Recent seeming lunacy by Frank Luntz is actually framing. [View All]

[bigmonkey]

Some comments on the seemingly incongruous statement by Luntz that he's “bothered tremendously that we've become such an angry country” reported in this thread.

This is not some silly statement, it's propaganda entirely in line with his goals. Wingers need everybody else to be reasonable, so that their shoutycrackers appearances on TV can be "understood" as the "honest" reactions of usually reasonable people to the "outrageousness" of the left. It's the framing that allows them to continue their bluster and illogic, and at the same time never to be blamed for being overbearing and unreasonable. They can't help it, you see, the left is just so out there that they are forced outside their normally-reasonable demeanor.

The meta-message is that Republican behavior is always natural and normal. Once you start to look for how they take that stance, you see it all the time. If we can figure a way to cut through that reliably and convincingly, that's the end of them. I don't think I'm exaggerating.

I have to give Vice President Joe some credit. Biden's comment about Giuliani, that all his sentences were "A noun, a verb, and 9/11" was a perfect example of revealing the pattern so clearly that it loses all its punch.

So, how do we clearly show people what the Repubs are doing, and at the same time reveal them as abnormal and unnatural? Well, my first attempt would be including the words “abnormal” and “unnatural” at every possible opportunity when commenting on their actions. I think it would be as effective as Alan Simpson's continual framing of Caribou Barbie as a quitter.

"This unnatural phobia about muslims..." "...this abnormal concern about other people's sex lives..."

Repeated again and again.

Other ideas?

(Making this an OP, with some amendments, at the behest of some kindly DUers.)