I never thought I’d write that headline, because I loathe Frank Luntz for all the obvious reasons. But in a conversation with Christy this morning about Obama playing defense too much lately, I was reminded of something I’d read in Frank Luntz’s Words that Work.
On p. 89, Luntz describes about how he would’ve advised John Kerry to respond to the Swift Boat attacks (if you have an Amazon account, you can read this passage here.)
I would’ve asked Kerry to wait until he had a friendly audience in front of him (think visually) and the TV cameras behind him, and then had a reporter call out: "Senator, those people are questioning your patriotism. What do you have to say to them?" I would’ve had Kerry turn and face the accuser, with the friendly audience now as his backdrop, and I would’ve told him to deliver the following lines in a stern but controlled voice:
"Let me tell you something, I fought for this country. I’m proud of my service. You tell the people peddling this trash, and the people who support them — including the President and Vice President — to go to hell. I went to Vietnam and fought for the American flag. They didn’t."
Unless and until you say something to break the rhythm of a negative story, it will continue. A graphic profanity would have broken the rhythm…
Bingo.
Obama has been called everything from Britney Spears and Paris Hilton to a sexual deviant and most recently — a hungry wolf — by the McSame campaign. They’re winning the news cycle and sucking up all of the energy of the campaign by throwing nothing but lies and character attacks at him. They’re running objectively the sleaziest, most shameful campaign in recent memory — and that’s saying a lot after ‘04.
Obama needs to respond more forcefully and seize the iniatitive. He needs to break the rhythm.
Related posts:
- Frank Luntz Offers Bait to the Narcissist Caucus on Health Care Reform
- Frank Luntz Defends Increasingly Incendiary Right-Wing Rhetoric: “They’re So Afraid”
- Early Morning Swim: Rachel Smacks Down Ed Gillespie on “Meet the Press”
- Health Care: Frank Gets Frank
- Begala Rebuts Luntz, Gives Dems a Framework for Health Reform
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Ha! Lipstick!
Obama can go after McCain’s supposed strength: his “honor.” No more prefacing with “John McCain’s an honorable man, but….”
HuffPo has a headline about how the gloves will come off the day after 9/11.
We’ll see.
Hey BT you about to become a wet Texan?
Obama needs to attack the honor myth.
Obama’s laid back reaction says something about him just as Kerry’s silence in response to attacks on his patriotism said something about him. Americans want someone to stand up for the country, and if the candidate cannot stand up for himself, it doesn’t say much for his chances. Obama, as he wrote in his book, grasped the idea of telling white people what they want to hear. It’s a difficult habit to break, especially when he fears white voters will be put off by a confrontational black. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a choice. He’s got to break the rhythm of their attacks. He should do it for his own self respect, if nothing else.
Folks, it looks like this post has been taken down from front page and saved for later.
But Jane has something on Obama and Big Dawg
Anyone liveblogging the presidential forum?
Candidates Forum for Service (debate) between Senator Obama and Senator McSame now on.
Please, please watch it on CSPAN so as not to give the MSM any ratings boost or ad revenues!
test
thanks, just changed the channel
Obama’s laid back reaction says something about him just as Kerry’s silence in response to attacks on his patriotism said something about him.
Obama *has* fought back – to a much greater, and more effective, extent than did John Kerry.
That being said, coming out with a “you can go straight to hell” as a response to any or all of the smears to come – I’m down with that – big time.
test
dammit! Why don’t I ever get notice that these things are coming?
I’ve been saying something like this. My favorite Biden was when he was asked for a reaction to Bush’s speech “appeasement” speech to the Knesset:
“This is bullshit.” Need some of that now, Joe. The real straight talker. I think he should really call this bullshit what it is — bullshit and use just that word.
Shouldn’t Obama’s campaign getting ads up about McCane’s roll in the Abramoff information being hidden away? And Palin’s involvement with related lobbyists?
just clicked on Home and was re routed back to this thread -
“Live-blogging” McCain – seems an oxymoron….
Thanks, I happened to be MSNBC and forgot about CSPAN.
Ha! I tried dakine’s link…just testing myself, not you.
Formaldeblogging McCain
Oh, for the love of dog, he’s touting his campaign finance reform with Feingold.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOue81Hfqs
digg it
So who’s gonna nail McCrazy about all the laughter about “community organizers” (tee-hee-hee) erupting and pimped at the RNC?
