Psychological Warfare for Conservatives

Nearly every day there are articles written and posted trying to get Republicans and conservatives to wake up to the reality all around them. There is a political information war being fought — it’s been going on all along, all around us. Here is William A. Levinson writing at American Thinker:

How do grossly unqualified individuals like Barack Obama become President of the United States? Why is the Second Amendment under continual attack? The root cause is, in both cases, conservatives’ failure to understand psychological warfare and failure to understand the concept of the Propaganda Man.

Colonel Paul M. A. Linebarger’s classic, Psychological Warfare, defined the Propaganda Man as the “lowest-common-denominator of a man who can be reached by enemy propaganda and by yours.” Linebarger then adds the need to understand the Propaganda Man’s mentality, fears, and aspirations.

Make up the prewar life of the Propaganda Man. …What kinds of things did he like? What prejudices was he apt to have? What kind of gossip did he receive and pass along? What kind of words disgusted him? What kind of patriotic appeal made him do things? What did he think of your country before the war?

The Republican Party and the National Rifle Association both seem to omit this basic and vital first step of successful public relations. Consider for example the numerous responses to my American Thinker article, “The Felon in the White House.”

The article’s Propaganda Man is the swing voter, the independent voter who holds the balance of power in almost every national election. We won’t convince the Obama Democrats and we don’t need to convince the solid Republicans, but if we can persuade the independent voters, we win. The independent voter is proud of thinking for himself or herself, and generally takes the time to gather the facts.

Read more: American Thinker