Words that Work: It's not What You Say, It's What People Hear
Posted by: Scott W. Graves | 12/08/2007 2:08 AM
The November 2006 mid-term elections represented one of the largest political setbacks for either political party in American history, as the Republican party, spoiled by possession of the White House, a majority in the House, a majority in the Senate, and a majority of the governorships, sadly forfeited three of the above possessions. Indeed, were the one element up for grabs that they did hold on to (The White House), there is little doubt that they would have lost that as well.
In the aftermath of this political bloodbath comes brilliant strategist and GOP operative, Frank Luntz, key player in the Newt Gingrich administration that led the last congressional reversal-of-power (the 1994 "Contract with America"). His landmark Words that Work argues persuasively that a good portion of the problems in 2006, and the solution into the future, lies with the choice of words the conservative movement uses. Indeed, Luntz makes the case that it is our positioning of the issues that must be addressed.
There is little doubt that he has hit on some major issues in this fine work. "Undocumented workers" does conjure up an image of people who can not find their paperwork, as opposed to "illegal immigrants". An "investment" is more positive than a "spending bill". "Energy exploration" does seem more environmentally friendly than "oil drilling". The "death tax" does tell a better story than "estate tax". Major issues exist that Republicans have an upper hand in with the American people, if they will simply use better words to tell the story. Luntz is wise to tell us this, and his book does an effective job of creatively positioning many of the semantics and words pertinent in the political atmosphere we reside in.
But I would do the readers of this review a woeful disservice if I didn't you that no contemporary political commentary on the Republican party is complete simply by evaluating the tone, style, and rhetoric of our presentation. Luntz ought not paint a picture that our problems our merely with our sizzle, while ignoring the very real issues that have surfaced regarding our steak. Luntz's former boss, the brilliant Newt Gingrich, goes far beyond the inadequate choice of wording we use when evaluating the state of the party, and addresses the heart of the matter, which is a conflict of visions and ideas. The Republican party is in desperate need of a refresher course in our actual principles, and not just the packaging of those principles. Readers of this work would do well to remember that we are the party of ideas, and while those ideas need to be properly presented, such presentation certainly presupposes a commitment to those ideas from our party candidates. There will be no repeat of 2006 when those actual ideas come back to the surface.
BUY IT NOW AT BARNES & NOBLE
In the aftermath of this political bloodbath comes brilliant strategist and GOP operative, Frank Luntz, key player in the Newt Gingrich administration that led the last congressional reversal-of-power (the 1994 "Contract with America"). His landmark Words that Work argues persuasively that a good portion of the problems in 2006, and the solution into the future, lies with the choice of words the conservative movement uses. Indeed, Luntz makes the case that it is our positioning of the issues that must be addressed.
There is little doubt that he has hit on some major issues in this fine work. "Undocumented workers" does conjure up an image of people who can not find their paperwork, as opposed to "illegal immigrants". An "investment" is more positive than a "spending bill". "Energy exploration" does seem more environmentally friendly than "oil drilling". The "death tax" does tell a better story than "estate tax". Major issues exist that Republicans have an upper hand in with the American people, if they will simply use better words to tell the story. Luntz is wise to tell us this, and his book does an effective job of creatively positioning many of the semantics and words pertinent in the political atmosphere we reside in.
But I would do the readers of this review a woeful disservice if I didn't you that no contemporary political commentary on the Republican party is complete simply by evaluating the tone, style, and rhetoric of our presentation. Luntz ought not paint a picture that our problems our merely with our sizzle, while ignoring the very real issues that have surfaced regarding our steak. Luntz's former boss, the brilliant Newt Gingrich, goes far beyond the inadequate choice of wording we use when evaluating the state of the party, and addresses the heart of the matter, which is a conflict of visions and ideas. The Republican party is in desperate need of a refresher course in our actual principles, and not just the packaging of those principles. Readers of this work would do well to remember that we are the party of ideas, and while those ideas need to be properly presented, such presentation certainly presupposes a commitment to those ideas from our party candidates. There will be no repeat of 2006 when those actual ideas come back to the surface.
BUY IT NOW AT BARNES & NOBLE
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