What Was That?
Did you say magic in politics? What the hell are you talking about? It may not be the magic that you're used to ... but many of the same subtle inclusions of careful linquistic constructs ... along with some strategically placed misdirection are used to craft what might be called 'The Message'. Of course, their intended objective is to put the thinkgs in place so that you create your very own special version of reality in your mind. The only issue is that this 'special reality' isn't really yours ... it's theirs. If you don't think this occurs every day it's a testament to how powerful it all is and how much you are being influenced without even being consciously aware. If you make it all the way to the end of this piece ... and I totally understand if you don't ... these techniques and their effects ideally won't be quite as transparent as they are now.

I'm a longtime observer of how people 'end up where they do' when it comes to points of view on an issue ... or a story of the day ... or whatever. It turns out that politics ... or political discourse is this realm where you find a lot of people w/ passion in their belief and are likely willing to express it (which is rare). These brave participants are also likely to be the ones with positions that are often at the edges of the landscape ... which makes things just slightly more interesting and maybe a bit more contentious.

So I think of politcs as a 'forum' where all those willing to express and defend their positions go to do so ... and maybe even influence or persuade another. Persuade enough people and you could find yourself defining an issue ... or maybe even running for office. This 'forum' can take on many forms ... from the office water cooler ... a causual discussion amongst friends ... an online message board ... a dinner party with friends ... or the op ed page of your local newspaper. It's really not a place per se ... it's more like a state of mind ... a willingness to express ... and it usually isn't about openness to new ideas ... but rather the defense of those that you already have. Isn't the human mind a wonderful thing ... so powerful and adaptable ... yet so stubborn and tied to the tried and true that it thinks it already 'knows'?

Everything Is Under Our Control ... All Of The Time
After consuming a couple of decades worth of the output from the generic 'political machine' that we have here in the United States it's clear that pretty much every image, word, appearance, or perception relating to a candidate is controlled ... i like to call it 'engineered' ... meaning only that there was a lot of thought and effort put into the way it looks ... how it sounds ... and how it ultimately makes you feel.

Now it's not all controlled .... and that's mostly because those that attempt to control just can't contain it all. However, in most cases it's manipulated and 'engineered' enough to have the intended effect on your average 'too busy to really focus on politics' member of the electorate.

Of course ... if you're not really paying that much attention to my magic ... oh I'm sorry, I meant 'my message' ... and whatever sly elements lay beneath it all ... I can likely get away with quite a lot ... right under your nose.

So Where's The Magic?
So the magic they use is not the same that we use ... but they're utilizing many of the same fundamentals of persuasion, influence, human psychology, and misdirection to leave you with some perception ... a perception that they intended and expected to be produced by what they've said and done.

It's all about what I choose to let you see or hear ... and what I choose to bring to the background a bit ... subtley taking your attention away from those elements ... working always to reinforce that which I want you to think ... feel the way I want you to feel ... and behave the way I need you to ... so that MY outcome actually comes to pass.

Now did that sound like the description of a presentation of a magical effect ... or was it the generic summary of what any given political type is doing to sway you and your point of view in their direction? I was speaking about both ... it's only a case of where I'm taking you. My illusion is meant to entertain and hopefully create a moment of wonder ... their message is all about your tacit support ... and ultimately the flipping of the right lever ... or the punching of the right chad.

Magic In Media
These techniques are in fact used everyday in the presentation of the news ... both in written word and television. A story is told in some form ... it will have a title or headline which is the first ... and very powerful opportunity to influence. This is then followed by the opening statement which can also be used as a powerful mechanism of influence. In visual mediums (ie. Television) these opening elements could also include strategically selective imagery that supports the objective of the story being told ... and provides a powerful tool for directing your thoughts and emotions. It's then what they choose to include ... and the words they use to describe it ... as well as what they've chosen to leave out. And as the icing on the proverbial cake ... they will almost always interject a carefully veiled 'opinion' stealthely mixed in with all the strategically selected 'facts' that they just presented. Look for this 'opinion' (aka: spin) right at the end of the piece.

This will all leave you (the reader/viewer) with some point of view ... and you can bet that it will align nicely w/ that of the writer (or engineer) of the story (message). It's possible that the resultant perspective or point of view of the writer was not so intentional but rather just a consequence of the writer's own perspective and experience (even though he intended it to be fair and balanced). These casual results are rare though ... the message is almost always 'crafted' ... and an agenda of some sort is almost always defining the process.

Linguistic Magic (aka: Sleight of Mouth)
Another example of how some of the principles used in magic can also be seen in action in politics is with respect to these 'engineered' phrases that are common today in the political lingua franca. They include Family Values, Cut & Run, Read My Lips ... No New Taxes, The Evil Empire, The Axis of Evil, No Child Left Behind, Compassionate Conservatism, Culture of Corruption, Fight them There So we don't have to fight them here, .....

These carefully constructed linguistic structures are intended as triggers that evoke some type of feeling, emotion, opinion, or point of view. They're like 'buttons' that have been subtley wired to trigger an emotional response within you ... waiting to be pressed. They don't usually just appear on their own ... they are introduced by others whose desire it is to promote this issue ... their issue ... thereby leading you as to WHAT you should be thinking about ... and HOW you should think about it.

