[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 13, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1138-E1139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE WRONG KIND OF PARTISANSHIP

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 13, 2009

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I have long believed that 
people who denounce partisanship in general fail to understand the role 
that responsible political parties can and must play in a functioning 
democracy. But there are cases when partisanship gets a bad name 
because of the kind of advocacy it receives, and those of us who 
believe that partisanship can be a constructive force have an 
obligation to dissociate ourselves from this.
  The most recent example of this I have seen was reported in CQ Today 
on Thursday, May 7, in the article on the front page headlined ``Luntz 
Shapes GOP Messages on Health Care.''
  In the article, which summarizes Mr. Luntz's message and in some 
cases quotes him directly, the writer summarizes part of his message as 
follows: ``While Republicans might not be able to get their own ideas 
enacted, he went on, they could at least stop Democrats from achieving 
the political victory created by a successful revision of the 
healthcare system.''
  Note, Madam Speaker, that these words are not directly attributed to 
Mr. Luntz, but I have no reason to think that Mr. Armstrong in any way 
distorted the essence of Mr. Luntz's message in his summary. And later 
in the article, in a direct quote, describing the words that 
Republicans should use in carrying on their effort to stop the 
Democrats from a successful health care policy, Mr. Luntz is directly 
quoted as saying ``I could care less about matching the words to the 
policies . . .''
  Madam Speaker, obviously Republican Members of the Congress are free 
to accept or reject Mr. Luntz's partisanship of the wrong sort, but it 
does seem to be relevant that he was invited to address a Republican 
gathering and was, according to the article, warmly received by many. 
For example, the gentleman from California, Mr. Issa, is quoted as 
saying ``We look to him for how do we express the things that we 
believe in ways that are effective.''
  Madam Speaker, the notion that a significant number of Republicans 
would have as their central purpose in the healthcare debate not 
adopting a policy or even modifying one, but rather simply preventing 
the Democrats from being successful in meeting the nation's healthcare 
needs, is sufficiently disturbing that I believe this article should be 
reprinted here so that people can fully understand the dimensions of 
the debate in which we now find ourselves.

                      [From CQ Today, May 6, 2009]

                Luntz Shapes GOP Messages on Health Care

                          (By Drew Armstrong)

       Republican message guru Frank Luntz is back--this time to 
     help Republicans try to win the war of words as they battle 
     Democrats on overhauling health care.
       Speaking at a closed-door session with House Republicans on 
     Wednesday, Luntz said the GOP needs to get away from 
     ``markets'' and focus on ``patients.'' And while Republicans 
     might not be able to get their own ideas enacted, he went on, 
     they could at least stop Democrats from achieving the 
     political victory created by a successful revision of the 
     health care system.
       For example, he said, the GOP should throw private health 
     insurance companies under the bus.
       ``For 10 years we were carrying the water of the insurance 
     companies because they were backing us on health care,'' he 
     said. ``Well, they're not anymore. They've sold out, so now 
     you can go right back at them, because the American people 
     blame the insurance companies more than almost anybody else 
     for why health care is such a mess in this country right now. 
     So you don't have to be nice to them at all.''
       A detailed account of the presentation was given to 
     Congressional Quarterly by multiple people who attended the 
     session.
       Luntz, the author of the book ``Words That Work,'' about 
     the political effect of specific phrases and words, offered 
     Republicans a detailed presentation on what language to use 
     when talking about health care and how to attack Democratic 
     proposals, along with a long list of ``don'ts.''
       Republicans will get little chance to present their own 
     vision, Luntz warned, but they will have plenty of 
     opportunities to stand in opposition to Democrats.
       ``You're not going to get what you want, but you can kill 
     what they're trying to do,'' he said.
       Republicans need to start defining specific words on 
     favorable terms in order to win, he said, specifically 
     pointing out President Obama's promises of a high-quality 
     health care system. And they need to make sure that voters 
     think ``quality'' means getting the health care they want 
     whenever they want it.
       ``Don't let them define it. If you define it this way, they 
     can't do well,'' he said of Democrats. ``They can't provide 
     that treatment. They can't provide that health care.''


