National security used to be a Republican issue, but this year, both parties are using it--in different ways. Democrats want to talk about the war in Iraq. Republicans have escalated their rhetoric from "terrorism" to what they call "Islamo-fascism." We talk with some of the pollsters and strategists who advise candidates about the language they use to mobilize voters. How does a single word or phrase reduce a complex set of facts to a simple fable? Is this year's election all about fear?
The Politics of Fear in an Election Year
Credits
Guests:
- Frank Luntz - Luntz Research Companies - @FrankLuntz
- Jeremy Rosner - Democratic pollster and strategist
- Geoffrey Nunberg - Senior Researcher at Stanford University's Center for the Study of Language and Information
- Gary LaFree - Director of the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism