How we choose to watch political debates changes what we get out of them. That’s not really news: scholars have been discussing this effect since the first televised presidential debates in 1960. Popular wisdom suggested Nixon’s poor appearance (“death-like”) on TV hurt his standing compared to Kennedy’s vitality, later supported by finding that people who …
With the Affordable Care Act back at the front of the media landscape as it arrives in front of the Supreme Court this week, advocates on both sides of the issue are dusting off their messaging strategies around the issue. Last Friday, President Obama signalled that rather than running from the title of “Obamacare” that Republicans have …
Continue reading ‘Owning “Obamacare”: The implications of a new message strategy’ »
Yesterday, the United States Supreme Court handed down another decision split on ideological lines. While there was bipartisan agreement that the female plaintiffs in a suite against Wal-Mart could not file for monetary damages, the conservative justices aligned to severely limit class-action suits that depend on statistics suggesting bias against groups of people. And this …
Continue reading ‘Partisan justice: An impossible oxymoron’ »
When the protests in Madison started, I don’t think anyone – myself included – expected them to endure for so long or to have so much of an impact. But as the protests gained momentum, the news media has started its speculation about whether Madison represented the frontline of a new political conflict. But even if …
Continue reading ‘Tweeting the revolution: Social media and Madison’s protests’ »
I know it’s been a while since I’ve blogged. But this time, it isn’t because I don’t have enough to say, it’s because I have too much to say. Those of you who follow my Twitter feed probably realize I’ve been spending a lot of time at the Capitol, joining in the protests against Governor …