Preview
MAN: Politics is a wonderful, noble profession if done right.
MAN: It’s exhilarating. It can be exasperating. But it’s important being about something larger than yourselves.
Unbelievably good news.
MAN: For president of the United States, George W. Bush of Texas.
MAN: Barack Obama is projected to be the next president of the United States of America.
DAVID AXELROD: Very few people can think back to the exact moment when something happened that would inspire their entire career, their entire life. And mine happened when I was five years old. October 27th, 1960. John F. Kennedy was campaigning for president in New York City that day. He made 10 stops. And one of them was in the little housing development where I lived, Stuyvesant Town.
And this very charismatic, young, dynamic guy jumped up on this makeshift platform and started speaking. And his voice was booming off the buildings. And people just paid rapt attention to him. And even though I couldn’t intuit exactly what was happening, or understand exactly what was happening, he just seemed very important and very vital to me. And honestly, I was, from that moment, hooked.
– I’d always been interested in politics. As long as I can remember, I’ve had a love of history and government. The fifth grade, when we all had our first civics class, and we all had to write a paper, and we wrote it about, you know, the three branches of government or the Declaration of Independence, I wrote mine on the theory of dialectical materialism. This guy Marx sounded to me like a really bad actor. So I’ve always been interested in politics in my life at that point, but that sort of made it– I wanted to be part of that.
– One of the things that I think ails our politics is that we tend to demonize people on the other side because we don’t know them.
– I didn’t know David Axelrod. I knew of him. I had seen him in campaigns, from a distance.
– I had heard from friends in politics, because I have friends on both sides, how smart he was, and that he was a good guy, but I didn’t really know him. And then I read his autobiography, and I found some– a point in common with him, a painful point in common with him.
And I– I emailed Karl. And I said, you know–
– I’ve read your memoir, and I thought you’d be interested in this. And attached was a article and a eulogy, a testament that he made about his father. My mother committed suicide. David’s father committed suicide. And it was a beautiful tribute to his father, who was a health care professional, mental health care professional, but somehow or another couldn’t find it– couldn’t find it within him to ask for help for himself.
– And I said, you know, we should talk about this, because if you and I teamed up and talked about suicide prevention, suicide awareness, it’d probably get some attention. And we talked about our lives, his life in politics and his life outside of politics.
– We just sort of clicked. …
What it takes to win elections
David Axelrod and Karl Rove reach across the aisle to offer an inside look at winning campaign strategies. The respective architects of Barack Obama’s and George W. Bush’s historic election victories teach how to develop a campaign platform and reach an audience with consistent messaging. Find the inspiration and tools to get involved at any level, or simply become a more informed, engaged citizen.
LESSON PLAN
01. Introduction
Meet your new instructors David Axelrod and Karl Rove. In your first lesson, they share how they each found politics, how their unlikely friendship began, and why they are passionate about democracy.
02. Starting a Campaign
Karl and David lay out what a campaign team needs to consider at the start of a race. Learn why you need to take stock of the electorate–and your candidate–to develop a theory of why you can win.
03. Assessing Your Candidate
Knowing your candidate inside and out is essential to a winning campaign. Both instructors illustrate why you must uncover every strength and weakness: to identify lines of attack and develop your message.
04. Researching Your Opponent
Karl delves into the whys and hows of conducting opposition research, and addresses the ethical concerns of this practice.
05. Working on a Campaign
Both instructors teach you how to decide which candidate to work for, the different roles on a campaign team, and the role of key decision-maker.
06. The Campaign Plan
Karl explains why you need a campaign plan, what it should include, and how to follow-through and evolve as the race progresses.
07. Understanding the Electorate and Targeting Voters
Karl teaches you how to determine which parts of the electorate your campaign should target and how to go about it, while David shares his advice on the importance of addressing what constituents care about most.
08. Polling and Focus Groups
David and Karl trade off teaching the importance of polling and focus groups, while also highlighting the limitations of these types of research.
09. Budgeting and Fundraising
Karl breaks down what you need to include in a comprehensive campaign budget, how to figure out how much money you can raise, and the different ways you can go about raising it effectively.
10. The Campaign Message
Using effective ads from past successful campaigns, David and Karl teach you the different types of messages you can create for your campaign, from biographical content to positive, comparative, and negative ads.
11. Campaign Messaging Case Study
David walks you through the entire media campaign for an Iowa governor’s race to demonstrate how to develop and evolve your campaign message.
12. Public Appearances
David discusses the importance of the campaign launch, the fundamentals of the stump speech, and why candidates must be aware that all their actions are under scrutiny in a campaign.
13. Getting Your Message Out
Karl and David analyze the ever-changing media landscape and teach their most effective ways to use television and the internet to disseminate your candidate’s message.
14. Harnessing Social Media
David and Karl explain how essential social media is to modern campaigning. Learn how to use social media to spread your message, target voters, solicit donations, and find volunteers.
15. Direct Mail
Karl breaks down why direct mail continues to be a valuable tool to reach voters during your campaign.
16. Slogans and Logos
Using his experiences in the 2008 Obama presidential campaign, David offers his unique perspective on the power of slogans and logos.
17. Supporting Your Candidate
Karl and David teach you strategies to support your candidate during the grueling election cycle, from finding ways to preserve their energy, to delivering tough feedback.
18. Mobilizing Volunteers
An expert in “the ground game,” Karl teaches how to use volunteers to reach potential voters during your campaign. David and Karl also discuss why volunteering can be an excellent entry point into working on campaigns.
19. Debates
Using examples from historic debates, David and Karl break down the tactics candidates can use to effectively win a debate.
20. Keeping the Campaign on Track
David illustrates how to successfully emerge from the inevitable mistakes and negative attacks that happen during the course of any campaign.
21. Identifying Influencers
Karl teaches you how to identify and leverage the organizations and individuals who can positively influence your campaign.
22. The End of the Race
The closing weeks of a campaign are the busiest part of the election cycle. David and Karl lay out what to prioritize as you race toward the finish line.
23. The Current State of Politics
Karl and David discuss their perspectives on the highly polarized current state of politics in America, and the future they see for the country.
24. Parting Words
David and Karl offer a call to action, encouraging you to get involved in politics and start making a difference.
Sales Page:_https://www.masterclass.com/classes/david-axelrod-and-karl-rove-teach-campaign-strategy-and-messaging
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