Hopefully, Barack Obama.
McCane wants to put Target in charge of ice during the next Katrina.
Senator McCain thinks FOREIGN policy experience,is proximity to a land mass….maybe that is why he thinks IRAQ SHARES A BORDER with Pakistan
BWAHAHAHAHAHAhahahahahah
that is what i would say INTO THE CAMERA
This man can’t use the English language any better than Bush.
Kerry’s silence was due to advice from polsters that AMeicans don’t like nasty.
At TBA 2008 I met a tiny lady Democratic pollster, high up I take it- she was known by many walking b..
She couldn’t grasp that I was saying that people will tend to answer that they don’t like negative politics, but will be very impacted by them. She disagreed – saying that people will tell you the truth.
No wonder the Dems keep on losing with that kind of simplistic analysis guiding them.
Bwahahahahahahahaha
maybe he can wear a cap like this
http://www.atthetrackracing.co…..2410R0.jpg
Come to think of it, she looked like Rove’s mother.
McCrazy – “In my experience, it’s not the wealthy who do the most volunteering.”
that’s one “duh” point for McCrazy.
“With all due respect to the wealthy.”
“duh” point lost…
The VP nominee seems to be biden his time in helping Obama out.
I ask again – where in the hell is Senator Feingold ???
have been writing and calling his Senate office ever since McSly did the loan flim flam on public finance.
are there any WS firedogs here who would like to give it a whirl ???
In the age of reality TV, it is sad but true. McCain and Palin have nothing to run on, yes, so they’re taking part in character assassination. Well, if that’s how they want to play it, here’s a few things we could hear Obama say and lay the smack down:
1) McCain is fucking old. Like, he may not live long enough to see the end of a term. You can say that, people want to hear you say that.
2) McCain is a liar. He’s no more honorable for ratting out his buddies in the Hanoi Hilton than he is for shilling for BushCo. Make him defend himself on the POW schtick…ask around. It’s not taboo. In fact, you could go back to the Kerry thing. Say that McCain’s campaigners are responsible for denigrating the service of a purple heart and silver star recipient, so instead of doing that, have a few of McCain’s vet buddies around to do the dirty work and say you’re being honest about honoring our men and women in uniform.
3) McCain is an asshole. ‘Nuff said, but if you need some quotes, just pick a few out of his tirades about Cindy or other women…
4) McCain has screwed his military brothers over (and over and over).
5) Real simple… “I’m not here to talk about Sarah Palin. She is new to the campaign, and we’ll see just how good the judgement of John McCain is when she fails to overcome her failures as Governor of Alaska. Senator Biden will attend to that in the debates.”
yadda yadda yadda. It has come to this…
Dems don’t have to lie to win this election, but they do need to educate people with their ads. People just don’t know the facts.
So, jayt votes for “hell” and Bfl votes for “bullshit”.
I think I vote for the full monty. Obama needs to state straight out that the Republicans have fucked up this country and that McCain and Palin are incapable of even seeing that. This works on many levels. The fundies who aren’t going to vote for him anyway will run for the fainting couches right away but the tough-minded independents will smile slowly, and say, “Yeah, he’s right.”
McCrazy says military is too small, needs to be bigger – offers “more incentives” as a fix…
damn – I thought he was gonna fuck up and call for the reimposition of the draft…
A follow-up would have been nice there, as in “Senator, why do you want a bigger military?”
Are you that lady pollster ?
Feingold is up to some goodness.
People don’t want to get educated.
The want to watch a wrestling match.
The Americans who are interested in getting the facts, already have them.
The rest want bloodsport.
Sorry, but it’s true.
Somewhat counterintuitively, I think that’s what the “Lipstick on a pig” remark was about.
It broke up the rhythym of McCain’s control of the newscycle, it was easily defendable, so he didn’t pay too highly for it, but it neutered the “Pitbull with lipstick” image pretty effectively.
YM, of course, MV
just for the record, I have no problem with “bullshit” either. *g*
Sorry but watching CSPAN does not help me wade through the shit that McCain is shoveling.
So the assumption is that if Obama busts out the outrage, all of the sudden the press will be all, “Oh, you’re so wonderful and those McCain people are so bad!” Are you SURE about that? It won’t be, “Oh, McCain has really gotten under Obama’s skin!” “Obama has kept up his calm air but now he’s losing it!” “Does Obama really have the temperament for the Presidency?”
