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....
INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE
Analysis on public sentiment, regulatory trends, persuasion, and campaigns.
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:...
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...
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...
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...
Campaigns & Elections Magazine mentions Ozean as Political Blog to Bookmark
Ozean was surprised and honored to be mentioned in Campaigns & Elections Magazine as one of their "Consulting blogs to bookmark" Ozean Media Political Consulting Blog Ozean Media itself is not exclusively a political consulting firm, but part of its focus is on...
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...
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.
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...







