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September 2008

Who is Sarah Palin? A Memo from Alaska

September 4, 2008

I watched Sarah Palin’s acceptance speech last night at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. I decided to find out what I could about her, as I know that the conventions are essentially political ads whose primary purpose is, more often than not, to plant a narrative/story in the mind of the public in order to inoculate voters against facts and accusations as the campaign unfolds.

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How Persuasive Are Political Ads?

September 3, 2008

My work on persuasion has two goals. To help good people to bring about positive change using the skills and strategies of persuasion; and to help good people protect themselves from these same skills. You can learn a lot from the persuasion professionals who design political ads. In my previous post on political ads, I talked about the formula they use, and how it begins with location. But wait, there’s more! That’s what this post is about.

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If you care about the future, get registered and vote!

September 1, 2008