Oct 19, 2016I understand him. He cares about two things, how people perceive him and how much cash he has in the bank.
↩︎ Bloomberg Businessweek
The art of political persuasion
- Donald Trump persuades Mark Cuban not to vote for Donald Trump. Updated Oct 19, 2016 ago
- Sociologists show that communities in physical proximity share voting behaviors far more closely than demographics like race, income, or age.
- Research proves that lawn signs can be an effective investment in close races.
Oct 17, 2016In businesses, on the street, and in peer groups, ideas are shaped more by face-to-face interaction than by digital media.
↩︎ Nautilus
How to have fun at the family dinner table
The New York Times suggested as far back as the Bush years—2005—that political persuasion was dead. Bu 10 years later they published one of the best summaries of current thinking on the topic, which defined "moral reframing" as the key element of successful political persuasion. For example, the most important thing to know if you're trying to persuade someone: let them talk about their values, then communicate using their language.
To do it, you have to get into the heads of the people you’d like to persuade, think about what they care about and make arguments that embrace their principles. If you can do that, it will show that you view those with whom you disagree not as enemies, but as people whose values are worth your consideration.
Did we watch the same debate?
Did you watch the debate with a friend? Study shows that political speeches are more persuasive when you watch with others.
Oct 11, 2016↩︎ New York Magazine
A brief conversation about marriage equality with a canvasser who revealed that he or she was gay had a big, lasting effect on the voters’ views.
Vote for the sweater?
Undecided voters were the centerpiece of Sunday's town hall debate, which neatly fetishized the subject of political persuasion as manifest in Ken Bone, a Midwestern, nonpartisan, sweater-wearing, honest American immediately loved on social media.
We have more undecideds this year than we did in 2012, largely because so many people would rather not vote for either candidate.
Oct 11, 2016Democratic endorsements from conservative papers seemed to have more influence than a Republican endorsement from that paper would, and the same concept applied to left-leaning papers endorsing conservative candidates.
↩︎ NPR
The value of debates
After this weekend's debate, it's understandable if some people want to give up on the format entirely. Do debates matter? They would appear to this year: Trump's fall in the polls began with his disastrous first debate performance, and after Sunday night some undecided voters shared how the televised encounter helped them make up their minds.
Even if Trump's candidacy is a little extreme, two thirds of voters told Pew during the last election the debates were helpful in determining their vote.
In the very first live TV debate JFK used his telegenic presence to charm Nixon voters all the way to the White House.
Oct 11, 2016The campaign against Trump seems to have deepened a trait of Clinton’s: a pessimism about the possibility of political persuasion. James Carville, speaking on the Showtime campaign documentary “The Circus,” said that Bill Clinton always believed that he “could talk a dog out of a pork chop”—that, given enough time, he could change anyone’s mind. Hillary, Carville said, is “more realistic” about people.
↩︎ The New Yorker
The Editors' Longreads Picks
- An excellent essay on poverty and writing by Starr Davis. Updated May 31, 2022
- Novelist Héctor Tobar tries to understand the 1992 Los Angeles riots through the experiences of a single high school.
- Steven Johnson with a long assessment of the current state of A.I. and language. (The illusion has gotten very good.)
Welcome to The Morning News Tournament of Books, 2017 edition.
- Our championship match is decided in the Tournament of Books, with news of a Rooster surprise debuting this summer. Updated Mar 31, 2017
- In Thursday's action, Reyhan Harmanci sets up a colossal final.
- The Zombie round opens with Buzzfeed's Isaac Fitzgerald reading The Nix and The Underground Railroad.
Все ваши Белый дом принадлежит нам.
- "Will Putin expose the failings of American democracy or will he inadvertently expose the strength of American democracy?" Updated Mar 3, 2017
- Wilbur Ross just wanted to make some money in ethically gray areas (that should've prevented him from taking office).
- Jeff Sessions's spokeswoman can't help but continue to lie.
The oceans are under assault, and not just from the White House and friends.
- Trump's assault on the environment begins with American headwaters. Updated Mar 1, 2017
- Don't just blame the oil companies for destroying the oceans—blame sushi restaurants.
- Nothing escapes the deepest trenches of the ocean floor. Not light, not nutrients, not pollutants.