I don't have a subscription to the Economist, so I can't read the whole piece. But Taegan at Political Wire has an
intriguing snippet:
Over the past few weeks, a new expression has entered the Westminster lexicon: dog-whistle politics. It means putting out a message that, like a high-pitched dog-whistle, is only fully audible to those at whom it is directly aimed. The intention is to make potential supporters sit up and take notice while avoiding offending those to whom the message will not appeal.
We saw the Republicans employ that in 2004 to some degree. For example, Bush's puzzling debate diss of the Dred Scott decision left the vast majority of people scratching their heads, but the anti-abortion movement knew exactly what he was saying. It's Religious Right code for attacking Roe v. Wade.
I'll be in London the last week of the campaign courtesy of the Guardian UK, and this is one angle I definitely plan on pursuing.