FOXY FUN WITH FRANK
Here’s a rare and remarkable example of someone going seriously off message on Fox News. It happened a whole week ago, eons in blog time, but it’s still ringing in my ears.
The guest on “Hannity & Colmes” is Frank Luntz, the Gingrichian pollster and word technician whose services to the idle rich and their conservative court philosophers include renaming the inheritance tax “the death tax.” Though Luntz has been guilty of occasional flashes of deviationism over the years, you’d expect him to toe the party line when the Nation’s Future is at stake. But no.
(snip)
A clip of Obama speaking in Berlin has just been shown, followed by clips of the famous one-liners from the Berlin speeches of J.F.K. (“Ich bin…”) and Reagan (“Tear down…”). “How do these three speeches compare?” asks Alan Colmes.
LUNTZ: That’s what’s remarkable. This is political theatre at its best. Barack Obama clearly delivered one of the great speeches of his lifetime. The Europeans are watching very carefully, almost as much as Americans are, and you have to give him credit. Ronald Reagan was an experienced politico when he delivered his impressive speech back in 1987. John Kennedy had been President for over two years. Obama has done this with only being on the national and international stage for months or years.
Uh, oh. A minute or two later, after another clip:
LUNTZ: You have to give Obama credit for having the ability, the poise, and the presentation skills to be able to capture the hearts and the passion of almost two hundred and fifty thousand Berliners—and this is a guy, of course, who is just a candidate for President of the United States.
(snip)
Wait a minute. Wait a goddam minute! Hannity is getting agitated. The segment is spinning out of control. He keeps trying to steer Luntz back onto the true path, but Luntz keeps saying things like, “Obama has been able to cut through at a time when Americans do not trust politicians.”
Hannity makes one more try, then cuts his losses:
HANNITY: I guess what’s frustrating—if there’s anything that’s frustrating to me, Frank, these are just words. He seems to agree with the European, anti-American sentiment and the belief in the United Nations. But I look at it this way. America’s four per cent of the world’s population, but we pay ninety-six per cent of the cost of keeping the entire planet sane and free. And you know what? That’s what I would have said if I went to Europe.
LUNTZ: But, Sean, in the end, the American people do vote on words, and as an analyst of words, I can tell you that these were effective—not just for Europeans but for undecided voters in America.
more…
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/hendrikhertzberg?xrail
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