The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation – Drew Westen

Westen examines the psyche of the American voter and why it is very logical for people to vote using emotion rather than reason.  By examining the successful emotional tactics of the Republican Party, Westen is able to show why, from a biological stand point, they have been successful in winning campaigns.

The book further explores why Democrats will continue to loose if the only tactic they employ to win is to appeal to voters reason and not their emotion – pointing out that successful campaigns, such as Clinton in 1992 and Johnson in 1964, succeeded only because they appealed to peoples hearts – not just their heads.

Written in 2007, the book does lack a detailed analysis of Obama and the 2008 campaign, though the books postscript does discuss the basics of the historic campaign.

As a Democratic candidate, this book provides insight on how to present your campaign to voters – and that emotional campaigns don’t need to be negative to be successful.  Furthermore it encourages candidates to use both emotion and reason in campaigns to be successful, only then will Democrats will successful in winning elections at all levels.

437 Pages – Publushed 2007, updated in 2008, by Publicaffairs in Paper – Available through Amazon by clicking here.

Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think – George Lakoff

In his groundbreaking book, Lakoff explores the realities of why we face the divided electorate we see today and how our nation got this way.

The book examines why Liberals and Conservatives think so differently on various issues and why they fight each other on so many different and apparently unrelated issues such as abortion and government spending.

Campaigners at all levels should read this book so that they can better understand why they think the way they do and to understand where opponents are coming from when they challenge your beliefs.

The book closes with a nonideological defense of Liberalism as the proper mindset for individuals to consider when making moral decisions. As a Democratic candidate it behoves you to be able to fully defend your morality in emotional and rational terms.

426 Pages – Published 1996, Second Edition in 2002 by The University of Chicago Press – Available through Amazon by clicking here.