Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
Over my vacation, I read “Game Change,” which tells the story of the 2008 US presidential election. Not only was it a compelling page-turner (it really was an incredible narrative), the book is also instructive in how important private strength is to public success. Of the main characters in the drama–Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and … Continue reading Self Awareness & The 2008 Election
I read a great line this morning: “College educated Americans have concluded that their bank accounts are safe with the Democrats, but that their values are under assault by the Republicans.” It seems to me that this gets to the heart of things. The Reagan coalition depended on supplementing free-market capitalists with Reagan Democrats who … Continue reading Whither Realignment? (Why Palinism Won’t Work)
I just finished reading Newsweek’s behind-the-scenes look at the presidential campaign. Wow. It is an astonishingly rich and detailed piece of reporting, filled with surprising stories and facts, and carrying the ring of truth. While anyone who was ever been in the papers knows that journalists will never get the story exactly right, it seems … Continue reading Best. Campaign. Rundown. Ever.
As a campaign junkie, it’s going to be hard to come down from the high of watching this riveting election cycle unfold (even though the actual election lacked much drama beyond wondering if the Democrats would make it to 60 Senate seats). I’ve already written at length about the major issues, so I’ll just draw … Continue reading Election Roundup: Why Obama Won, Naked Palin, etc.
Seth Godin hits it on the head:“Attack ads don’t always work. There’s a reason most product marketers don’t use attack ads. All they do is suppress sales of your opponent, they don’t help you. Since TV ads began, voter turnout has progressively decreased. That’s because the goal of attack ads is to keep your opponent’s … Continue reading Cult Psychology: Why McCain’s Attack Ads Didn’t Work
With the election of Barack Obama just a day away, I wanted to take a few moments to consider what an Obama presidency means for this country. It’s not going to result in socialism and riots, per his opponents, or in a new Golden Age, per his adherents. But it will represent a major break … Continue reading Predicting the Obama Presidency
The pundits are already busy burying the corpse of the McCain campaign, and rightly so. As I noted *before* the market crashed, for all intents and purposes Barack Obama had this election in the bag several weeks ago. Yet as they heap dirt on McCain’s political grave, I can’t help but feel that the punditocracy … Continue reading It’s The Voters, Stupid: Why John McCain Lost
At this point, it’s pretty apparent to all that Obama’s campaign, led by “the Ax,” has outflanked the McCain campaign at every turn. It’s telling that Karl Rove refuses to acknowledge “the Bullet” as a protege…I wouldn’t either given his pathetic showing. This is no evaluation of policy or character, simply an assessment of campaign … Continue reading Obama Plays Cat-and-Mouse With McCain
Times are grim for Senator John McCain. The polls look ugly, and many pundits (including me) have already declared victory for Obama (though I did it a week before everyone else). And to make matters worse, it looks like whichever Illuminati control the media have decided that today is “Beat Up McCain Day” (or, as … Continue reading McCain in Pain: Media Piles On Embattled Candidate
It’s late, so only a few quick observations. 1) Obama won this debate. As in the previous debate, he got the best single shot in (Last time, it was “You were wrong.” This time, it was “Next up, Baghdad.” The old adage is all too true–live by the sword, die by the sword. McCain’s sword … Continue reading Debate #2: Obama Wins On Style Points