INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE

Analysis on public sentiment, regulatory trends, persuasion, and campaigns.

2013 Top Reading List for Political Consultants

2013 Top Reading List for Political Consultants

During each odd number year, I set a goal to get better at my political science craft.  Part of that goal is reading.  Odd number year = take advantage of some down time = goal of 50 books related to political consulting.  In 2013, I exceeded the goal by 5....

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Writing Clearly:  The CIA’s Strunk & White

Writing Clearly: The CIA’s Strunk & White

  Analytical Thinking & Presentation for Intelligence Producers Over the Thanksgiving weekend, during a Tofurkey induced political-nerd Internet session, I came across a copy of the CIA's Training Manual & Handbook written for their analysts entitled:...

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Alex Patton Political Science Guest Lecturer of the Year

Alex Patton Political Science Guest Lecturer of the Year

It was my absolute pleasure to be a guest lecturer at the University of Florida's graduate political science program. I was extremely impressed with the engagement and intellect of the students. My only concern is 90% of the students in the graduate program self...

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Opinions and Probability

Opinions and Probability

I have become that guy.  You know THAT guy that likes to discuss politics on Facebook.  I'm sorry, I just can't help myself.  I'm curious and I want to try and figure put how people think. What I am finding is that people are fighting and not arguing, in the classical...

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Does Policy really matter in political campaigns?

Does Policy really matter in political campaigns?

Just finished a pretty dense read by Gabriel Lenz,   Follow the Leader: How Voters Respond to Politicians' Policies and Performance, and yes, it does include math. However, it is a very interesting read and I strongly suggest you take a gander. The main question I...

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Political thinking:  What if they are right?

Political thinking: What if they are right?

I must admit, I think I may be maturing or mellowing in my age. The past year/18 months has been a period of intense study in an attempt to answer the question "How do people REALLY make decisions, especially political decisions?" This has lead to a more intense...

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Political Strategy Master Lesson in 6 minutes

Political Strategy Master Lesson in 6 minutes

British game show contestant shows you everything you need to know about political strategy in 6 minutes. Takes EDIT: a variation of the classic prisoner's dilemma and "solves" it by thinking forward and reasoning backwards.

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Judgement versus Choice

Judgement versus Choice

Ever read a line and it hits you as a WOW! moment?  You know a paragraph that when you read it clarifies something so well that it is embarrassing that you haven't connected the dots on your own? I had one of those moments this past week when reading How Voters...

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