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In it we learn that honest emotions mean more to the audience than facts, figures or counter points. A better title would have been "How to Win Elections." This is the one book every candidate must read if they want to stand a chance of winning their election. It's a straight to the gut detailed analysis of winning strategies.
I FOUND MY PURCHASE TO BE A PLEASENT EXPERIENCE WITH THE SENDER AND THE BOOK WAS IN A+#1 CONDITION.
Westen's explanation is that it has been too concerned with offending the far right, and not strong enough to bring out the far left.Westen goes on to say that what led voters to demand a change in Iraq in 2006 was not that they had newer information, but rather new emotions. Westen sees his book as of particular interest to Democrats trying to figure out why their party has lost so many elections. Yet, my recollection is that those new emotions came from new information. Westen tells us that when reason and emotion collide in politics, emotion invariably wins. People vote first according to their feelings towards the parties and their principles, secondly based on their feelings towards the candidates, and lastly via their feelings towards the candidates' policy positions.
I thought "Journey" is more like positive thinking and action. I just read the introduction. I think use Journey instead of Hope.Hope is something feel sad.
But it's fair to say that Barack Obama won largely because he, and the people who ran his campaign, had a pretty good grasp of the principles of political psychology discussed in this book. The ideas that Drew Westen presents in this book are very similar to those of cognitive linguist George Lakoff (though I like Westen's approach better than Lakoff's).
The 2008 election may be the herald of a Democratic revival; but only if Democrats heed what Westen has to say in this book, and don't lapse back into their old, counterproductive habits. A number of Democrats, including Obama, are listening to what Westen has to say; and are putting his advice to good use.
This isn't a book about Barack Obama. This is a book about why Democrats have had such a hard time winning elections in recent decades, and what they're going to have to do if they want to start winning again.
If you're interested in political psychology, political communication, or political strategy, I highly recommend this book. It was originally published more than a year before the 2008 election; and Obama is only mentioned a few times in passing (except in the postscript to the paperback edition, which does discuss his campaign).
Written by a clinical psychologist, this book explains how people make political decisions -- such as who to vote for -- and how politicians can influence those decisions.
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