8-13-08 by dugan
How did the "drill now, drill everywhere" gang persuade Americans that giving U.S. coastline and wilderness to oil companies is an energy policy? Credit goes to a brilliant deceiver who most people have never heard of: former GOP pollster and PR man Frank Luntz. Here’s the memo he wrote for Bush and Dick Cheney in 2002 on a strategy to persuade Americans that drilling for oil is just "exploration," global warming is just "climate change," and that "energy independence" is not a lie.
The 6-year-old memo is still the playbook for friends of oil. Bottom line: A simple lie using simple words is more persuasive than a complicated (inconvenient) truth. The irony of this venerated oil bible is that Luntz has since disavowed the Bush administration policy. But his strategy lives on.
Excerpts:
"Exploring for oil in the ANWR (it’s "EXPLORING," NOT "DRILLING") is just one component of a comprehensive energy policy. Therefore, you must discuss the entire policy, from energy exploration and diversifying resources to research and conservation measures. Americans want to know that you have a balanced approach. Do not, I repeat, do NOT allow the radical environmentalists to force you into talking about only this one component.
Any discussion of energy must begin with the core principle that when it comes to oil, gas and electricity, America must not depend on any foreign nation. That is the single strongest argument you have for exploration in the ANWR. Especially now, given the turmoil in the Middle East and the possibility of a wider war, the importance of American energy independence is clearer than ever."
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And below, my personal favorite. Remember that this memo was written during the last recession. And the people who read and acted on it have brought us the current economic and energy crisis. Thanks, Frank.
"This energy situation has made the current recession worse than it otherwise might have been. We cannot allow the Washington bureaucracy and all the red tape to cause one more business to suffer or one more person to lose his job. While there are no quick fixes, we must immediately implement a plan to guarantee accessible, affordable, reliable, clean energy for generations to come. It’s time to remove the outdated laws, build the necessary generators, encourage real competition, and start planning for the future. We must plan for tomorrow, not just for today."
The Luntz Research Companies — Straight Talk