A way to see this in your own context is to think about what are the most important issues to you. Some example issues might include taxes, property rights, government rights to your personal information, immigration, social security, or anti-terrorism efforts. Once you have an issue in mind it's now time to think about how that issue ... that's so important to you ... got on your radar in the first place.

So let me give you some examples that I think clearly represent this idea of Linguistic Magic. Let's start w/ Family Values ... are you for Family Values? Whose not for Family Values? And what exactly are Family Values anyhow? Was this issue on your radar at all before some political type came up w/ the 'engineered phrase' to subtlely effect the way you think about it ... like the same way he/she sees it ... or for that matter ... that you'd have even thought about this at all ... if they didn't bring it up? If it didn't evoke a strong emotional response upon the utterance of this phrase ... it likely wasn't meant for you. It was meant for the Authoritarian Follower personality type who need a strong sense of partiarcical control (and the phrase Family Values will evoke that sense). This example ... besides being one of the best to exemplify the use of linguistics to evoke emotional response ... is also a great example of misdirection in political discourse. By constantly focusing the discussion on a given issue ... their issue ... they keep your 'finite' capacity for all that is political staring straight at what they would like you to focus on.

Did that one do it for you? No? Ok, not a problem. I got another one ... Immigration ... oh no ... 'Illegal' Immigration ... yea yea ... that's it ... Illegal Immigration! Do you feel the same way about just 'immigration' as you do about 'illegal immigration'? How about if I wrap it all up w/ a nice special effects intro ... a catchy title ... and just the right musical accompanyment to set the tone. Seriously ... does it evoke the same response deep within you when you hear the phrase w/ Illegal in it? What are your thoughts on illegal water consumption? Or how about Illegal Dumping? It's no so bad if your just engaging in the regular kind of dumping ... but you should absolutely 'Just Say No' to Illegal Dumping!

Where do you suppose this whole issue sourced from? Do you live in El Paso, TX and have issues with 'our neighbors to the south' coming over the local border crossing? (ie. El Paso's right over the border from Suarez, Mexico). Could it be that you were well on your way to a booming career in migrant farming before your future was stolen right out from under you? Or maybe you were a horticutural biologist w/ a specialty in grass cutting before some immigrant stole your dream? Who put Immigration on your radar ... on the list of important things that you should care about ... and your elected rep should be talking about? (Ans: They Did !)

Here ... Turn This Dial ... It Will Tell Me How You Feel
So how do they come up w/ these specially constructed linguistic phrases? There's a relatively simple technology that has been used in the advertising and marketing circles for years that has been recently applied to the politcal realm and specifically to the analysis of individual viewer's reactions to words, phrases, appearance, body language, color of the tie ... or any other visual or audible cues noticed while watching a speech or a political debate. These are often referred to as marketing focus groups. The one's I'm referring to here are more accurately described as IR Focus Groups (IR is for Instant Response). Note that in the picture to the left the woman has a device in her hand which has a rotary dial w/ roughtly 300 degrees of rotation and an LED display showing 0 to 100 or maybe a range -100 (unfavorable) to +100 (very favorable).

This feedback that you're providing in 'real time' (as you view and listen to the speaker, video, or commercial) is a complex mix of both your conscious awareness of what you're viewing ... and your subconscious silently swaying which way you decide to turn that dial ... based on how you 'feel'.

One of the biggest names in this field is a guy by the name of Frank Luntz ... who is a political consultant who typically works for the Republican party and indirectly for it's candidates to evaluate the best words and phrases to use when trying to convey your idea. What's meant by 'best' is that which will give ME the greatest impact and movement toward MY intended result ... which is to get you to believe me ... to see it my way ... to have others perceive something as I perceive it.

In the last 10 or 15 years the Republicans have mastered this technique of assessing what's effective and what's not ... shaping the message appropriately for whom they think is THEIR demographic ... and then carefully crafting the linguistics to have the most effect in 'pushing their likely follower's buttons'. The Democrats are late in the game ... but they know how it works ... and now they're doing it too.

This is not good for you or me ... you're being manipulated ... so it's important for you to be aware of their methods and ultimately be looking for the real meaning. I already know what they're doing ... how they're doing it ... and why ... and I have the antidote ... and now so do you!

We Dont Pay Attention To Polls
Can you believe that ... paying no attention? The latest poll is sitting right there ... right in front of you ... it tells you exactly what they're all thinking ... exactly!

This would be akin to you walking up on stage ... have no awareness of the types of people you're 'presenting to' ... and don't use any of the many forms of subtle or explicit feedback provided to align yourself appropriately with whom you're trying to effectively communicate with.

They don't pay attention to polls ... but they have groups of people turning dials at sub second intervals in an effort to understand the most granular elements of communication that will have effect on you ... and those that don't. And what do you suppose is the purpose for wanting to have this granular understanding? Why ... could it be influence & persuasion?

Wouldn't it be nice to know that detail the next time you stand toe to toe w/ your next magical recipient?

So ... Do You See The Magic In Politics Now?
No?

Well ... 'they' were hoping you would say that!