LUNTZ - AT 9:48 P.M. ET:  As I mentioned earlier, I went to a talk today by Frank Luntz, whom you've probably seen on TV or heard on radio.  He's one of the best public opinion analysts working today, and is a conservative.  Among the highlights of today's talk:

- Americans now see health care as a fundamental right. 

- While Americans are pessimistic about the country's future, they retain a very sound set of core American values.

- The Republican Party has great opportunities, but has a major liability:  It is seen as the "no" party, the party that simply rejects things, but has no program of its own.  That must be corrected.  (We've been saying that here, as well.)

- The audience for both CNN and MSNBC has collapsed, while Fox is soaring.  Luntz said that MSNBC has more letters in its name than viewers, and that Great MSNBC Hope Keith Olbermann has seen his ratings almost cut in half.

- Political organizations must learn the power of the visual.  Obama's campaign learned it, McCain's did not.  It is what people see that counts.  Luntz used political ads as an example, cautioning the audience never to buy an ad if it uses a voiceover.  The best political ads, he said, feature someone on camera doing the talking.  Then the audience has someone to relate to, and someone to believe.

Luntz told a great story about appearing on Bill Maher's cable comedy show.  Luntz asked the audience how many believe in God.  There was a smattering of applause.  Then he asked how many were agnostics or atheists.  There were loud cheers.  The producer of the show was furious because Luntz had exposed the audience for what it was - radical.  However, Luntz cautioned us that audiences for shows like that are not typical of the country, and should not be seen as such.

COMMENT:  The entertainment industry today is so warped that much of it is outside the mainstream.  The story about the Maher audience did not surprise me.  I once heard a well-known Hollywood agent attack a true story about a family that had lost its fireman father on 9-11, and then sent a son to West Point to serve in wartime.  The agent's reaction:  "These are the people who elected BUSH!"  I had no idea what country he was living in.

September 29, 2009