Sunday’s New York Times Magazine “Questions For…” column features Republican messagist Frank Luntz. The proximate cause of the column is a memo on how Republicans should talk about health care. Titled “10 Rules for talking about the ‘Washington Takeover’ of health care” the piece is worth reading – and reformers would do well to head its advice rather than dismissing it as vapid and ignoring its insights.
Luntz’s first point is especially instructive: “Abandon and exile ALL references to the ”health care system”. From now on, health care is about people.” (all the emphasis are his). In addition to shifting the debate to ground on which Republicans can win, Luntz is reminding people of a familiar story: Democrats promote systems and Republicans promote people. Democrats talk about the public school system, the criminal justice system and the health care system; Republicans give students the chance to succeed, protect victims and let families choose their doctors.
Unfortunately, much of the response on the left has not been to learn from or embrace Luntz’s insights, but rather to attack him calling the memo ”vapid” and a “misdirection.” Other suggest it’s just about ”obstruction” and suggests Democrats ignore the advice in the memo and plow ahead. A wiser response from liberals would be to embrace Luntz’s advice and use it to their advantage – make health care about people, about individual power, and about choices.
The best persuasion doesn’t tell the audience something new, it reminds them of something they already believe to be true. Anyone with bad neighbors will respond well to a an argument that starts “you know how bad neighbors can be…” and anyone with miscreant children will support an argument that talks about good kids gone bad. (Before growling about that damn Luntz, these examples come from Aristotle in The Rhetoric).
Persuasion is not about the speaker, it’s about the listener. Or, as Luntz puts it, “it’s not about what you say, it’s about what they hear.”
