Frank Luntz and the Invention of Compassionate Conservatism

Frank Luntz, best known as the pollster who vetted the language behind Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America", continues to craft language soft-pedaling Bush administration attacks on environmental protections. Usually Luntz’s briefing books are guarded from public scrutiny, but now and then one leaks to the press.  In a memo titled “The Environment: A Cleaner, Safer, Healthier America”, Luntz recommends a strategy for convincing Americans that the radical right is a friend of the environment.

You can find the entire Luntz memorandum at http://www.ewg.org/briefings/luntzmemo/.

Here are some revealing excerpts:

On inconvenient facts:

• “Indeed, it can be helpful to think of environmental (and other) issues in terms of ‘story.’ A compelling story, even if factually inaccurate, can be more emotionally compelling than a dry recitation of the truth.”
• “The scientific debate [on global warming] is closing against us but not yet closed. There is still a window of opportunity to challenge the science.”

On global warming:

•  “Voters believe there is no consensus about global warming within the scientific community….Therefore, you need to continue to make the lack of scientific certainty a primary issue in the debate.”
• “It’s time for us to start talking about ‘climate change’ instead of global warming….As one focus group participant noted, climate change ‘sounds like you’re going from Pittsburgh to Fort Lauderdale.’ While global warming has catastrophic connotations attached to it, climate change suggests a more controllable and less emotional challenge.”

On convincing people that the free market will protect the environment:

• “Once you are able to establish your environmental bona fides, once you show people that your heart is in the right place and make them comfortable listening to what you have to say, then the conservative, free market approach to the environment actually has the potential to be quite popular.”
•  “The first (and most important) step to neutralizing the problem and eventually bringing people around to your point of view on environmental issues is to convince them of your sincerity and concern.”

(all italics in the original)

For more background on Frank Luntz go to http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Frank_Luntz.