But the Senate Democrats already knew all they needed about such mendacious methods: Luntz himself had briefed them at a Democratic retreat earlier this year. His co-panelist: Paul Begala.
Since that January retreat, he has also briefed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) personally, a Reid aide confirmed. The message to the leader and to the Senate Democratic caucus was the same: Words matter.
.... The Luntz-Reid meeting was also about messaging. The majority leader and the Republican pollster had met several times over the previous several years, although only met once this year, other than the retreat....
Then she says:
There you have it. The GOP messaging expert is advising both parties. No wonder everyone is selling conservative tropes and propaganda and nobody even knows what liberalism really is.
Ask yourself why in the world the Democrats would be interested in Frank Luntz's advice now of all times. Do they really think he is better at this than say ... the Obama campaign? That the Republican success of the past four years is so impressive that they need to emulate it?
Excellent points--and she adds a few more. But the problem isn't just what the Dems are doing. The problem is also what they aren't. And what they aren't doing is listening to George Lakoff. There's one good reason for this--he's not the best at the soundbite crafting. But that's really not the rarest skill out there. And where Lakoff does excell is precisely where Democrats are weakest--in understanding the logic of their own positions, which is the absolutely essential precursor to crafting those precious little soundbites--and a whole lot more besides.
That was quick: It took just three days for the titans of the healthcare industry to reveal the emptiness of their pledge to the Obama administration to save $2 trillion in healthcare costs over the next 10 years.