                    From ``Private'' to ``Patients''

       Much of Luntz's presentation was an attempt to correct the 
     way Republicans talk with voters about health care. He urged 
     them to stop using economic terminology like ``free market'' 
     and ``private'' and to talk instead about ``doctors,'' 
     ``nurses'' and ``patients.''
       ``If you use the phrase ``private health insurance market 
     competition,'' you deserve to be down to 160 seats in the 
     House, because nobody understands that language,'' Luntz 
     said.
       He also had advice for choosing the photos in mailers sent 
     to constituents: ``Get pictures of seniors that look like 
     they make apple pie every day forever, and the children who 
     look so angelic that it just makes you feel compassionate, 
     which I know is sometimes tough for people in this room,'' he 
     said.
       And he called on Republicans, when describing the 
     consequences of the Democratic proposals, to use language 
     that would scare voters.
       ``What's the word that people are afraid of?'' Luntz said. 
     ``Deny.''
       ``The idea that a doctor or a hospital would deny care that 
     they need is what frightens them the most about a Washington 
     takeover,'' he said.
       Luntz came to the presentation with polling data, all done 
     in the last few months, to back him up.
       ``Each of these words has been carefully chosen. This is 
     not random, this is not gut. I could care less about matching 
     the words to the policies, I have no investment in the 
     words--except that these are the words that the American 
     people want,'' he said.
       Luntz, who helped craft Republican messages through the 
     1990s, was a fixture in Washington GOP circles until 2005, 
     when he left for Hollywood after an alleged falling-out with 
     House Republican leader John A. Boehner of Ohio.
       He returned to Capitol Hill Wednesday, at the invitation of 
     the House Republican Conference, to try to focus the message 
     on health care.
       Gathered in a meeting room of the Cannon House Office 
     Building, lawmakers and aides applauded as Luntz was 
     introduced. ``Welcome home!'' shouted one attendee.
       ``We've reached out to Frank,'' said House Republican 
     Conference Chairman Mike Pence, R-Ind. ``I would say, 
     enthusiastically, Frank is back.''
       Republicans who attended the meeting said they were glad to 
     have him back. ``We look to him for how do we express the 
     things that we believe in ways that are effective,'' said 
     Darrell Issa, R-Calif.
       ``He told us to stop talking like a bunch of wonks and 
     politicians and start talking like people,'' said Michael C. 
     Burgess, R-Texas, who has become a prominent voice on health 
     care issues.

[[Page E1139]]

                   Recommending a Change in ``Tone''

       At times, Luntz badgered the members, castigating them for 
     their failures of political acumen--and for the ringtones on 
     their cell phones.
       At one point, he was clearly angry over leaks to the media 
     earlier in the day that described parts of his presentation. 
     When an audience member asked if Luntz would e-mail the 
     slides he was using, he fired back, ``I will forward you the 
     PowerPoint so that way I can then read it in some newspaper 
     two days from now. What the hell?''
       And as Luntz urged members to focus on healthy lifestyles 
     and wellness, Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, piped up: ``I don't 
     want to live that kind of life.''
       ``You don't want to live that kind of life?'' Luntz asked.
       ``Yeah, you're eating your BBQ. Clearly you don't want to 
     live that kind of life,'' he went on, to some laughter.
       ``Hey, ribs are a food group,'' an unidentified member 
     called out, to which Luntz responded: ``His ribs could 
     actually get up and walk out of the office.''
       When a cell phone belonging to F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., 
     R-Wis., started ringing, Luntz told a young aide that 
     Sensenbrenner needed to change the ringtone. ``That's gonna 
     be your job, when Sensenbrenner comes back in here,'' Luntz 
     said to the aide, though Sensenbrenner had not actually left 
     the room--and let Luntz know it.
       ``You need to get him a telephone ring for the 21st 
     century,'' Luntz continued, ``Like `Play that funky music, 
     white boy.' Something much more interesting.''

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