BOOK REVIEW
Throughout this 23-chapter, 203 page read, Shepard touts the Message Doctrine and points out the rational voter is a myth. His example of irrational voter behavior is when voters elect a liberal followed by a conservative in the same district, which appears to make no sense. Shepard blames the voter’s interpretation of reality. The laziness of GOP political candidates and operatives to not ‘develop a message,’ has led to campaigns based on sensationalism, exaggeration, and drama.
Jay writes, “Republicans win when they operate at a higher strategic level- one grounded in behavioral reality rather than national assumptions. It does not call for manipulation. It calls for literacy.”
This read is insightful and practical. It challenges the traditional cookie-cutter campaign strategy by what Shepard describes as the Consultant Industrial Complex (Chapter 13), which ‘thrives in confusion and struggles in clarity.’
There is a chapter on dealing with the press that will prove to be invaluable to a candidate and their campaign team. Another chapter on crisis, scandal and recovery is a must read.
It's refreshing when a political insider like Jay Shepard has the courage to say the emperor has no clothes. Shepard served on the Republican National Committee for several years and is a highly respected political operative in his home state of Vermont.
The final chapter of the book sums up Shepard’s Message Doctrine. “Politics is not a contest of information. It is a contest of interpretation. Voters who decide elections are not spreadsheet waiting to be filled with date; they are human beings navigating uncertainty, loyalty, fear, hope and belonging,” Shepard writes. Every political candidate, operative, consultant, and activist should read this book! It rightly challenges conventional ideas on campaign messaging.
Here is a link on where to buy the book:
https://ift.tt/DdWBewi
GOP leaders need to embrace MESSAGE DOCTRINE!Click the headline to read this full article, GOP leaders need to embrace MESSAGE DOCTRINE!, at FAIR AND BIASED
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