Is Washington Pollster, Frank Luntz Trolling for Stephen Harper's Business?

It seems that Frank Luntz, a well-known (and many would say infamous) American right-wing communication strategist has been chatting up Stephen Harper and his minority band of merry Conservatives. Luntz made a name for himself over the past dozen years by working with the GOP on "messaging" (a.k.a. LuntzSpeak). And, he is particularly well known for penning two memos that defined the language used in Bush’s Presidential campaign spin on global warming and Iraq.

For instance, in The Environment: a Cleaner, Safer, Healthier America, Luntz insists on the term "climate change" instead of "global warming" because it tested better in focus groups. The rest of the memo is brimful of Machiavellian wisdom designed to help Republicans thwart pesky climate experts: "The scientific debate is closing [against us] but not yet closed. There is still a window of opportunity to challenge science… you need to be even more active in recruiting experts who are sympathetic to your view, and much more active in making them part of your message."

In Communicating the Principles of Prevention & Protection in the War on Terror, Luntz tries to teach the GOP how to speak about the Iraq War in terms that will sit better with the electorate. Here you will find the famous "9/11 changed everything" mantra and other talking points that make up the Republican rhetorical arsenal.

But all of this is old news. Depressingly sad, but old news, nonetheless. Given Luntz’s track record, it was surprising to see how the Toronto Star Washington correspondent took the pollster at face value -- as an experienced and respected pollster who is "oft-quoted" and "in demand in other countries". The Star’s May 10 interview seems to imply that Luntz may have had a falling out with Washington and the GOP. For example, when questioned about similarities between Bush and Stephen Harper, Luntz quips: "The Canadian and U.S. leaders could not be more different... Stephen Harper is a genuine intellectual, brilliant in his understanding of issues... I think I'll leave it at that." He further notes that "The U.S. system is rife with corruption, or perceived to be rife with corruption, and Canadians have an absolute right to know what previous governments did with their hard-earned money."

Really! Now why would a right-wing communications wunderkind dis Bush and the GOP and praise Stephen Harper in the same breath? According to the Washington Post, it turns out that newly minted Republican Majority Leader John A. Boehner was waiting for a chance to reduce Luntz's billable hours to zero due to a longstanding feud that dates back to the waning days of Newt Gingrich in 1998. In other words, Luntz has been looking for a new group of political chumps who are willing to pay dearly for his dubious advice. By delivering a speech to Ottawa Conservatives and toadying up to Harper, Luntz is hoping that his unique services will soon become indispensable. It will be interesting – and scary – to see if Harper buys into the program and masters LuntzSpeak.

And, if any of this does come pass, you may want to revisit Luntz's interview on the Daily Show, during which he discusses the effective use of "fake" town hall meetings -- such as those arranged for Bush in the 2004 election. Who knows, perhaps Harper and Luntz will enjoy a same-spin relationship. After all, we have already seen how desperate Harper is to maintain control over his cabinet and the media on Parliament Hill. Perhaps a staged townhall – or cabinet meeting! – is just what he needs to spin his way to a majority. In any case, if the current Prime Minister decides to funnel thousands (millions?) in consulting fees to Luntz’s American company, it's unlikely to come back to haunt him like a Liberal Sponsorship scandal. And if the Canadian dollar continues to rise as predicted, LuntzSpeak will almost certainly be cheap.

But then, how could it be anything but cheap?