Words that are killing us
It’s painful watching the Republican Party control the agenda of the media in a way that misleads enough voters act against their own best interests. It’s particularly painful to realize that as the majority party with a real agenda to help Americans that we cannot dominate the debate and point out the Republican responsibility for creating the mess. The Republican Party is successful by being a 24-7 propaganda machine that plays on anger and fear with a nearly unified voice. And they have an actual blueprint for reaching their goal.
The Republican Party sets a goal - say killing healthcare - and then hires professionals to study how people can best be manipulated into being against the issue. One of the individuals they hire is a guy named Frank Luntz. And nine months ago he created a blueprint for killing healthcare that has in large measure been very successful.
Killing Financial Regulatory Reform is their next goal. Once again they have hired Luntz to give them a blueprint. And that blueprint is now in our hands. Go to http://www.slocodems.org/wp/RepPlan2KillReform.pdf to see the actual Luntz blueprint.
Here is a list of works that you will hear over and over again from Republicans as they kill Financial Regulatory Reform: ACCOUNTABILITY, TRANSPARENCY & OVERSIGHT, LOBBYIST LOOPHOLES, ENFORCEMENT OF CURRENT LAWS, BUREAUCRATS, WASTEFUL WASHINGTON SPENDING, NEVER AGAIN, GOVERNMENT FAILURES AND INCOMPETENCE, LET’S HELP SMALL BUSINESSES, BIG BANK BAILOUT BILL, BLOATED BUREACRACY, FINE PRINT, UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, SPECIAL INTERESTS, HARD WORKING TAXPAYERS, ANOTHER WASHINGTON AGENCY, UNLIMITED REGUATORY POWERS, DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS, & RED TAPE. Read the Luntz study to see the whole blueprint and understand why it will probably succeed.
What is distasteful in all of this is that honesty and morality play no part at all in how they reach their goal. And, of course, it is the very reason that we liberals are at a disadvantage. We actually like to be right on the issues and open in our dialogue about the issues. Meantime, the Republicans repeat their blueprint and shape the debate by getting folks upset, regardless of the actual merit of their position.
So, here’s my question: Why don’t we have and use a blueprint for shaping the debate ?