buzzword-heavy Contract for America with Newt Gingrich in 1994, has built a sizable business selling his messaging advice to both corporations and Republican campaigns.
Who might some of those "corporations" be that Luntz works for….
– Luntz client Ameriquest Mortgages: The proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) would eliminate predatory mortgages. Ameriquest, America’s “sub-prime leader,” has been prosecuted by Attorney General Richard Blumenthal for inflating property values so borrowers could get bigger loans, imposing upfront fees without reducing interest rates as promised, and intentionally deceiving lenders with hidden penalties and interest rates on final loan documents.
– Luntz clients Merrill Lynch and Bear Stearns: Under proposed financial reform, big banks, like Luntz clients Merrill Lynch and Bear Stearns, would face a new structure designed to police financial products, prohibit predatory ones, and require clear forms and disclosures. The CFPA would also help regulate hidden bank fees and other bank abuses.
– Luntz client American Express: The CFPA would regulate the credit card industry, preventing predatory interest rates and fees.
Just as Betsy McCoy deceived and lied about health care reform because she was being paid by Big Insurance and Big Pharma…..so too Frank Luntz with the Banksters.
The crucial question now for Americans is….can corporate and GOP-paid "language" deceivers and liars fool most of the people most of the time?
I'm thinking, and especially so since the Rogue Supremes went down on Big Corporations, that the answer is….yes.
