Byron Dorgan Apparently Hired A Speech Coach To Help Him Not Sound Like A Liberal/Socialist

  •  November 2, 2008

This Newsbusters article about how the term “socialist” doesn’t exactly turn a lot of heads these days is interesting in and of itself, but as a North Dakotan I found it particularly interesting for its reference to ND Senator Byron Dorgan’s apparent professional relationship with a professor of linguistics.
What was this relationship all about? Teaching Senator Dorgan how to talk, apparently.

Geoffrey Nunberg is a liberal professor of linguistics at Cal-Berkeley and has advised Senator Byron Dorgan and other Senate Democrats on their use of language.

So why would someone like Dorgan need a linguistics coach? Maybe to help him not sound like a tax-and-spend liberal in front of his red state constituents?
That’s the only logical conclusion I can come up with.

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  • http://Array robert108

    No need to use the actual word.

    Only if you want to prove you didn’t make it up. You still haven’t proved the truth of your statement. Provide actual evidence that “conservative republicans” regard Frank Luntz as a “guru”.

    Dorgan’s “guru” told him to lie. Is that a good thing, in your value system?

  • robert108

    Since I am more honest and have a much higher level of integrity, I will refrain from repeating my refutation of your lies and distractions on this thread, as apparently you are unable to do so.
    Dorgan’s guru is helping him to deceive Americans. Maybe he should get a better one, or clean up his act and start being truthful about his socialism.
    As a leftie, of course, he depends on deception; telling the truth would put him out of business, just like you.

  • robert108

    He does fit the word “guru” perfectly.

    For you, obviously, but not for me or for any conservatives that I know. Before you get blinded by your own bullshit, remember two things: P’s original statement, which was a declarative statement about all “conservative republicans”(as if she knows what that means), so even one counter example makes it a lie, and two: This thread is about Dorgan’s speech coach, not conservatives, republicans or Frank Luntz.

  • http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/ goon

    OOps I was posing that question to our liberal readers…

  • Puzzlefeet

    If you would do just the least bit of research on Frank Luntz you would see that he is more than a pollster, R108.

    He does fit the word “guru” perfectly. I read his book,”Words that Work”. Excellent read, you might want to read it as well.

  • http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/author/realitybasedbob/ realitybasedbob

    108, you accused Puzzlefeet of making things up and I proved you wrong.

    It’s just that simple. I was following your lead in this thread.

    Frank Luntz has been a political guru to conservative republicans.

  • Puzzlefeet

    Then there’s Frank Luntz’s book: “Words that Work”. he’s the political guru to conservative republicans.

  • http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/author/realitybasedbob/ realitybasedbob

    From an interview with Frank “The Hair” Luntz

    Was that your idea?

    The concept of it was hatched in Salisbury, MD, at a Republican retreat. I was fortunate enough to have been invited to do a presentation about how the American people didn’t trust politicians in general and, quite frankly, didn’t trust Republicans in particular. And Newt Gingrich was there, and he listened to the presentation, and he said: “We have to do it differently in this election. We have to find a way to communicate that takes all of these policies that we believe in, that the Democrats don’t, and articulates that difference. How can we do it?” I presented at that presentation a proclamation. I got the idea from a Massachusetts campaign I was involved with. Gingrich saw that, and he came up with the phrase “contract.”

    I didn’t create the “Contract with America;” I was the pollster for it. I said, “If you’re going to do a contract, you’ve got to make it a contract.” For example, “Keep this page to hold us accountable” — that did not exist in the original document. I insisted that that be added, because they wanted to know that you could actually hold these guys accountable. One of the things that you have trouble with politicians, particularly in Washington, is when you get mad at them and you can’t touch them; you can’t punch them; you can’t yell at them. This accountability says, “I can really demand that they do what they promise.”

    …Who hired you?

    The Republican National Committee hired me,…

  • robert108

    …he’s the political guru to conservative republicans.

