10.08.2012 08:50 AM

iPolitics: “Kinsella pulls no punches in Fight The Right”

Liz Thompson:

“Fight the Right accomplishes what it sets out to do – provide readers with a glimpse into the kinds of strategies that have made Conservatives successful and lay out a credible road map for progressive forces to regain power.”

9 Comments

  1. Chris P says:

    My favorite part of the article via the book is this:

    “Luntz, who has counseled both Republicans and Canada’s Conservatives, is a master of manipulating language to accomplish political goals. Luntz’s strategy, which Kinsella describes as Orwellian, is to use public opinion research to change how the message is perceived by changing the language. For example, in Frank Luntz’s world tax reform becomes tax simplification, global warming becomes climate change, drilling for oil becomes exploring for energy.”

    Luntz was on Real Time with Bill Maher this past week and Bill outright called him ‘evil’ for this very reason. Getting ‘low-informed’ voters to vote against their interest. I just love how the Right brings a sword to the fight and we bring a plastic knife and keep wondering why we lose. What we should be doing is bringing an axe! They have Luntz and we have Kinsella the prince of darkness 🙂

    I love this part too:

    “Kinsella also describes how the Conservatives have been accumulating data in their CIMS database which allows them to target messages right down to street level.”

    Now this from Calgary Grit interview with leadership candidate David Merner

    “Microtargeting Liberals Who Care About Microtargeting

    Despite the aforementioned policy talk, Merner’s key campaign message is that the Liberal Party needs to embrace microtargeting if we ever want to form government.”

    Which leads me to think WTF! Why the hell are we not doing this already? Why is this some profound ‘new’ discovery? They Conservatives have been doing this for at least the last 3 elections!

    We have no think tanks, no fundraising apparatus, no communications strategy, no 308 federal riding plan etc. – we need to wake up.

    Happy Thanksgiving

  2. aongasha says:

    comments on the article were pretty negative.

      • aongasha says:

        I should have clarified that comment. I meant in that they were seemingly criticizing you personally instead of the book. I”m not even sure they read it. I always find it strange when reading a review of an author’s book, folks consider his/her words have no value, because they don’t like the writer. Actually I think the tome has lessons for all in politics – right or left.

  3. What`s stopping you Chris? Get at it!

    Couple of things though. The Greens here changed “global warming” to “climate change”.

    Also “low informed”?? What the heck is that. If you don`t vote my way you are “low informed”?

    Pretty pathetic.

    • Philip says:

      The simple truth is that Canadians deserve better from the Conservative Party. We deserve uncompromising integrity, with no excuses. Imagine a political party that believes in better. That is the Liberal Party. You decide whether or not Canada can achieve greatness, in real time or stand in it’s way. If you remember only one thing, remember that, Now lets get to work!

      I think I just won the Frank Luntz bingo.

    • Chris P says:

      Nothing stopping me per se – I have tried (and keep trying) but you have to first acknowledge a problem and be open to change. Unfortunately most still don’t understand that the election campaign never stops and we need a permanent year-round appartus to keep things moving.

    • Chris P says:

      Low informed are those individuals that: a) vote against their interest b) believe anything that is said to them devoid of fact.

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