Obama’s campaign is, and has always been, a long shot. Pitting an educated black man, a party outsider, a new-comer, against the white, “straight-talking” war hero is no gimme, and the institutional resistance to this is very powerful. Obama was a novelty, the press loves that, but now that they’ve let him come to dinner, and he has the nerve to want to be at the head of the table, well, that’s getting a bit “uppity”.
Obama can win, he MUST win, but he is performing an extremely delicate high-wire act, over a mine field. And to suggest that he start slinging hail marys this way and that, well, that’s not the guy that we have nominated. We’ve nominated a steady, smart, disciplined strategist. And if the peanut gallery thinks they know how to do this all better, well, go run for office yourself.
Meanwhile, get out an volunteer. Make phone calls. Go to a swing state if you aren’t in one. DO something. Obama’s the guy, and we need to trust him.
It’s called “bullshit”. Call it that!
No, no. I’m just saying that people need facts. The MSM seems to be getting better at offering them, but they’re still willing to discuss lipstick and kill the message. Obama needs to get the message out. Period.
can you back this statement up with any evidence or facts?
I bought the biggest package available from Obama’s website. (bumper stickers, pins, stickers, yard signs, etc.) I take them with me wherever I go, and give them to everyone. The grocery clerk, the post officer, the bank clerk, etc. etc. They love it. People have had ENOUGH!
Fuck Luntz. He’s a nasty ass punk bitch from the other side.
Two phrases, and only two phrases, have I been hearing lately: “Sara Palin is…” and “Barack Obama needs to…”. Republicans are insistent on the first phrase and Democrats are stuck on the second. We have formed the circular firing squad. It’s happened yet again. The message isn’t getting out because we’re too busy NOT REPEATING IT. Duh.
You all need to get on board and stop the sniping. If you think it’s bullshit, call bullshit. Obama don’t need to do it. YOU need to do it. If you got James Carvilles number CALL HIM and tell him he’s a turncoat serpenthead dumbfuck moron. If McCain is driving the debate, it’s the media that needs a good bitching and maybe a bitch slap. THAT’s YOUR JOB.
Obama, he’s doing a good job. Ain’t nothing else he can do to get out the message. YOU NEED TO REPEAT THE MESSAGE. OFTEN AND LOUDLY. It’s just that simple.
Palin says ‘boo’ and next day every Republican everywhere is saying ‘boo’.
Obama says ‘boo’ and next day every Democrat everywhere says “no, not boo… maybe foo… or maybe goo…. or hooo… but definately not boo.”
SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH SECOND GUESSING AND JUST REPEAT OBAMA’S MESSAGE.
Let me try.
There are still millions of Americans who still say Saddam was involved in 9/11. They watch Fox, read conservative papers and listen to Rush. Over the years, it has been broadcast, slowly and widely, that Saddam HAD NOTHING TO do with 9/11.
These Americans simply will not accept a no 9/11 connection with Saddam. You can tell them a million times differently, but you will NOT change their mind. They don’t have an information deficit – they have an emotional relationship that invading Iraq WAS justied – Period!
Many other millions of American knew early on Saddam had nothing to do with 9/11.
You will get blue in the face telling the “Believers” other than they believe.
There are numerous other examples that the problem is an emotional blockage against fact-based reality, of which the Republicans. and the Republican MSM, are masters.
George Lakoff’s essay posted at commondreams is certainly apropos to the topic of how best for the Obama-Biden campaign to respond to Palin-McCain. See:
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/09/11-11
Saddam was never a threat to America, but if that’s your measure then remember Saddam is gone. It’s long long past time to declare victory and bring our troops home.
What I’m realizing after the Obama as wolf ad is that the McCain campaign is communicating very effectively with images, myth, and narratives while the Obama campaign is relying primarily on language and reason, or so it seems to me. The use of these tools, images, etc. would be powerful tools to get his message across. In astrology, the former relates to the water signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, and the latter to the air signs, Gemini, Libra, Aquarius.
bagnewsnotes.typepad.com is a terrific site that does excellent analysis of the politics of images. The site shows how narratives are advanced through images. Fascinating.
The question was regarding whether REAL facts would get ill-informed people to change their mind.
Not if they have an emotional connection with the LIE was my answer.
The Saddam lie was simply an example of how lies supplant facts in some minds – permanently.
F-ing right on, man…