Lies Via Republican Frank Luntz
While most of Washington is planning to overhaul health insurance, Republicans are planing to attack. We have not seen lies coming from the Republican side of the aisle, since weapons of mass destruction. Frank Luntz, a pollster has come up with 10 talking points for Republican's to use during interviews. These talking points were created to brainwash the public into opposing the Obama health care plan.
Read the Luntz talking points for Republican's against health care.
The Republican stragety has been for a long time, to abandon truth, and tell America what it needs to hear, rather than tell the truth about any topic. Liers like Cheney, Bush, and the rest of the past adminastration have used this techinque in the past, so rather than let them slip a fast one over on you, this report ./.....
(Republican talking point #1) Humanize your approach. Abandon and exile ALL references to the "healthcare
system." From now on, healthcare is about people. Before you speak, think of the three
components of tone that matter most: Individualize. Personalize. Humanize.
(Republican talking point #2) Acknowledge the "crisis" or suffer the consequences. If you say there is no healthcare
crisis, you give your listener permission to ignore everything else you say. It is a
credibility killer for most Americans. A better approach is to define the crisis in your
terms. "If you're one of the millions who can't afford healthcare, it is a crisis." Better
yet, "If some bureaucrat puts himself between you and your doctor, denying you
exactly what you need, that's a crisis." And the best: "If you have to wait weeks for
tests and months for treatment, that's a healthcare crisis."
(Republican talking point #3) Nothing else turns people against the government takeover of healthcare
than the expectation that it will result in delayed and potentially even denied
treatment, procedures and/or medications. "Waiting to buy a car or even a house won't
kill you. But waiting for the healthcare you need – could. Delayed care is denied care."
(Republican talking point #4) The arguments against the Democrats' healthcare plan must center around
"politicians," "bureaucrats," and "Washington" … not the free market, tax incentives,
or competition. Stop talking economic theory and start personalizing the impact of a
government takeover of healthcare. They don't want to hear that you're opposed to
government healthcare because it's too expensive (any help from the government to
lower costs will be embraced) or because it's anti-competitive (they don't know about or
care about current limits to competition). But they are deathly afraid that a government
takeover will lower their quality of care – so they are extremely receptive to the anti-
Washington approach. It's not an economic issue. It's a bureaucratic issue.
(Republican talking point #5) The healthcare denial horror stories from Canada & Co. do resonate, but you have
to humanize them. You'll notice we recommend the phrase "government takeover"
rather than "government run" or "government controlled" It's because too many
politician say "we don't want a government run healthcare system like Canada or Great
Britain" without explaining those consequences. There is a better approach. "In
countries with government run healthcare, politicians make YOUR healthcare decisions.
THEY decide if you'll get the procedure you need, or if you are disqualified because the
treatment is too expensive or because you are too old. We can't have that in America."
Republican talking point #6) Healthcare quality = "getting the treatment you need, when you need it." That is how
Americans define quality, and so should you. Once again, focus on the importance of
timeliness, but then add to it the specter of "denial." Nothing will anger Americans more
than the chance that they will be denied the healthcare they need for whatever reason.
This is also important because it is an attribute of a government healthcare system that
the Democrats CANNOT offer. So say it. "The plan put forward by the Democrats
will deny people treatments they need and make them wait to get the treatments they
are allowed to receive."
(Republican taking point #7) "One-size-does-NOT-fit-all." The idea that a "committee of Washington bureaucrats"
will establish the standard of care for all Americans and decide who gets what treatment
based on how much it costs is anathema to Americans. Your approach? Call for the
"protection of the personalized doctor-patient relationship." It allows you to fight to
protect and improve something good rather than only fighting to prevent something bad.
(Republican talking point #8) WASTE, FRAUD, and ABUSE are your best targets for how to bring down costs.
Make no mistake: the high cost of healthcare is still public enemy number one on this
issue – and why so many Americans (including Republicans and conservatives) think the
Democrats can handle healthcare better than the GOP. You can't blame it on the lack of
a private market; in case you missed it, capitalism isn't exactly in vogue these days. But
you can and should blame it on the waste, fraud, and abuse that is rampant in anything
and everything the government controls.
(Republican talking point #9) Americans will expect the government to look out for those who truly can't afford
healthcare. Here is the perfect sentence for addressing cost and the limited role for
government that wins you allies rather than enemies: "A balanced, common sense
approach that provides assistance to those who truly need it and keeps healthcare
patient-centered rather than government-centered for everyone."
(Republican talking point #10) It's not enough to just say what you're against. You have to tell them what you're
for. It's okay (and even necessary) for your campaign to center around why this
healthcare plan is bad for America. But if you offer no vision for what's better for
America, you'll be relegated to insignificance at best and labeled obstructionist at worst.
What Americans are looking for in healthcare that your "solution" will provide is, in a
word, more: "more access to more treatments and more doctors…with less interference
from insurance companies and Washington politicians and special interests."
You simply MUST be vocally and passionately on the side of reform. The status quo
is no longer acceptable. If the dynamic becomes "President Obama is on the side of reform and
Republicans are against it," then the battle is lost and every word in this document is useless.
Republicans must be for the right kind of reform that protects the quality of healthcare for all
Americans. And you must establish your support of reform early in your presentation
Health Insurance
The Principles of Health Insurance
Health Insurance Secretary Announced
Health Insurance Myths
Española
Get a Health Quote |
Florida Health Insurance |
Florida Life Insurance