Frank Luntz

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Frank I. Luntz (born February 23, 1962), an American pollster. Luntz formed The Luntz Research Companies in 1992, and maintains offices in Arlington, Virginia and New York City. He is considered a master of the art of political propaganda, and his use of language has led to his career as what is termed a "compliance professional," someone who uses whatever means may be at hand (propaganda, marketing, polling, sales, politics) to induce the compliance of a target audience.

1 Background
2 Yearly briefing book
3 Use of language
4 Logging
5 Global warming
- 5.1 2005 UK Conservative leadership election
6 Bibliography
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Background

Luntz is the son of Lester L. Luntz, D.D.S. (January 24, 1924-February 15, 1996), a pioneer in the field of forensic dentistry, and Phyllys Luntz (January 8, 1926). Lester and Phyllys coauthored the 1981 book Handbook For Dental Identification. At a 1984 convention of the International Association of Forensic Sciences, Lester Luntz contested the validity of the dental x-rays that the Soviets used to identify the remains of Adolph Hitler.

Frank Luntz attended the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Oxford and was in the Oxford Union's Standing Committee with Michael Gove, now an Conservative Member of Parliament.

[edit] Yearly briefing book

Luntz produces an extensive yearly briefing book to be disseminated among members of the Republican Party to popularize the phrases Republicans should use to frame all debates, all discussions. These phrases can then be used by Republicans in their talking points.

[edit] Use of language

Luntz is most noted for crafting messages for the Republican Party using words and phrases that evoke strong emotional responses and which create a positive impression in most listeners towards the Republican Party and its policies. Instead of speaking of the "estate tax," one speaks of the "death tax."

Berkeley linguist George Lakoff has written at length and given speeches regarding the Republican use of language to sway the debate, and numerous liberal bloggers have used Lakoff's studies as a jumping-off point to compare Luntz's work to the Newspeak found in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. This comparison was brought out in an especially humorous manner in an interview by Samantha Bee of the Daily Show. Soon after commenting in voiceover that "Luntz has made a brilliant career spraying perfume on dog turds," she offers him a chance to tweak various words and phrases. "Drilling For Oil" becomes "Responsible Exploration For Energy." "Logging" becomes "Healthy Forests." "Manipulation" becomes "Explanation and Education." When offered the chance to redefine "Orwellian," Luntz, flummoxed, is unable to provide an answer.

[edit] Logging

Luntz is credited with coining the term "Healthy Forests Initiative" for policies by the Bush administration that favor expanded logging by the logging industry.

[edit] Global warming

Although Luntz later tried to distance himself from the Bush administration policy, it was his idea to discredit the idea of global warming science to keep the issue from influencing voters in the 2000 and 2004 US presidential elections. Luntz has since said that he is not responsible for what the administration has done since that time. Though he now accepts the scientific consensus that there is man-made global warming, he maintains that the science was in fact incomplete, and his recommendation sound, at the time he made it. ^[1]

[edit] 2005 UK Conservative leadership election

In 2005 Luntz carried out a focus group on the Conservative leadership race on the BBC current affairs show Newsnight. The focus group's overwhelmingly positive reaction to David Cameron was seen by many as crucial in making him the favorite in a crowded field. Cameron was the eventual victor.^[2]

[edit] Bibliography

Lakoff, George. Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate. New York: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2004.
Luntz, Frank. Candidates, Consultants, and Campaigns: The Style and Substance of American Electioneering. New York: Blackwell, 1988.
Luntz, Frank. Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear. New York: Hyperion, 2007.