I am almost done with a fantastic book called “The Political Brain” by Drew Westen. The book examines the role of emotion in deciding elections. It is fascinating because Westen does a tremendous job of chronicling why things went wrong and right for many candidates over the past 50 years. I know hindsight is 20/20 but it really makes sense. I know I’ve always wondered why George W Bush was so successful when it was obvious, in the end, he was not a great leader. The book has a definitive left slant, but he does give the Republican Party credit for building a story about theirparty. While Democrats pounded on the details and avoided certain issues, they never created a powerful message for their party. All the while, the Republicans made it clear what they stood for and stayed 3 steps ahead. THAT is all emotion. And, it is amazing how the issues of an election really have minimal value in the actual results. People need to feel something about their candidate and the story the Republicans have pitched has been a very real story for many Americans while many people on the left chose to ignore it. The author goes on to say that he believes many people in America have more Democratic values, but the absence of a story people can relate to makes it hard for people to say they are Democrat. Since they have been portrayed as elitist, book worms from the East, they just do not fit with the ideals of many Americans…mine included. The author contends that if they had a story that clearly explained their values as a party, more people would be on board.
While it is not the point of the book, I’ve found that a lot of what Westen talks about could be attributed to many of the interactions people have every day. As a teacher, my words have a lot of power. And, if I want my students to buy in to what I’m saying, I need to say things in the right way. If I just expect them to listen to me because I’m the one talking and I am the expert, then I am going to come off as elitist myself instead of someone they can relate to. I might not be running an election, but I want my students to trust what I am saying…
