"Maestro of Messaging"

Frank Luntz, the renowned so-called "wordsmith," is very good at what he does. When Frontline made a documentary on advertising called, The Persuaders, they talked to Luntz and asked him about what he does. He pretty much asks a candidate, or a senator trying to pass legislation, or an advertiser, what they want to put in their campaign. Then he thinks of words that the public would find attractive for a campaign or advertisement. Finally, he has a focus group discuss the words and the best word becomes the new name of the campaign or ad. Whether doing this makes the idea clearer or more vague is dependent on what words he is using. However, it does a very good job of manipulating the human mind. Calling the estate tax a death tax makes it sound evil in the public eye. Taxing someone for dying? How cruel! If you can't get permission to drill for oil, make it sound nice by calling it energy exploration. Even global warming can be tamed by giving it the name, climate change. His website uses the slogan, "It's not what you say, it's what they hear." It paints Luntz as the "Maestro of Messaging," a "Communication Strategist," and uses a quote from President Barack Obama himself saying that, "When Frank Luntz invites you to talk to his focus group,  you talk to his focus group." Is Luntz a genius or just a user of weasel words? In my opinion, his "wordsmithing" masks the real meaning of the advertisement or term. If someone intended the name of the estate tax to be called the death tax, they would have named it that to start. Luntz manipulates the public opinion on issues, and that can be dangerous.