First and foremost we're here to analyze how the candidates say what they do, and what that means.
Here's what Claire's trying to do.
For 40 years she's always run on the Democratic ticket.
If you're trying to appear more conservative, sound more conservative.
Claire's campaign strategy revolves around moving to the right. Her strength rests in her preparation and her logic -- she pulled out verbatim quotes, voting statistics and even bill wording.
Yet she came across sounding slightly outraged and somewhat flustered with Akin. Granted, that is an accurate representation of the rest of the Republican Party, but seeming like a flustered Democrat is detrimental to her goal of showing how she's a relatable quasi-republican to Missourians here and now.
What better way to sound conservative than to emulate Akin... and do it better?
Akin's Bag of Tricks
What Claire can and should do is adapt Akin's emotional-appeal based speaking style. Every time an issue came up, he used a generalized anecdote or framed his message as a values-based statement.
Listen for yourself. This is how he opened the answer to his question on student loans:
He used half a minute to say, "I recognize your concerns, see your plight and acknowledge there's a problem." While he wouldn't do anything but exacerbate the problem, this is an effective way to open up his answer.
Claire can do it better
She's put in the town halls to know what communities actually need. So rather than talking to an anonymous student conveniently $100k in debt, she knows a community near Washington needs a bridge.
Then she can use Akin's other trick: reframing the issue at hand into a values-based statement. She can reframe the message upon values she shares with the conservative base of Missouri.
"I grew up in a small town. I know that sometimes, communities have needs. And if a community needs a bridge, they should get a bridge."
Suddenly, instead of just saying a community near Washington needs a bridge, she's telling all the communities she'll fill their needs and demonstrating she knows what they are.
The killer blow
Here's where this idea turns sexy: let Akin define America and then show how he doesn't fit into it.
Claire is obviously intelligent, prepared, and truly wants the best for people in Missouri. She has substance. If she takes away Akin's emotional resonance, he has no crutches left.
If you're trying to appear more conservative, sound more conservative.
Claire's campaign strategy revolves around moving to the right. Her strength rests in her preparation and her logic -- she pulled out verbatim quotes, voting statistics and even bill wording.
Yet she came across sounding slightly outraged and somewhat flustered with Akin. Granted, that is an accurate representation of the rest of the Republican Party, but seeming like a flustered Democrat is detrimental to her goal of showing how she's a relatable quasi-republican to Missourians here and now.
What better way to sound conservative than to emulate Akin... and do it better?
Akin's Bag of Tricks
What Claire can and should do is adapt Akin's emotional-appeal based speaking style. Every time an issue came up, he used a generalized anecdote or framed his message as a values-based statement.
Listen for yourself. This is how he opened the answer to his question on student loans:
He used half a minute to say, "I recognize your concerns, see your plight and acknowledge there's a problem." While he wouldn't do anything but exacerbate the problem, this is an effective way to open up his answer.
Claire can do it better
She's put in the town halls to know what communities actually need. So rather than talking to an anonymous student conveniently $100k in debt, she knows a community near Washington needs a bridge.
Then she can use Akin's other trick: reframing the issue at hand into a values-based statement. She can reframe the message upon values she shares with the conservative base of Missouri.
"I grew up in a small town. I know that sometimes, communities have needs. And if a community needs a bridge, they should get a bridge."
Suddenly, instead of just saying a community near Washington needs a bridge, she's telling all the communities she'll fill their needs and demonstrating she knows what they are.
The killer blow
Here's where this idea turns sexy: let Akin define America and then show how he doesn't fit into it.
Claire is obviously intelligent, prepared, and truly wants the best for people in Missouri. She has substance. If she takes away Akin's emotional resonance, he has no crutches left.
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