THE REAL POLITIK EDITION: ISSUE 90, VOLUME 116
THE PHILISTINE KING
WORDSMITHING OUR DEMOCRACY INTO AN IDIOTACRACY
by Malik Isasis
Take a look at that face, forgetting the bad taupe for a minute. This is the face of Dr. Frank Luntz, Ph.D, a Republican pollster and lexicon guru. Mr. Luntz brought us such hits as "Contract with America", "Ownership Society","War on Terror", and many, many more Republican slogans, which I'll get into later. Luntz has help usher the Republican Party and their political operatives into an age of neo-nationalism, and political nihilism.
The best gift that President Richard Nixon left to his party, was the dumbing down of American politics. Republicans have sustained themselves by keeping the people ignorant, scared and paranoid, this is only possible because of the intellectual atrophy of the American citizenry. We are a nation of uninformed people for which a third are true-believers, that is, willing to believe anything the Republican machine will push down their throats.
Frank Luntz has made his bread and butter off the backs of the ignorant by NOT addressing issues that effect the working class, but by tactics that will make sure the Republicans win on any issue, no matter how absurd. It is why the Republicans ALWAYS win, even when it is clear that they have contempt for the people they govern. Let's take a look at the health care debate. A recent NBC News Poll showed only 43% percent of people polled supported a public option, and 46% were against a public option, where the government would run a non-for-profit alternative to the health care industrial complex.
50% believed that their would be death panels.
55% believed that health care would extend to illegal immigrants
50% believed that federal tax dollars would go for use of abortions
54% believed that there would be a complete government take over.
None of those policies are included in any of the proposed health care bills, but the lies persists. Here is where Frank Luntz reared his head. Back in May he released a MEMO titled, "The Language of Healthcare 2009". In the memo, there are four, familiar words that Republicans are using to kill healthcare: Rationing, Doctor-patient, takeover, and Bureaucrats. The Sunlight Foundation tracked the word usage over the summer.
“Rationing” goes from 18 uses in May to 90 uses in June. This marks the highest level of use for the word “rationing” in the Capitol Words database.
“Doctor-patient” goes from 6 uses in May to 20 in June. This marks the highest level of use for the word “doctor-patient” in the Capitol Words database.
“Takeover” goes from 13 uses in May to 106 in June. This marks the highest level of use for the word “takeover” in the Capitol Words database.
“Bureaucrats” goes from 53 uses in May to 78 uses in June. This marks the highest level of use for the word “bureaucrats” in the Capitol Words database.
And here is video by Think Progress, showing Republican meat puppets reciting Luntz' ideas to drive debate.
The corporate media has allowed Republicans to get away with the disinformation, and talking points even as Luntz' memo is public, because there is a collusion of corporate interests.
Republicans and their operatives are great and efficient at destroying things, but are miserable at building. They have attempted to disassemble Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal-- social welfare programs like social security, unemployment benefits etc., by bankrupting the treasury with over-spending, corporate tax cuts, and uncontrolled spending on the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. They have nothing but contempt for the government and for the people whom they govern. This is why they continue to lie even when the lie is pointed out to them. They sell themselves as the tonic for the Democratic Party’s moral decay, however, it’s a reflection of their incompetence in governance and moral decay. The Republican's rule of thumb: project your weakness and short-comings onto your political opponent to destroy him, but in the end, it will destroy us all.
THE PHILISTINE KING
WORDSMITHING OUR DEMOCRACY INTO AN IDIOTACRACY
by Malik Isasis
Take a look at that face, forgetting the bad taupe for a minute. This is the face of Dr. Frank Luntz, Ph.D, a Republican pollster and lexicon guru. Mr. Luntz brought us such hits as "Contract with America", "Ownership Society","War on Terror", and many, many more Republican slogans, which I'll get into later. Luntz has help usher the Republican Party and their political operatives into an age of neo-nationalism, and political nihilism.
The best gift that President Richard Nixon left to his party, was the dumbing down of American politics. Republicans have sustained themselves by keeping the people ignorant, scared and paranoid, this is only possible because of the intellectual atrophy of the American citizenry. We are a nation of uninformed people for which a third are true-believers, that is, willing to believe anything the Republican machine will push down their throats.
Frank Luntz has made his bread and butter off the backs of the ignorant by NOT addressing issues that effect the working class, but by tactics that will make sure the Republicans win on any issue, no matter how absurd. It is why the Republicans ALWAYS win, even when it is clear that they have contempt for the people they govern. Let's take a look at the health care debate. A recent NBC News Poll showed only 43% percent of people polled supported a public option, and 46% were against a public option, where the government would run a non-for-profit alternative to the health care industrial complex.
50% believed that their would be death panels.
55% believed that health care would extend to illegal immigrants
50% believed that federal tax dollars would go for use of abortions
54% believed that there would be a complete government take over.
None of those policies are included in any of the proposed health care bills, but the lies persists. Here is where Frank Luntz reared his head. Back in May he released a MEMO titled, "The Language of Healthcare 2009". In the memo, there are four, familiar words that Republicans are using to kill healthcare: Rationing, Doctor-patient, takeover, and Bureaucrats. The Sunlight Foundation tracked the word usage over the summer.
“Rationing” goes from 18 uses in May to 90 uses in June. This marks the highest level of use for the word “rationing” in the Capitol Words database.
“Doctor-patient” goes from 6 uses in May to 20 in June. This marks the highest level of use for the word “doctor-patient” in the Capitol Words database.
“Takeover” goes from 13 uses in May to 106 in June. This marks the highest level of use for the word “takeover” in the Capitol Words database.
“Bureaucrats” goes from 53 uses in May to 78 uses in June. This marks the highest level of use for the word “bureaucrats” in the Capitol Words database.
And here is video by Think Progress, showing Republican meat puppets reciting Luntz' ideas to drive debate.
The corporate media has allowed Republicans to get away with the disinformation, and talking points even as Luntz' memo is public, because there is a collusion of corporate interests.
Republicans and their operatives are great and efficient at destroying things, but are miserable at building. They have attempted to disassemble Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal-- social welfare programs like social security, unemployment benefits etc., by bankrupting the treasury with over-spending, corporate tax cuts, and uncontrolled spending on the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. They have nothing but contempt for the government and for the people whom they govern. This is why they continue to lie even when the lie is pointed out to them. They sell themselves as the tonic for the Democratic Party’s moral decay, however, it’s a reflection of their incompetence in governance and moral decay. The Republican's rule of thumb: project your weakness and short-comings onto your political opponent to destroy him, but in the end, it will destroy us all.
posted by Malik Isasis at
6:49 PM
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