Frank Luntz, as you probably know, has always viewed Donald Trump with disdain. He was baffled when his focus groups started suggesting Trump could win and, right up until Election Night, he kept hammering away at the President-to-be. His recalcitrance culminated in the following, now-infamous, tweet:
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Obviously, Luntz was forced to retract that, but the anger remained. For the last year, he's taken every imaginable shot at the President. Suddenly, though, something's changed. Like the Grinch, Luntz's heart grew three sizes during last night's State of the Union address. ...And it had nothing to do with his blood pressure.
Last night, Frank Luntz actually listened to what Trump was saying - and apologized...
Tonight, I owe Donald Trump an apology. Tonight, I was moved and inspired. Tonight, I have hope and faith in America again.
It may go away tomorrow…
But tonight, America is great again. #SOTU
Even in foreign policy and national security, this speech a perfect blend of strength and empathy. These heroic stories break our hearts, but sturdy our resolve.
This is the Trump his voters wanted him to be. #SOTU
This speech represents the presidential performance that Trump observers have been waiting for – brilliant mix of numbers and stories, humility and aggressiveness, traditional conservatism and political populism.
Today, Luntz appeared on the Morning Joe show. There, he outlined many of Trump's successes, re-iterated his positive view of Trump's SOTU performance, and ripped the media's refusal to acknowledge the President's successes.
You know what that means. He's gone off the reservation. Luntz needs to be re-educated. He must be savaged by the usual suspects who gather around the increasingly unhinged Morning Joe table.
First of all, if Trump was really "The Great Dictator" that Mika believes him to be, she wouldn't be allowed to say so on a national broadcast.
More importantly, Luntz's entire job is sticking his finger up into the air and detecting trends in public opinion. His own opinions are often wrong, as they were when he proudly declared that Hillary would win the 2016 election, but I'd argue he's noticed that things aren't going the media-narrative's way. Luntz is in a position where you can be wrong occasionally, but always being wrong will end your career. So, whether he's honestly had a "Trump awakening" or he's just trying to stay relevant doesn't really matter.
What matters is that Frank Luntz can see what folks like Joe and Mika are too angry to admit: Slowly but surely, Trump is winning people over. The current Democrat line that "all this good news is because of Obama" is a failing strategy.
Congratulations to Frank Luntz. It takes a big man to admit he's been wrong. We'll see if his apology lasts.
PS: Joe's claim that "we don't listen to Twitter" is a hilarious lie. Joe is obssessed with Twitter. If he doesn't listen to Twitter, why has he blocked yours truly?