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GOP Focus Group Hack Frank Luntz Is At It Again, And NBC News Falls For It Hook, Line, And Sinker. [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-07-15

Let’s see what NBC News finds when it went to one of Frank Luntz’s focus groups of Iowa Evangelicals.

NBC has learned NOTHING when it comes to Frank Luntz. Here is a primer on this guy:

Republican pollster and Kevin McCarthy friend-slash-roommate Frank Luntz isn't afraid of boasting about his personal achievements. "Dr. Frank I. Luntz is one of the most honored communication professionals in America today," reads a biography on his website. But some of his former employees tell a remarkably different story. Chris Ingram, a former senior vice president at the Luntz Research Company who worked at the company from 1997 through the early 2000s, told Salon that Luntz's claim to deliver objective data is a "total shtick and a scam." Ingram described observing Luntz trying to manipulate focus groups that used "dial testing," in which participants spin a small handheld device, yielding real-time results in response to questions asked by the presenter. "Frank, when he would be hired by clients, whether they would be corporate or political, would sit in that room yelling, 'Keep turning the dials! Keep turning the dials!'" Ingram told Salon in a phone interview. Luntz's primary concern, Ingram said, was results that would yield more "compelling" data to be "present[ed] to the client." Ingram said that Luntz does not work as an "impartial" or honest survey researcher but is better described as a pay-for-play pawn in Washington. In 1997, the American Association for Public Opinion Research largely agreed with Ingram's current analysis, finding after a 14-month investigation that Luntz had "violated the Association's Code of Professional Ethics and Practices." Luntz's "keep turning the dials" approach, Ingram said, is "clearly not the type of stuff that legitimate public opinion and survey researchers employ," adding that this was just one of many examples. He described additional ways Luntz would deceive viewers and media companies with such tactics, including screening and selecting participants in a manner that Ingram called "quite frankly bullshit." "The clowns at MSNBC didn't have a clue about how the focus groups or panels worked, or what Frank was doing," Ingram said. "The actions were basically contrived: He screened out anybody that isn't going to give the viewers the opinion that Frank, on behalf of his client, is looking for. Somehow, he is able to bullshit people."

I remember that he is the one that came up with the framing of the estate tax as a “DEATH TAX!” And that is just one of the many lies that he has managed to have the mainstream media fall for every time. He’s a fraudster, and he helped create the modern GOP Frankenstein Monster.

And here is proof of some of his deeds in this BS article from NBC on Iowa Evangelicals:

When asked who they thought the most truthful politician was, the Iowa focus group respondents most often cited Trump, DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, of whom Bryan Moon, 61, said: “He could sell me anything and I’d buy it. I believe him.” And when tasked with defining what the truth even is, one respondent gave a simple answer: Jesus Christ. But these voters believe their faith and opinions are “under attack,” as Republican presidential candidates try to prove they are willing to defend them. “I have been under attack in one way on Facebook,” said Tammy Negrete, 60, a retired dental hygienist from Ankeny. “I commented on our city posting something about the gay pride month and I literally was attacked by people who don’t even know me.” David Bush, 61, a real estate developer, said, “There’s a terrible misconception that Christians hate gay people.” Karen L. chimed in, saying, “They’ve created this narrative that if you don’t approve of my lifestyle, you hate me and that’s just not the truth. Anybody who’s had a child knows that they can love somebody without approving of what they’ve done.”

Notice all the lovely lies and bullshit. Trump, DeSantis, and Scott are seen as “truthful” as Jesus Christ. Yes, evangelical ministers are as responsible for shoveling these lies as Frank Luntz, Fox, and all the now dearly departed Rush Limbaugh. But I don’t think every evangelical minister has the same power as the sleazy Luntz.

Next, evangelicals in this group feel “attacked” by all the meanies out there. Where have I heard this hypocritical whine before? Oh yes! I have heard it from every damn Republican in Congress and just about every Republican voter I know. They are being “victimized.”

Never mind that Republicans have been attacking everyone who is not white for more than 50 years now. Pay no attention to all the evangelical and born again ministers who have denounced the LGBTQ community and claimed they are all going to Hell. But how DARE you accuse an evangelical of being a bigot or racist!

But knowing Luntz, it appears that this focus group’s job was to put out that there REALLY is an electoral horse race in the GOP Iowa Caucus. No. I’m serious.

Supposedly, this focus group of evangelicals is not necessarily sold on Trump, and since evangelical voters make up 64% of Iowa Republican caucus goers, it must mean that someone else can break through in Iowa besides Trump. There is hope to save the GOP from Trump!

Don’t believe it ladies and gents.

I hate to break it to the good people of Iowa, but you all don’t get to pick who the eventually nominee is anymore. This was especially true when it comes to 2016 and 2020. Republican caucus goers picked TED CRUZ in 2016, and where is he now? Trump went on to win the other contests and the eventual nomination in 2016.

And I can’t remember if it was Mike Murphy or Stuart Stevens who stated flat out that Iowa evangelical voters have never picked the eventual GOP nominee. Or this could have been said about the gathering of the latest group of evangelicals. But the point being is that they have a terrible track record for choosing the eventual winner.

And seeing as this so called GOP “horse race” is shaping up to be a repeat of 2016, does it matter if Trump loses Iowa? It didn’t back back in 2016. And this is my own view here, but from what I have seen since 1992, Republican voters burn for vengeance when one of their own is thrown out of the White House.

When George H.W. Bush was thrown out in 1992, Republican voters demanded a repeat of that election. And they achieved that with George W. Bush as the nominee in 2000 and Al Gore was the Clinton stand in. I remember this because Republicans had a real choice in their primary with Bush and others like John McCain, but Republican voters flocked to Bush in that year because they wanted a replay of 1992 with the Republican winning this time.

Now, here we are with Trump claiming to that he is the rightful president against the man who usurped the White House from him. Does anyone think that the rest of the dumbass Republican voters will pass up another chance for vengeance? Trump is running on that.

It doesn’t matter what the so called Iowa Evangelicals want. If there is a bullshit “horse race” in Iowa, it will remain in Iowa only. The rest of the GOP base will stick with their orange emperor.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/15/2181394/-GOP-Focus-Group-Hack-Frank-Luntz-Is-At-It-Again-And-NBC-News-Falls-For-It-Hook-Line-And-Sinker

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