Talking About Healthcare: Countering Republican Orwellian Rhetoric

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

BarbinMD at Daily Kos saves me the trouble with this must read post Countering Begala's Countering of Luntz

Several weeks ago the king of Republican talking points, Frank Luntz, put out a memo outlining how the GOP could once again kill meaningful health care reform. And in what has become par for the course, Luntz advised distortions and obfuscations, while offering no plan of their own. So of course Republican lawmakers have been all over it.

And now Democratic strategist Paul Begala has come out with a memo of his own, advising how Democrats can counter the "Republican Orwellian Rhetoric."

For those of you planning to attend Rep. Gabriel Giffords townhall on healthcare on Tuesday, I recommend that you read this post and download and print a copy of Paul Begala's memo.

A cautionary word from BarbinMD:

Don't get me wrong; Begala has a lot of great points and suggestions. He just makes the mistake of going for speeches rather than countering short talking points with short but pointed rebuttals. Most of his best lines are when he is explaining the reasoning behind his suggested responses. He seems to have forgotten that pundits aren't given the time to orate, and even if they were, no one wants to hear it.

Begala says:

Do not let the Republicans kill reform by co-opting our message. When they repeat their talking points, you must punch holes in them.

And he's absolutely right. But we need to punch, not pontificate.

So do your homework and prepare your short but pointed rebuttals to GOP talking points. The media will only report sound bites — they can't help it, it's all they know. And those in attendance at this townhall will appreciate your short succint questions — they do not appreciate your speechifying.