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How Republican Are Being Taught To Talk About Occupy Wall Street

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Republican Governors Association met this week in Florida to give GOP state executives a chance to rejuvenate, strategize and team-build. But during a plenary session on Wednesday, one question kept coming up: How can Republicans do a better job of talking about Occupy Wall Street?

"I'm so scared of this anti-Wall Street effort. I'm frightened to death," said Frank Luntz, a Republican strategist and one of the nation's foremost experts on crafting the perfect political message. "They're having an impact on what the American people think of capitalism."

Luntz's suggestions include:

1. Don't say 'capitalism.'

"I'm trying to get that word removed and we're replacing it with either 'economic freedom' or 'free market,' " Luntz said. "The public . . . still prefers capitalism to socialism, but they think capitalism is immoral. And if we're seen as defenders of quote, Wall Street, end quote, we've got a problem."

2. Don't say that the government 'taxes the rich.' Instead, tell them that the government 'takes from the rich.'

"If you talk about raising taxes on the rich," the public responds favorably, Luntz cautioned. But  "if you talk about government taking the money from hardworking Americans, the public says no. Taxing, the public will say yes."

3. Republicans should forget about winning the battle over the 'middle class.' Call them 'hardworking taxpayers.'

"They cannot win if the fight is on hardworking taxpayers. We can say we defend the 'middle class' and the public will say, I'm not sure about that. But defending 'hardworking taxpayers' and Republicans have the advantage."

4. Don't talk about 'jobs.' Talk about 'careers.'

"Everyone in this room talks about 'jobs,'" Luntz said. "Watch this."

He then asked everyone to raise their hand if they want a "job." Few hands went up. Then he asked who wants a "career." Almost every hand was raised.

"So why are we talking about jobs?"

5. Don't say 'government spending.' Call it 'waste.'

"It's not about 'government spending.' It's about 'waste.' That's what makes people angry."

6. Don't ever say you're willing to 'compromise.'

"If you talk about 'compromise,' they'll say you're selling out. Your side doesn't want you to 'compromise.' What you use in that to replace it with is 'cooperation.' It means the same thing. But cooperation means you stick to your principles but still get the job done. Compromise says that you're selling out those principles."

7. The three most important words you can say to an Occupier: 'I get it.'

"First off, here are three words for you all: 'I get it.' . . . 'I get that you're angry. I get that you've seen inequality. I get that you want to fix the system."

Then, he instructed, offer Republican solutions to the problem.

8. Out: 'Entrepreneur.' In: 'Job creator.'

Use the phrases "small business owners" and "job creators" instead of "entrepreneurs" and "innovators."

9. Don't ever ask anyone to 'sacrifice.'

"There isn't an American today in November of 2011 who doesn't think they've already sacrificed. If you tell them you want them to 'sacrifice,' they're going to be be pretty angry at you. You talk about how 'we're all in this together.' We either succeed together or we fail together."

10. Always blame Washington.

Tell them, "You shouldn't be occupying Wall Street, you should be occupying Washington. You should occupy the White House because it's the policies over the past few years that have created this problem."

BONUS:

Don't say 'bonus!'

Luntz advised that if they give their employees an income boost during the holiday season, they should never refer to it as a "bonus."

"If you give out a bonus at a time of financial hardship, you're going to make people angry. It's 'pay for performance.'"

[nathanm]

Is Luntz the one responsible for the utterly retarded "job creators" thing? As in "GE, the job creators, laid off 22,000 workers last week..."

[Conan71]

Did they use human megaphones to teach this?

Really, I don't think we need any schooling on the matter, the Occupiers write the derogatory material so well for us.  Just like the outliers of the Tea Party does for the libs.

[Gaspar]

Did they use human megaphones to teach this?

Really, I don't think we need any schooling on the matter, the Occupiers write the derogatory material so well for us.  Just like the outliers of the Tea Party does for the libs.

I just want to add again, how happy I am that the OWS movement has been adopted as the new symbol of the left. What a gift.

[RecycleMichael]

Just because you see it as a symbol of the left doesn't make it so. I could just as easily say that frontrunners Newt Gincrich and Herman
Cain having extramarital affairs shows republican values. If you support either of these, you are probably cheating on your wife too.

[Hoss]

Just because you see it as a symbol of the left doesn't make it so. I could just as easily say that frontrunners Newt Gincrich and Herman
Cain having extramarital affairs shows republican values. If you support either of these, you are probably cheating on your wife too.

It's OK RM, I'm guessing the new symbol of the right is 'wishy-washiness'.  Or as most people call it -- flip-flopping.

[Gaspar]

Just because you see it as a symbol of the left doesn't make it so. I could just as easily say that frontrunners Newt Gincrich and Herman
Cain having extramarital affairs shows republican values. If you support either of these, you are probably cheating on your wife too.

You are right, but the difference is that leaders on the left are adopting them as a symbol.  Pelosi, President Obama, Biden, and nearly every publication and media outlet on the left is trying to embrace, co-opt, and capitalize on the message and symbolism.  

It's the entitlement movement coming home to roost. It is not a symbol of liberalism, it is the actual product. Adam Corolla had an interesting take on the whole thing that I enjoyed (language). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQpXybTnGVg

[RecycleMichael]

No, they are not. They are not "trying to embrace, co-opt, and capitalize on the message".

You see everything not like you as some failed group conspiring against you. The Occupy movement has resonated with many people in America. Civil disobedience often does that. See Martin Luther King for more details.

Maybe the Occupy movement has some good ideas and liberal leaders are willing to listen and discuss. Conservative leaders must already know everything and be unwilling to admit others have good ideas as well.

[Conan71]

Just because you see it as a symbol of the left doesn't make it so. I could just as easily say that frontrunners Newt Gincrich and Herman
Cain having extramarital affairs shows republican values. If you support either of these, you are probably cheating on your wife too.

I'm loving how the OWS crowd becoming a symbol for the left is making Dems like you squirm.  Especially as bad as many of you have typified the Tea Party by the worst wing nuts on the right. 

Let's face it, every family has it's weirdos.  Yours are just far weirder than mine.

[RecycleMichael]

...every family has it's weirdos.  Yours are just far weirder than mine.

You say weird, I say extraordinary.

[Townsend]

You say weird, I say extraordinary.

I'd say both sides have their fair share of the extraordinary.

[Red Arrow]

You say weird, I say extraordinary.

Extraordinarily weird.....

[Conan71]

You say weird, I say extraordinary.

Extraordinarily eccentric. At least that's what we used to say about crazy Uncle Rupert.

[Red Arrow]

I could just as easily say that frontrunners Newt Gincrich and Herman
Cain having extramarital affairs shows republican values. If you support either of these, you are probably cheating on your wife too.

Actually, they are just trying to make themselves more acceptable to the more liberal voters in this country.

[Red Arrow]

Extraordinarily eccentric. At least that's what we used to say about crazy Uncle Rupert.

Was he wealthy?  You have to be rich to be eccentric.  Otherwise you are just crazy.