Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda

Fred Davis, CEO of Strategic Perception Inc., is a well-known Republican communications expert and one of the stars of the recent documentary The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House A Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President.  As the Chief Creative Officer of McCain's presidential campaign, Fred had the challenge of running against the Barack Obama team and the plot twist of the addition of Sarah Palin to the McCain ticket. While Fred agrees social media, digital ads, and the internet are helpful for fundraising and organizing, he is not convinced those are strong tools for branding. We talk about: The last Presidential campaign before digital media came of age Strategies for creating and testing political ads The strengths and liabilities of candidate John McCain Meaning of the Bigger Hammer and need for a long-term game plan When Sarah Palin was selected to be the Vice Presidential candidate Keys to authentic storytelling #TheBiggerHammerFilm #FredDavis #PoliticalAds #Fundraising #MessageTesting #Pollsters #RapidResponse #Storytelling #JohnMcCain #SarahPalin #2008PresidentialCampaign #KeithGaby #BarackObama #2008PresidentialElection #PresidentialCampaigns #PoliticalCampaigns StrategicPerceptionInc.com Click here for the Interview with Keith Gaby, Director of The Bigger Hammer documentary. The Bigger Hammer on Amazon Video

Varun Nikore, Executive Director of the AAPI Victory Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the Asian American Pacific Islanders' growing presence in the US. This group is expected to be the largest minority group by 2040 and includes first to fifth-generation family members from over 20 countries of origin. Varun's mission is to get more people from the AAPI community involved with politics, to run for public office, and to drive fundraising campaigns to support the next generation of leaders.  Deepak and Varun talk about: The demographic diversity of the AAPI community States where the AAPI communities are growing How to talk to the AAPI voters about issues that matter to them Base building for the future Battleground states in 2024 where the AAPI voters can make a difference #AAPIVictoryAlliance @TheDemLabs #AAPI #AsianAmericanPacificIslanders #Voters #Fundraising #Election2024 #BattlegroundStates AAPIVictoryAlliance.com TheDemLabs.org

Po Murray, Co-Founder and Chairwoman of the Newtown Action Alliance, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to discuss the variations in state and federal laws protecting residents from gun violence. Since Uvalde, there have been changes in the awareness of the need for background checks and holding stakeholders responsible for public safety. Citizen activists are pushing for state and federal legislation to pierce the shield that protects weapon sales.  Deepak and Po talk about: Continuing efforts to get the assault weapon ban passed  Nationalizing Ethan's Law, the child access prevention law passed in Connecticut Holding the gun industry accountable for gun violence and mass murders Preventing school shootings When motivated citizens get involved in changing public policy #NewtownActionAlliance @TheDemLabs #GunViolence #MassShootings #SchoolShootings #AssaultWeaponBan #GunLaws #GunIndustry #SandyHook #Uvalde #EthansLaw NewtownActionAlliance.org TheDemLabs.org

Keith Gaby is the Director of The Bigger Hammer: Race for the White House a Look at the 2008 Obama-McCain Race for President and communications expert. This behind-the-scenes documentary is a time capsule of presidential campaigns before the proliferation of social media and mobile devices. The film presents a balanced picture of the strategies and tactics of the advisors to Obama and McCain and how they handled challenges and opportunities. We talk about: The motivation for the creation of this film Crisis management style of each campaign Crafting the candidate's message and image What the Bigger Hammer means for campaigns The impact of the addition of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate Expansion of the role of celebrities and social media influencers in political campaigns for reaching low-information and swing voters Lesson learned: Nothing is more important than the quality of the candidate #KeithGaby #TheBiggerHammerFilm #Obama #McCain #2008PresidentialElection #PresidentialCampaigns #PoliticalCampaigns The Bigger Hammer on Amazon Video

