Daily Show interviews Luntz!
Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 08:23:46 PM PDT
A Daily Show, um, reporter scored a face-to-face with Frank Luntz. The topic: Fake Town Halls, or the Social Security bamboozlepalooza.
He was very open in describing the ingredients of a good fake (he said "successful") town hall.
- Alliteration in the name ("Strengthening Social Security")
- A woman in Red
More below
- Asians, as well as blacks and females
- Three-word catchphrases
- It's all about the TV image; content is irrelevant.
The pseudoreporter tossed words at Luntz to get him to reposition them. Here's a sample of what he said:
Oil drilling -- > Responsible energy exploration
Logging --- > Healthy forests
Manipulation (yes she asked) -- > Education and explanation
She stumped him cold on one word: Orwellian.
Then she used his tips to set up her own Town Hall--on pornography. Pro pornography, with a cast of actors complete with a potty-mouthed grandmother. It looked just like the real thing. Er, the fake thing.
Catch this on rerun or check the web site tomorrow. What incredible cojones.
