BOOK REVIEW
Throughout this 23-chapter, 203 page read, Shepard touts the
Message Doctrine and points out the rational voter is a myth. His example of irrational voter behavior is
when voters elect a liberal followed by a conservative in the same district,
which appears to make no sense. Shepard blames
the voter’s interpretation of reality.
The laziness of GOP political candidates and operatives to not ‘develop
a message,’ has led to campaigns based on sensationalism, exaggeration, and
drama.
Jay writes, “Republicans win when they operate at a
higher strategic level- one grounded in behavioral reality rather than national
assumptions. It does not call for
manipulation. It calls for literacy.”
This read is insightful and practical. It challenges the traditional cookie-cutter campaign
strategy by what Shepard describes as the Consultant Industrial Complex
(Chapter 13), which ‘thrives in confusion and struggles in clarity.’
There is a chapter on dealing with the press that will prove
to be invaluable to a candidate and their campaign team. Another chapter on crisis, scandal and
recovery is a must read.
It's refreshing when a political insider like Jay Shepard
has the courage to say the emperor has no clothes. Shepard served on the Republican National
Committee for several years and is a highly respected political operative in
his home state of Vermont.
The final chapter of the book sums up Shepard’s Message
Doctrine. “Politics is not a contest
of information. It is a contest of
interpretation. Voters who decide elections
are not spreadsheet waiting to be filled with date; they are human beings
navigating uncertainty, loyalty, fear, hope and belonging,” Shepard writes. Every political candidate, operative, consultant,
and activist should read this book! It rightly
challenges conventional ideas on campaign messaging.
Here is a link on where to buy the book:
https://us.amazon.com/Fallacy-Rational-Voter-Republicans-Behavioral/dp/B0GT6PFT62
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