    Wrong! You’re just making things up again…

  • http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/ goon

    How Conservatives Turned Liberalism Into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show. So of course, he’s also a regular on National Public Radio — as a commentator on language for the program Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

    Please tell what is not true about that statement?

  • jvftz

    Absolutely. Notice that Dorgan and other pro-abortion spendoholics NEVER talk about helping THE POOR. They talk about “fighting for the MIDDLE CLASS.” I.e., those who vote. They don’t talk about being “pro-abortion” (which they are) or even being “pro-choice”–they talk about the danger of “mixing religion and politics.” (Never mind that the Nazis used the same argument–i.e., that bishops who complained about the gassing of the retarded were “mixing religion and politics.”) (By the time they got around to gassing Jews, a few years later, they had eliminated all freedom of speech.)

  • http://SayAnythingBlog.com The_Whistler_ofnd

    You can ask a simple polite question and Dorgan goes all Red Brigade on you.

  • Puzzlefeet

    Obviously, r108 has no clue what “guru” means:

    American Heritage Dictionary – Cite This Source – Share This gu·ru (gŏŏr’ōō, gŏŏ-rōō’) Pronunciation Key
    n. pl. gu·rus

    Hinduism & Tibetan Buddhism A personal spiritual teacher.

    A teacher and guide in spiritual and philosophical matters.
    A trusted counselor and adviser; a mentor.
    A recognized leader in a field: the guru of high finance.
    An acknowledged and influential advocate, as of a movement or idea: “In a culture that worships slimness, he was the Guru of Lean” (Erica Abeel).

    A recognized leader in a field: the guru of high finance.
    An acknowledged and influential advocate, as of a movement or idea: “In a culture that worships slimness, he was the Guru of Lean” (Erica Abeel).

    Righties lie, it’s all you have.

  • Puzzlefeet

    And Sarah Palin’s linguistics coach…..

  • http://www.valleydeals.com/cgi-bin/board2/YaBB.pl Kevin

    People who have lived off of taxpayers most of their lives and always will like Dorgan has, are socialists.
    You can’t change a skunk’s stripes.

  • Puzzlefeet

    “Long regarded to be one of the GOP’s most effective message strategists, Frank Luntz is-to say the least-the bane of the Democrats’ existence.
    -Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist

    “It would be hard to name a prominent GOP political operative or member of Congress of the last 20 years who has not been advised by Luntz. He has the ear of politicians and operatives alike. Master of the political message, Luntz’s fascination with the use of language has often helped redefine a political debate.”
    - The Daily Telegraph

    Easily meets the definition of “Guru”. No need to use the actual word.

  • robert108

    Frank Luntz has been a political guru to conservative republicans.

    Wrong again! A statement from your own cherry-picked cut and paste from 1994 proves you wrong.

    I didn’t create the “Contract with America;” I was the pollster for it.

    Only an ignorant fool would confuse “pollster” with “guru”. Do you even know what “guru” means?

  • http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/author/realitybasedbob/ realitybasedbob

    You obviously can’t handle the truth and continue to spin your extreme right wing conservative hate filled twaddle.

    Tell me about your work for Rudy Giuliani.

    Rudy Giuliani hired me because I was recommended by his political consultant and because I love baseball…

    My job as a pollster is to understand what really matters. Those levers of importance — sometimes they’re called levers; sometimes they’re called triggers. What causes people to buy a product? What causes someone to pull a lever and get them to vote? I need to know the specifics of that. And in politics, more often than not, it’s about the personality and the character of the individual rather than where they stand, and that’s exactly the opposite of what your viewers will think.

    You continue to lie:

    A statement from your own cherry-picked cut and paste from 1994 proves you wrong.

    When will you stop lying, 108?

  • robert108

    Geoffrey Nunberg is a liberal professor of linguistics at Cal-Berkeley and has advised Senator Byron Dorgan and other Senate Democrats on their use of language.

    Why would grown men need that kind of help? Bad education in govt schools? Who are they trying to deceive?