Ian Gates, a participant in the Students for Justice Vote intern program, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about getting young voters involved in political campaigns and voter registration efforts. The challenge is finding young voters where they get their news and creating content that comes from trusted sources and is shared in their social networks. This intern program focuses on learning about campaign techniques, political marketing, and civic engagement to build the next generation of campaign managers and candidates. Deepak and Ian talk about: Recruiting African American students to get involved in campaigns The value for young voters to get out of their comfort zone by reaching out to register new voters Making compelling content to engage young people and encourage them to vote and share the content with their own network Speaking out about voting rights #StudentsForJusticeVote @TheDemLabs #YoungVoters #VoterRegistration #Elections #VotingRights #Voters #Democracy #Election2024  StudentsForJusticeVote.org TheDemLabs.org

Josh Klemons, Founder of Reverbal, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to talk about the need to make the audience the hero, not the candidate, when communicating with voters. An expert on first-in-category candidates, Josh has refined his storytelling skills to create compelling digital content for winning campaigns and drive relationship organizing. Deepak and Josh talk about: Keys to good storytelling The connection between organizing and digital tools Finding trusted messengers for campaigns to fight disinformation  Role of social media influencers  Advice for down-ballot races to find voters online Free digital tools for campaigns #JoshKlemons @TheDemLabs #TikkunOlam #FreeDigitalTools #RelationalOrganizing #Elections #Voters #Democracy #Election2024  JoshKlemons.com TheDemLabs.org

Ray Kingman, Founder and CEO of Semcasting, is focused on bringing a deeper understanding of the media habits of voters to campaigns. The shift from traditional linear TV advertising to Connected TV and other digital ad options is being accelerated thanks to the ability to target messages and measure the delivery and effectiveness of the ads. We talk about: Candidate identity management Using a constellation of match keys to more accurately target voters The value of Real-Time Voter Measurement to ensure message delivery Availability of digital ad inventory #Semcasting #PoliticalAds #DigitalAds #Election2024 #RealTimeVoterMeasurement #RTVM Semcasting.com

Michael Serazio is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communications at Boston College and author of The Authenticity Industries: Keeping it "Real" in Media, Culture, and Politics. Calling authenticity the moral framework of our time, Michael addresses whether politicians can fake authenticity and what gives inauthenticity away. Drawing on observations of reality TV, social media, pop music, commercial advertising, and electoral politics, Michael has written a thought-provoking analysis of how politicians are becoming more like brands and brands are acting more like politicians. We talk about How authenticity is created and demonstrated The different kinds of authenticity Perception of the authenticity of male and female candidates Role of influencers and nano-influencers in establishing candidate authenticity What will be seen as authentic in 2024 campaigns  #MichaelSerazio #TheAuthenticityIndustries #PoliticalCampaigns #PoliticalMessaging #VoterPersuasion #Authenticity The Authenticity Industries: Keeping it "Real" in Media, Culture, and Politics by Michael Serazio

Matt Robison is a political consultant and former chief of staff for former New Hampshire Congressman Paul Hodes, his co-host on the Beyond Politics Podcast.  Matt shines a light on the tendencies of New Hampshire primary voters and what the results might indicate about voter strategies in 2024. We talk about Independent and unaffiliated NH voters How negative ads impact primary voters The importance of endorsements  Do candidate debates make a difference Did Democrats change their registration to vote in the Republican primary #MattRobison #BeyondPoliticsPodcast #NewHampshirePrimary #NewHampshireVoters #Election2024 BeyondPoliticsPodcast.com

Marta Hanson, National Program Manager, Power the Polls, joins Deepak Puri, CEO of The Democracy Labs, to emphasize the need for a nationwide effort to recruit the next generation of poll workers to ensure that elections run smoothly.  In a presidential election year, it is estimated that one million people are needed to fill these paid positions at the local level to address language needs, balance party affiliation, and provide help with technology. Deepak and Marta talk about: The importance of opportunities for non-partisan and bi-partisan civic engagement  Demystifying the role of election administrators and poll workers Training poll workers Who is stepping up to become a poll worker How poll workers are being recruited through partnerships and events #PowerthePolls @TheDemLabs #HelpAmericaVote #PollWorkers #Elections #Democracy #Election2024  PowerthePolls.org TheDemLabs.org