Episode description

What DOES it take to win a major political election in today’s world of tweeting presidents and Russian-hacked social media? Blech! ? ?. That’s exactly what Dan Sullivan and I get into in episode 21. And lawdy, Lawdy, LAWDY this subject IS REALLY polarizing … but I think you’re going to find where Dan and I sit after this episode in the political quagmire the U.S. is in (not to mention England and every other country that has a bully leader).
 Dan loves politics and is an avid history buff. I am ENDLESSLY fascinated with the “cartoon character” that is Donald Trump. So if you’re even the slightest bit interested in what’s going to happen in November 2020 … you’re going to LOVE this episode!
 
 First off, I’ll just come straight out and say I pay attention to politics purely because I love marketing and figuring out what the rules and strategies are for influencing and persuading hundreds of millions of people. I see politics as entertainment and comedy.
 
 It’s been reduced to a race-to-the-bottom shouting match appealing to the lowest common denominator and low-frequency bottom dwellers. Welcome to the world of Instagram and the Kardashians.
 
 What I’m about to share with you is my point of view and not intended to be an endorsement of any political party or individual.
 
 Having said that, I know this episode of our show is going to raise hackles and fluff some feathers. So be it.
 
 America is a country where people have extraordinarily strong political views clashing with one another, which has created new political policy, new political foundations, and new structures. Nationalism is driving apart the fabric of our society. And with a major presidential election a little over a year away ... there's so much at stake.
 
 So ... what DOES it takes to get elected?
 
 We live in an absolutely fascinating time. El Salvador has a new president who is 39 years old and got elected because he figured out how to USE social media to get elected. Trump knew and leveraged the power of social media—for better or worse—and figured out how to gain an unfair advantage. Future elections for the foreseeable future will be determined by who masters social media, nails a message, aligns a following, and remains noisy and visible.
 
 Market – Message – Medium. Just like marketing ... except ...
 
 Outrage sells. Truth and trust are on the extinction list ...
 
 Trump figured out how to leverage Twitter, a platform with no editors or editing. He broke every rule of “press meetings” and a code of conduct. No rules. He just ignored them.
 
 He had direct access to millions of people.
 He was already well-recognized.
 Polarizing.
 Entertaining.
 A master of “reframing” conversations.
 A bully.
 He's a caricature, a cartoon character, which all great politicians are.
 Whoever screams the loudest, has the most ears, and casts reasonable doubt … WINS.
 
 So whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, OR you don’t care OR you’re not even an American ... you’re really going to appreciate this episode! Maybe you’ll hate us!