  • robert108

    And, of course, all your off-topic bullshit and spin doesn’t change one thing about what Dorgan is doing.

  • robert108

    rbb: All your lies, cherry-picked cut and pastes and general bullshit can’t make Frank Luntz into a “guru”. You’re just wrong, as usual.

  • robert108

    P: Your definition is accurate; Frank Luntz just doesn’t fit it. Even devising, or helping to devise, through polling, a successful strategy doesn’t make one a “guru”. I’m a conservative, as are most of my friends, and none of us confuses Frank Luntz with a “guru”. As he said himself, 14 years ago, he served as a Republican pollster. Now, he is an audience response measurer, with no particular political purpose in his measuring of audience response to politicians and political ideas. You’re just wrong.

    Frank Luntz is not a leader in the field of conservative thought. He measures responses, which is reactive, not proactive. You’re just making things up, again.

  • robert108

    Besides your improper use of the word “guru”, you have provided no evidence that any “conservative republican” has called Frank Luntz his or her “guru”. Until you can do that, your statement stands as unsupported by any facts.

    Dorgan needs a new guru, doesn’t he? This one has been exposed as a deceiver.

  • Puzzlefeet

    Man, are you the master of spin. You twist and turn to justify your error. The definition of guru is clear: “a recognized leader in a field” or even “a trusted guide and counselor.”

    R108, it’s time to give up. You are wrong and continue to dig your hole deeper and deeper. If you are so concerned about the topic of the thread, then stop responding.

    Move along…..

  • robert108

    More off-topic, very old news from rbb, as usual. This thread is about Dorgan, so the liar rbb tries to distract with someone else who he can lie about. Typical.

  • http://sayanythingblog.com/readers/author/realitybasedbob/ realitybasedbob

    108, you’re making me laugh today…usually you just disgust me.

    Thanks for the diversion.

  • Puzzlefeet

    A guru is also a “recognized leader in a field” and a “trusted guide and counselor”. Luntz was clearly that for the 1994 Contract with America and for Newt Gingrich.

    The definition is a standard definiton found in the dictionary. As usual you can’t stand being called out for your ridiculous lies. But not surprising, though, righties lie, it all they have.

    If you don’t like the direction of the thread, please feel free to move along. Are you so dense that you…..ah never mind.

  • Puzzlefeet

    Poor R108, not only are you delusional, yeah, that’s all, you are delusional. I made my statement; I cited the dictionary for the appropriate use of the word “guru” and you continue to lie and spin and then claim you are more honest and have more integrity and that’s why you are right.

    You know, there’s medication to treat that condition you are suffering from…..I’m just sayin…..

  • Puzzlefeet

    I didn’t say “all” conservative republicans, you did. I said he was the guru to conservative republicans, and he is.

    That you don’t agree me with me is neither here nor there. I used the word correctly.

    And you’re just wrong, he does more than measure audience responses.

    R108 lies, it’s all righties do.

  • robert108

    Frank Luntz is not “the guru of conservative republicans”; that is a completely false statement. A guru is an expert in the field with superior knowledge. Luntz is a good pollster and analyst; one among many. As usual for a leftie, you defend your lie with a redefinition of something to conform to your lie. Won’t work.
    Are you capable of staying on the topic of Dorgan having to be coached to deceive people into thinking that he’s not a socialist?

  • robert108

    Frank Luntz is not “the guru of conservative republicans”; you lied, and now you just keep on lying, instead of admitting your mistake. Pathetic.
    By your definition, Dorgan needs a new guru, right? This one has been exposed.

  • robert108

    I said he was the guru to conservative republicans, and he is.

    Wrong again; you said “the”, which means “only”, and not only is he not a guru at all, but there are many advisers, strategists and pollsters who work with conservative republicans. Since you missed it so badly, besides being off-topic(this thread is about Dorgan’s speech “guru”, to use your inaccurate nomenclature), a guru is someone who has knowledge beyond that of the student, and Luntz is obviously a paid operative, not a guru at all.
    The facts are not on your side here.

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