Progressive Rock peaked in the late 1970s when incredibly talented, mostly British musicians took Rock ‘n Roll into places of extravagant virtuosity and innovation. Abandoning traditional pop formats, bands like Pink Floyd, Yes, King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Rush experimented with classical and jazz influences, elevated keyboards and studio technology, […]
Continue ReadingA number of focus groups with voters have led to a blunt words on what Democratic candidates need to do going into every election. Pollster Brian Stryker says the Democrats have a national branding problem that’s deeper than a lot of strategists suspect. What’s the problem? Voters think democrats are focused on social issues rather […]
Continue ReadingIn an election campaign, most of the money is spent on buying media. Vast sums are channeled into expensive TV spots, print ads, and pay-per-click, along with printing and distributing direct mail, brochures, lawn signs, stickers, buttons—and on and on. But if the message doesn’t resonate, all those printing and media dollars are flushed down […]
Continue Reading“The Democratic Party doesn’t stand for anything clear. The Republican party in today’s world stands for tax cuts, stands for anti-immigration, and stands for building a wall. It’s really that simple for them. The Democrats need to stand for something clear, simple, and easy. It needs to fit on a Post-It Note.” —Robert, The Wilderness […]
Continue ReadingRepublicans gain and hold power in order to extract wealth from people and the planet, then deliver it to the 1%. Is that an extreme assessment? Look at every policy, strategy, and tactic the Republican Party puts forth. Now, I realize most Republican voters don’t see the world in this way. But Mitch McConnell does. […]
Continue ReadingThere’s abundant evidence Democratic communication strategies are too reliant on the press and old-school media. We need to be in the digital spaces where voters actually live. This means creating pipelines of content targeted specifically to demographics (young voters, old voters, women voters, Black, Latino, and Asian voters) and issues (jobs and the economy, access […]
Continue ReadingWhy do Republicans seem to own the concepts of “freedom” and “patriotism”? Because Republicans are better at branding—themselves, their policies, and Democrats. An example: Tax and Spend Democrats vs. Fiscally Responsible Republicans I was recently talking with a friend about his conservative parents who voted for Donald Trump in 2016, and did so again in […]
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