Luntz Research Companies
Republican pollster and strategist; founder of the Luntz Global; author of What Americans Really Want...Really: The Truth about Our Hopes, Dreams, and Fears and Words that Work: It's Not What You Say It's What People Hear
Figuring Out Young Voters Republicans are nearing endangered species status in California. According to a new report by the Secretary of State, the number of California voters registered as Republicans is now at 28 percent. Democrats are holding steady at 43 percent. But an increasing number of people are now registering as “decline to state.” That number seems to be driven by young Californians who increasingly don’t identify with either the Democratic or Republican parties. What’s driving the trend, and how is it playing out in this year’s presidential race?
Donald Trump: A Look at the Man behind the Message In the first months of campaigning for the GOP presidential nomination, Donald Trump has relied on sweeping generalities. That and similar promises are now familiar -- and Trump's failure to back them up with substantive detail has not eroded his base of support. But others want to know more about those deals made by "The Donald," as he's known in New York and about the depth of his Republican values. We talk with supporters and skeptics about Trump's record and his White House qualifications.
The President's Speech and the Politics of Tragedy In last night's memorial service in Tucson, President Obama began with touching stories about the dead, the wounded and the first responders, apparently learned in telephone calls during the past few days. He addressed the question of what caused the killings and woundings that shattered what he called "a quintessentially American scene."
The President, the Republicans and the Rhetoric President Obama took the high road at last night's memorial service in Tucson, asking Americans not to use "tragedy to turn on one another." At a time, he said, when political discourse is "sharply polarized," we should talk "in a way that heals, not a way that wounds." Republicans are now on a closed-door retreat, talking about the business of trashing healthcare reform under heavy pressure from Tea Party supporters. Did Obama meet the challenge a president faces in troubled times? Will politicians and pundits tone down the rhetoric?
The Politics of Fear in an Election Year 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?
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.