One of the secret weapons in this war of minds is a man named Frank Luntz, an American political consultant, pollster, focus group analyst, and commentator and analyst for the Fox News Channel. Luntz's specialty is “testing language and finding words that will help his clients sell their product, or turn public opinion on an issue or a candidate." His stated intention is to cause audiences to react based on emotion rather than thought. It was Luntz who changed estate tax to "death tax," oil drilling to "energy exploration," and tax cuts to "tax relief." He was also awarded the 2010 Politifact.com Lie of the Year award for his promotion of the phrase "government takeover" to refer to healthcare reform.
However, Luntz was not the only one who was interested in using words to influence hearts and minds. In 1994, Congressman Newt Gingrich wrote and distributed a memorandum (the “GOPAC Memo”) titled "Language: A Key Mechanism of Control.” In it, Republican candidates were instructed what words to use when defining their opponents. For instance: the word liberal is to be associated with bureaucracy, red tape, and traitors. While the word conservative is to be related to freedom, crusade, and pride. These connotations not only resonate in both the conscious and the subconscious mind, but more importantly, evoke emotion, which, according to Luntz, is the most important influencing factor of all—especially when pertaining to voters who are not well-informed on the issues.
Republicans have successfully turned the word liberal into a bad word, even though the original definition corresponds with the principles of freedom of speech, equality, fairness, and separation of church and state that the United States of America was founded upon.
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