Recognizing Propaganda in Politics
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, propaganda is “the systematic dissemination of information, esp. in a biased or misleading way, in order to promote a political cause or point of view.” It works best whenever people don't notice it.
Propaganda has a negative connotation. People usually associate the word with authoritarian regimes and their efforts to control the State by suppressing the truth. (George Orwell's dystopian novel, 1984, is a well-known depiction of this connotation in literature.)
But propaganda is everywhere in politics and Congress. Elected officials use it routinely to persuade voters to support their proposals (and their candidacies). To the extent that people acknowledge propaganda’s prevalence, they see it only in their opponents’ talking points. In contrast, people interpret their talking points as “informational” or “educational.”
While they may differ on whose talking points are propaganda, both Democrats and Republicans, generally speaking, rely on the same seven devices to make their talking points more appealing to voters (and to win legislative debates).
These devices were cataloged in a 1938 article in the Bulletin of the American Association of University Professors, “How to Detect Propaganda.” They are,
The Name-Calling Device
The Glittering Generalities Device
The Transfer Device
The Testimonial Device
The Plain Folks Device
The Card Stacking Device
The Band Wagon Device
Each of these devices works by appealing to voters’ emotions instead of their reason. In doing so, legislators hope to create false dichotomies that make it more likely that voters will support their position instead of their opponents’ position.
The Name-Calling Device
Legislators use the “Name Calling” device to persuade their audience to decide between which side to support in a debate without considering the evidence. Legislators convince voters to reject their opponents' positions by giving them a bad name. For example, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, uses the “Name Calling” device when he depicts the agenda of House Democrats as “full-bore socialism.”
The Glittering Generalities Device
Legislators often employ the “Glittering Generalities” device in tandem with the "Name Calling" device. Both devices encourage voters to make decisions without examining the evidence on which legislators base their talking points. The distinction is that legislators use the “Name Calling” device to persuade voters to oppose their opponents’ positions. In contrast, they use the "Glittering Generalities" device to convince voters to support their position. It works by associating a legislator's view with popular ideas. For example, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., justified Democrats’ decision to delay impeachment proceedings as necessary to ensure a "fair trial" in the Senate while accusing Republicans of a "cover-up" if they move to dismiss the articles of impeachment. Fair trials are excellent, and cover-ups are bad.
The Transfer Device
Legislators use this device to enlist the “authority, sanction, and prestige” of something (or someone) voters approve and transfer it to their position. The “Transfer” device uses symbols to tap into voters’ emotions. For example, presidents frequently acknowledge first responders and members of the military that they invited to attend the State of the Union address to the nation, prompting Democrats and Republicans alike to react positively.
The Testimonial Device
Legislators use this device to persuade voters to support (or oppose) a position based on the positive (or negative) testimony of a third party. Presidential campaign endorsements are an example of this device in action.
The Plain Folks Device
Legislators employ the “Plain Folks” device whenever they want to portray themselves as a common man. By creating the impression of familiarity, legislators make it more likely that voters will trust them. The “Plain Folks” device is premised on the assumption that voters are more likely to support candidates who they consider to be one of them.
The Card Stacking Device
The “Card Stacking” device is overtly deceptive. It refers to stacking the cards against the truth. The device works by presenting voters with an argument that is based on a distortion and/or omission of the relevant facts. Legislators may also use it to distract voters (and their colleagues), shifting attention to a more favorable issue. Efforts to portray unfavorable media reports as “fake news” and efforts to place the media beyond reproach are examples of this device.
The Band Wagon Device
The “Band Wagon” device is a fixture on Capitol Hill. House and Senate leaders use it to persuade rank-and-file legislators to support the party position when all other attempts to convince holdouts have failed. It works by utilizing humans’ natural tendency to go along when isolated. It is evident in calls for legislators to be team players.