|
His book has been a life line for me to keep my sanity in the midst of a closed minded population. I discovered him on Air America Radio. Thom is the smartest person I've come across in a long time. I plan to try his techniques on some or all of my family and friends not to get them to think like me, but only to exmine both sides of an issue with an open mind. His books are as intelligent and well written as live broadcasts. Cracking the code is a must have for people like myself who live in the heart of a political red state. Because like Thom, I don't feel we all have to think alike. But we do owe it to ourselves to examine everything we are told and not blindly accept media, or pundits words as truth.
But I think American democracy is bigger than marketing pitches and crude appeals and unthinking citizens and the mindlessness of partisan politics.I see America as being in serious trouble, with global financial meltdowns, massive corruption, unresponsive Congressional officials, excessive power in the presidency, partisan gridlock, a dangerous concentration of power in the federal government, and looming issues such as nuclear terrorism, global warming, and social security underfunding. In a good story, feeling and emotion come first. He's widely read and is a sophisticated political marketer who understands subtle appeals. Hartmann is encouraging more players to play this game and I don't like it.Democrats don't know how to tell a good story like Republicans do, he argues.
and didn't own a Cadillac. In that sense, Hartmann is a hard-headed realist who doesn't wonder whether the political game is good or right or honest or fair; rather, he says: here's the game; if you want to win, here's how. But the welfare queen image had done its job.The picture that emerges is rather disturbing. The object is to become an "unconsciously competent communicator" like Ronald Reagan who fabricated stories like the supposed Chicago "welfare queen" with dozens of social security numbers, welfare checks, driving an expensive Cadillac (the Cadillac was the "anchor image" he says). Democrats have talking points; Republicans have stories. I'm a non-partisan reformer and there's an aspect of this which I find particularly disheartening because it once more exposes how democracy is dying right before my eyes.
It's a primer to teach Democratic marketers how to pull the same crap as Republicans. While reading his book, I kept trying to type-cast him but he kept defying my expectations; ready-made labels don't seem to stick to him. Hartmann would foist on us. He knows much about much. Never mind that newspaper reporters couldn't locate this woman -- the closest match was a woman with two aliases who stole $[.].
Politics has become a mean, manipulative, stupid game, and Mr. I think the only way to restore American democracy is by a Second Constitutional Convention, and I am summoning America's brightest thinkers to Independence Hall to craft a superior document, based on the current one, which will fix these problems (I've detailed these problems in other reviews and in my book). He advocates techniques to "anchor" a person or an issue with an emotion. Thom Hartmann is a talented multi-faceted player who defies easy description and has an impressive jack-of-all-trades resume to boot. America is a big dumb animal with two rival factions -- Republicans and Democrats -- each trying to figure out which emotional appeals to use to score big on election day. Americans are pretty tuned out most of the time, he writes, and are highly susceptible to crass marketing appeals like Mr. And that's the sad reality.No doubt Democratic marketing consultants will suck lessons from this book like thirsty camels after a desert crossing.
It may help them win future elections. And Mr. He offers neat pseudo-psychological terms like "maps" and "territory" and "submodality" and "anchoring" and "ecology check" and "framing" which makes it seem like you're in a fun psychology class with a grinning sun-glassed professor who has a past history of being in trouble with the law.But "Cracking the Code" is a rather cynical book for Democratic political operatives. Hartmann, while being dynamic and sharp and entertaining and perhaps a rising political marketer, is not on my list of delegates.Thomas W. He has a Machiavellian take on communication: "the meaning of a communication is the response you get". He lists "Republican" words such as strength, choose, fair, pioneer, pride and contrasts them with "Democratic" words such as traitors, shallow, devour, criminal rights. It's time to rise above the mud fight.
Sulcerauthor of "Common Sense II: How to Prevent the Three Types of Terrorism" (Amazon)
What is political communication, how has the Right mastered it, and how can other groups fight back. Thom Hartmann's background as a psychotherapist and ad executive lends to a series of techniques gained from real life and applied successfully to real-world scenarios. Plenty of case history examples document visual communication differences, discovering more powerful words and methods of imparting them, and more. Highly recommended for any library, whether business, political or general-interest.
I have not had time to read this book yet, but my husband has been thumbing through it and reading bits and pieces to me. So far, I love it, and can't wait for the chance to sit down and read it all the way through.
His Air America Radio show is an invaluable source of all things in political history and political discourse. I've read several of Mr. Hartmann's books and find him to be an incredibly knowledgable and well spoken (and written) man. Cracking The Code is a must read for anyone who wants to study the art of Right Wing political "Newspeak", learn how to decipher its real meaning and become more persuasive for progressive causes. An invaluable book for those of us who love politics and want to win the debate.
|
