I've compiled a brief outline of the tactics discussed in the document on Rovian strategies I linked to in my blog post earlier today. I don't think this covers the whole playbook (where is the Politics of Fear, for instance), but it's still a handy overview, particularly of the rhetorical techniques employed in this vein. Enough introduction, here's the outline:
1. Take the offensive2. Attack your opponent's strengths3. Accuse your opponent of what he/she is going to accuse you of4. Go negative, then cry foul5. The "big lie"6. Appeal to moral values7. Sell the Bush persona a. Bush, the man of the people b. Bush the macho man c. Never apologize d. Stay the course e. Bush the dimwit8. Sell an adolescent worldview a. An uncomplicated world b. A world of immediate gratification c. A self-absorbed world9. Exploit the media a. Exploit its capabilities b. Denounce the media c. Control the mainstream media through intimidation d. Impose limits on "unscripted encounters" with the media e. Cultivate a network of influential media commentators and media outlets10. Create straw issues11. Employ surrogates12. Use emotional appeals13. Rely on expert testimonials14. Rhetorical devices a. Misrepesenting a person's position and presenting it in a form that people will reject b. Take your opponent's words out of context c. Three-card Monte (make a false statement, admit its falsehood, repeat false statement) d. Shift the burden of proof e. Shift the argument f. Personal testimonials g. Ignore/downplay the evidence h. Substitute fact for truth i. Evasive rhetoric j. Jokes k. Truistic ("truthy") answers l. Diversion m. Vague generalities n. Ignore the main point15. Use of language a. Newspeak b. Connotative words with meanings beyond the dictionary definitions c. Labels that define the opposition or a particular position in a negative way d. Euphemisms that minimize reaction to something negative e. Obfuscation that confuses or disguises meaning f. Code words
Here's the link again to the original document:
http://www.webster.edu/medialiteracy/journal/FINALKARLROVE.pdf
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