For progressives to beat Republicans - they need to know how Republicans talk.
Luckily - Republicans occasionally let their lingo slip.
Like back in 1996 - when Newt Gingrich's GOPAC memo was leaked which instructed Republicans on what specific words to use when talking about other Republicans and conservative policies - and which words to use when talking about Democrats and progressive policies.
The memo reads:
Language is listed as a key mechanism of control used by a majority party... we believe that you could have a significant impact on your campaign and the way you communicate if we help a little. That is why we have created this list of words and phrases.
"When Talking about Republican campaigns", Newt Gingrich wrote, "use these words:
commitment - dream - family - freedom - liberty - passionate - prosperity - strength - success - vision," he wrote.
... Next time you watch a Republican campaign ad - play a little drinking game with how often you hear these words used.
The Gingrich memo then lays out the words to be used when describing Democratic campaigns.
Words like:
Bizarre - bureaucracy - coercion - corruption - devour - endanger - liberal - pathetic - shame - taxes - welfare.
These may seem like trivial words that don't have an effect - but when it comes to political messaging words are extremely important.
As right-wing pollster Frank Luntz pointed out during the healthcare debate back in 2009:
Frank LuntzIf you call it a public option, the American people are split. If you call it the government option, the public is overwhelmingly against it.
Sean Hannity: You know what, it's a great point. And from now on, I'm going to call it the government option.
Fox so-called News took the bait - and executive Bill Sammon sent out an email to his team of talking heads saying:
Friendly reminder: let's not slip back into calling it the 'public option'... Please use the term 'government-run health insurance' or, when brevity is a concern, 'government option,' whenever possible.
Like sheep - the talking heads over at Fox so-called News obeyed.
Frank Luntz himself is quite a wordsmith.
Back in 2006 - Luntz wrote a memo for Republicans identifying certain words they should NEVER say - and instead offering replacement words.
Sometimes it is not what you say that matters but what you don't say... from today forward, YOU are the language police. From today forward these are the words never to say again.
Actually, here they are...
NEVER SAY: Government. INSTEAD SAY: Washington
NEVER SAY: Tax Reform. INSTEAD SAY: Tax Simplification
NEVER SAY: Estate Tax. INSTEAD SAY: Death Tax
NEVER SAY: Capitalism. INSTEAD SAY: Free Market Economy
NEVER SAY: Undocumented Workers. INSTEAD SAY: Illegal Aliens
NEVER SAY: Drilling For Oil. INSTEAD SAY: Exploring For Energy
NEVER SAY: School Choice. INSTEAD SAY: Equal Opportunity in Education
NEVER SAY: Healthcare "Choice". INSTEAD SAY: "The Right To Choose"
So you get it that this very, very systematic manipulation of language in the American political discourse.
This is the Republican game plan laid out.
And this is the ONLY way they can win elections - this and disenfranchising people from voting, voter ID laws and things like that - but basically this, by boiling down often complex issues where the right answer can only be found through rigorous debate and turning them into quick, easy to remember catch phrases and buzz words.
Let's eliminate the debate around how much people like Paris Hilton should pay in estate taxes - instead just call it a dreaded DEATH tax.
Let's eliminate the debate over how we should handle undocumented immigrants - and instead dehumanize them by calling them "illegal aliens".
Forget about debating the safety of deep water oil drilling after the BP Gulf disaster - NOW, oil companies are just "exploring for energy."
You know, the sad thing? Much of this has worked.
And sure enough - we've stopped having rational debate in this country.
Emotional words are now used to grab people's attention and transform their minds and it's largely these little sound bites, commercials on TV - replacing the role of debate among the electorate.
President Obama is boiled down to a "Socialist" - with little discussion of what a "socialist" really is. I doubt if most Americans know.
Rich people are called "job creators" with little discussion about how jobs are REALLY created.
New tax plans - like "9-9-9" - are praised for their simplicity rather than either their effectiveness or their just plain old flat out stupidity.
When French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville ventured to the United States in the early 19th century, 1834 as I recall, to observe first-hand what life was like in the new democratic nation - he made this observation which he wrote in his book "Democracy in America":
The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.
Throughout history - our nation has repaired our faults through debate - through an informed electorate making the right decisions.
But in a scorched-earth bid to win elections - Republicans have destroyed that American tradition and replaced it with political manipulation.
And until we bring back real debate - until the corporate media calls out Republican talking points - and you and I call out people who throw phrases around like "job creators" and "illegal aliens" - then we frankly won't be able to solve the complex problems facing our nation.
We're Americans - so let's start acting like Americans and demanding that our politicians - and most importantly our media - treat us like the well-informed citizenry that Thomas Jefferson envisioned.
That's The Big Picture.
