Luntz Language for 2008
| Candidate | Key Words | Symbols/Visuals |
|---|---|---|
| Hillary Clinton | Mission/Finally | Bill Clinton |
| Barack Obama | Hope/Opportunity | Barack Obama |
| John Edwards | The Forgotten/Left Behind | Lower 9th Ward |
| Joe Biden | A Plan | The Plan |
| John McCain | Reform/Accountability | The Federal Budget |
| Rudy Giuliani | Results/Success | Times Square/42nd Street |
| Mitt Romney | Competence/Good Governance | Olympic Symbol |
| Newt Gingrich | Solutions/Ideas | Contract with America |
| All Candidates: | "Say what you mean and mean what you say." | Working/Doing |
| "A leader in times of crisis." | Action |
Hillary Clinton: "She needs to show more empathy for the people she wants to represent. Voters think she's too cold and calculating."
Barack Obama: "Out with the sound-bites and in with the stories. He's a natural, but if he starts sounding like a politician, he'll sink like a stone."
John Edwards: "Edwards is the best on his feet of any candidate because of his courtroom training, but it's rehearsed spontaneity. The American people are not a jury."
Joe Biden: "Showcase his intellect, not his rhetoric. Short bursts of solutions are more effective than the longer soliloquies."
John McCain: "He needs to articulate 'The McCain Doctrine' now that people think he has one. 'Reform' applies to national security, not just federal spending."
Rudy Giuliani: "Times Square and 42nd Street is just as important as 9/11. Everyone knows why he became America's Mayor. They need to be reminded that he was also America's Top Cop."
Mitt Romney: "His career outside politics should be the source of his anecdotes. Competence didn't sell in 1988, but there's a market for it in 2008."
Newt Gingrich: "Participate in every possible candidate debate and forum. The most intellectual and visionary of all the candidates, when he talks about the future, you can almost taste it."
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