Why Politicians Don’t Understand OWS

By on December 6, 2011 in News 23
Frank Luntz. Photo: Larry D. Moore (CC)

Frank Luntz. Photo: Larry D. Moore (CC)

Paul B. Farrell remixes Republican spinmeister Frank Luntz’s ten techniques for talking about Occupy, for MarketWatch:

Forget politics. The 99%, the Occupy Wall Street movement, is not about politics. But politicians don’t get it yet. The Dems sure don’t. And while Bill O’Reilly says the movement is already dead, insider Frank Luntz thinks OWS is not only very alive, but getting dangerously bigger. In fact, he’s very “scared” for his clients.

Warning: Will somebody please tell Luntz Occupy Wall Street is not about politics? This is class warfare, a revolution about economic inequality, not about political parties, political policies and political solutions … and it’s not going away any time soon.

Luntz is a conservative pollster so he’s making it all about politics. But he’s missing the point, and misleading his clients. Luntz is author of some great books like “Words That Matter” and “What Americans Really Want…Really.” And in my opinion, he’s one of the America’s best behavioral economists.

But his pitch at last week’s Republican Governors Association meeting in Florida suggests he not only doesn’t understand the 99%, he’s misleading 29 state governors with Words That Will Backfire when the occupiers in the encampments see through Luntz’s attempted manipulations.

Fortunately, Yahoo News columnist Chris Moody attended this week’s governors meeting and kept some fabulous notes: During Luntz’s talk last week, one question kept coming up: “How can Republicans do a better job of talking about OWS movement?” Luntz solution: 10 new slogans that may do more harm than help for his clients…

[continues at MarketWatch]

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  • DeepCough

    Thumbs up if you think Frank Luntz is a tool.

  • Anarchy Pony

    Totally. But in their universe being a tool is a good thing.

  • E.B. Wolf

    No doubt he’s a tool. Unfortunately, he IS among the sharpest tools in the shed.

  • Mr Willow

    Of course politicians don’t understand Occupy, because they all think their voters are drooling morons who respond to talking points wrapped up in sound bites more than substantive dialogue, anesthetised by reality shows and consumerism. They all think if they say ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’ and ‘gotta do what’s good for the American people’ enough, their poll numbers will go up.

    To a large extent that is true, but to contradict that, and to combat that image—applicable, as I said, in some cases—are the growing crowds waking to the fact that their ‘leaders’ are actually their exploiters. The zombies that were once lulled by advertisement are realising all they hear and see are lies from con-artists looking to appease their emotions in the hopes of later slitting their throats. 

  • http://hormeticminds.blogspot.com/ Chaorder Gradient

    as long as he’s sharper than the bayonette

  • Wabbajack

    That’s so true.

  • 5by5

    Luntz: Goobbels but more doughy.

  • Anarchy Pony

    On Wonkette someone said he was living proof that someone saved Goebbels’ sperm.

  • DeepCough

    I dunno, you think Goebbels would acknowledge Luntz as progeny when he looks like the very deformed subhumans the Nazis Holocausted?

  • Anarchy Pony

    Well since he’s dead, I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure.

  • Anonymous

    This is a perfect illustration of the atrophy bias in the system.  Luntz turned off the true creativity once he’d hit his sweet spot.  We all do.  Really, there is no way to incentivize anyone past their intrinsically pre-determined cash-out point.

    Hyper-captialism is all about freezing society’s creative energies in a block of amber–hence the entirely accurate emphasis on the word “capital” in their ideological vocabulary over words like “innovation” or ”dynamism” or “entrepreneurial”.  “Capital” is a conception of energy in its latent, dormant, rather than active, productive state. 

  • Anonymous

    This is a perfect illustration of the atrophy bias in the system.  Luntz turned off the true creativity once he’d hit his sweet spot.  We all do.  Really, there is no way to incentivize anyone past their intrinsically pre-determined cash-out point.

    Hyper-captialism is all about freezing society’s creative energies in a block of amber–hence the entirely accurate emphasis on the word “capital” in their ideological vocabulary over words like “innovation” or ”dynamism” or “entrepreneurial”.  “Capital” is a conception of energy in its latent, dormant, rather than active, productive state. 

  • Anonymous

    This is a perfect illustration of the atrophy bias in the system.  Luntz turned off the true creativity once he’d hit his sweet spot.  We all do.  Really, there is no way to incentivize anyone past their intrinsically pre-determined cash-out point.

    Hyper-captialism is all about freezing society’s creative energies in a block of amber–hence the entirely accurate emphasis on the word “capital” in their ideological vocabulary over words like “innovation” or ”dynamism” or “entrepreneurial”.  “Capital” is a conception of energy in its latent, dormant, rather than active, productive state. 

  • Anonymous

    This is a perfect illustration of the atrophy bias in the system.  Luntz turned off the true creativity once he’d hit his sweet spot.  We all do.  Really, there is no way to incentivize anyone past their intrinsically pre-determined cash-out point.

    Hyper-captialism is all about freezing society’s creative energies in a block of amber–hence the entirely accurate emphasis on the word “capital” in their ideological vocabulary over words like “innovation” or ”dynamism” or “entrepreneurial”.  “Capital” is a conception of energy in its latent, dormant, rather than active, productive state. 

  • Anonymous

    This is a perfect illustration of the atrophy bias in the system.  Luntz turned off the true creativity once he’d hit his sweet spot.  We all do.  Really, there is no way to incentivize anyone past their intrinsically pre-determined cash-out point.

    Hyper-captialism is all about freezing society’s creative energies in a block of amber–hence the entirely accurate emphasis on the word “capital” in their ideological vocabulary over words like “innovation” or ”dynamism” or “entrepreneurial”.  “Capital” is a conception of energy in its latent, dormant, rather than active, productive state. 

  • Anonymous

    Yes–”Luntz” and “Gobbels” do sound like fatty snak treatz dipped in bullsh*t.  One has but to look at the scurvy dogs that gobble that cr*p up to realize that it’s all fortified with Fecaltine(tm).

  • E.B. Wolf

    Have you ever seen a picture of Goebbels?

  • E.B. Wolf

    Have you ever seen a picture of Goebbels?

  • Anonymous

    erm… a quibble. Economic and class warfare ARE politics, and have been waged via politics… saying it’s not about politics is disingenuous at best.

    It’s fairer to say that politics as usual will not suffice to solve the problems, but that’s not the same thing as saying it’s not about politics.

  • http://www.facebook.com/chinagreenelvis Eric Vinyard

    I stopped reading after the phrase “class warfare.”

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=642805180 Gary Gunter

    What these people don’t get it is that it is THEY who broke the rules, repeatedly.  I think they would take it pretty hard too, if someone tried to foreclose on their house when they didn’t even own the property.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8AN7llwNTk

  • Simiantongue

    I’m not one for judging people by their appearance but that picture looks like the weird uncle you would never consider asking to babysit your children.

  • Simiantongue

    I’m not one for judging people by their appearance but that picture looks like the weird uncle you would never consider asking to babysit your children.