Where you just don't feel political? Yeah, Bush put his foot in his mouth. Yeah, Luskin's people sent Atrios a toothless threat. Yeah, Conservatives are complaining that the Democratic candidates haven't given a detailed plan on Iraq when they ain't the ones that was supposed to have one in advance.
So what do you want from me?
I'm thinking psychological recently. I need a refresher reading of Positioning: The Battle For Your Mind.
In communication, as in archetecture, less is more. You have to sharpen your message to cut into the mind. You have to jettison the ambiguities, simplfy the message, and then simplify it some more if you want to make a long-lasting impression.
People who depend on communication for their livelihood know the necessity of oversimplification.
Let's say you are meeting with a politician whom you are trying to get elected. In the first 5 minutes, you'll learn more about your political product than the average voter is going to learn about that person in the next 5 years.
Since so little material about your candidate is ever going to get into the mind of the voter, your job is really not a "communication" project in the ordinary sense of the word.
It's a selection project.You have to select the material that has the best chance of getting through.
This will help me think about how to frame stuff for the upcoming election…for which I WILL be political, whether I feel like it or not.
