Is Frank Luntz switching sides?

Posted by Joshua Holland at 11:38 AM on February 14, 2006.

There's bad blood between Frank Luntz, the Republican über-spinmeister widely credited for his communication skills, and John Boehner (R-OH), the newly-anointed House Majority Leader.

At a recent Republican retreat, Luntz was scheduled to make a presentation to legislators, but was bumped from the lineup and didn’t attend. He said it was just a matter of scheduling.

But according to the WaPo, Luntz was disinvited at the behest of Boehner. Their feud goes back to when Luntz picked what was then the right horse in the 1998 race for House GOP leadership:

According to several Republican party strategists, newly elected Majority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio) made it clear to members that if Luntz was going to the retreat, he wouldn't be in attendance. Boehner's office declined to comment on the story.

Luntz was instrumental in the creation of the "Contract With America" -- the document widely credited with delivering Republicans the House majority in 1994. Boehner's relationship (or lack thereof) with the pollster goes back -- at least -- to late 1998, when Boehner was seeking to hold onto his job as House GOP Conference chairman. […]

Luntz said at the time that Boehner made a "big mistake" by criticizing Gingrich, and he heaped praise on Rep. J.C. Watts (Okla.), who was challenging Boehner for the conference chairmanship. Watts beat Boehner -- throwing the Ohioan unceremoniously out of leadership.

Joshua Holland is a staff writer at Alternet and a regular contributor to The Gadflyer.