A Funny Way To Show You Care

GOP pollster Frank Luntz's advice against 1998 rookie Senate candidate John Edwards - "it's almost impossible to go too far when it comes to demonizing lawyers" - wasn't successful, but Luntz remains influential. Molly Ivins writes that Luntz is now focusing on women undecided voters. Noting that many women feel pressured, he advises, "It's not about issues, it's about empathy. They have to know that you care." After Bush administration attacks on family leave, Head Start, services for domestic violence survivors, equal pay and anti-discrimination law enforcement, Ivins wonders "how Bush could convince 'the ladies' that he has helped take stress out of their lives."