If one man can single-handedly poison the debate over significant issues in America that man is Frank Luntz

Submitted by BuzzFlash on Tue, 02/09/2010
A BUZZFLASH GUEST COMMENTARY
By Bill Berkowitz

Frank Luntz’s World of Word-craft

If one man can single-handedly poison the debate over significant issues in America that man is Frank Luntz, the right-wing messaging guru who intends to turn the battle over regulatory reform into a repeat of the fight over healthcare reform.

Frank Luntz is above all else a practical man. Everything he does has been carefully calculated, weighed, and measured, be it his focus groups, his questionable “fair and balanced” polling, or his Instant Response dial sessions. And there are words. Words that influence political campaigns; words that sway public opinion; words that confuse; words that deceive. Most of all, words that win. If you’re looking for poetry do not come knocking of Luntz’s door. If you’re looking for color, you’ll not discover a Luntzian rainbow. What you will find these days, however, is his Mighty Wurlitzer of words cranked up to full blast.

If Luntz has his druthers, he will help turn the battle over regulatory reform into a repeat of the fight over healthcare reform; a knock-down, dragged-out process that in the end will lead to more confusion, more cynicism, and more stasis. (Luntz instructs clients to use the word “more” as often as possible.)

In a new 17-page memo dated January 2010, titled "The Language of Financial Reform" -- obtained by the Huffington Post's Sam Stein – Luntz provided a blueprint for a Republican Party committed to hanging on to its “Just say No” until at least the votes are counted in November.

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