Republican Pollster Fails to Explain What the Party Stands for: “There Is No Consistent Philosophy”

A longtime Republican pollster struggled to explain what the party stands for under Donald Trump in a recent interview. Frank Luntz seemed blunt in his failure to point to a coherent platform.

Luntz was approached by Politico‘s Tim Alberta as he tried to answer a question about what the GOP stands for in his recent piece. He’s a well-regarded “guru” for the party’s politicians.

His answer may point to the ongoing difficulties Republicans are facing.

“You know I don’t have a history of dodging questions. But I don’t know how to answer that. There is no consistent philosophy,” Luntz told Alberta.

“You can’t say it’s about making America great again at a time of Covid and economic distress and social unrest. It’s just not credible,” he said.

The Politico piece goes on: “Luntz thought for a moment. ‘I think it’s about promoting—’ he stopped suddenly. ‘But I can’t, I don’t—’ he took a pause. ‘That’s the best I can do.'”

“Look, I’m the one guy who’s going to give you a straight answer. I don’t give a shit—I had a stroke in January, so there’s nothing anyone can do to me to make my life suck,” Luntz told Alberta.

“I’ve tried to give you an answer and I can’t do it. You can ask it any different way. But I don’t know the answer. For the first time in my life, I don’t know the answer.“

The Republican Party this week decided to forego adopting a platform at its convention, instead simply stating that it supported President Donald Trump’s reelection.

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Darragh Roche

Darragh Roche is a journalist covering U.S. politics and media