Shows & Articles
The first presidential debate of 2016 is now history with neither candidate emerging as what anyone might term a “winner.” Perhaps the best summary was provided the morning after by Politico’s Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman, who wrote in the PoliticoPlaybook “Donald Trump didn’t throw up on his shoes....
A friend from high school contacted me. Nice guy. Successful career. Good family man. “I’m considering running for public office,” he said. “What do you think?”
My reply was short and simple: “Have you done your Candidate Checklist?” You could almost hear him scratching his head in his reply. “Do y...
A lot went on behind the scenes to make this year’s Republican National Convention a success, and one particular Ashlander took part in leading those efforts.
For political consultant Sean Bartley, it was an opportunity to help make the convention run smoothly from the inside out.
Hired through hi...
Almost every time I suggest any type of grassroots phone calling, no matter if they are automated, paid live calls, volunteer calls or candidate phone calls, I am met with groans, puzzling looks or outright hostility towards the idea.
The “statements of fact” start immediately.
“Everybody hates th...
Â
Editor of the Editorial Pages at the Colorado Springs Gazette reveals how candidates and issue advocacy groups can ace their Newspaper Editorial Board interviews
“THE BEST WAY TO SELL YOUR PRODUCT, YOUR IDEA IS WITH INFORMED ENTHUSIASM… BE PREPARED. BE HONEST. AND I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THAT IN ...
Josh Kraushaar, Political Editor at the National Journal with a National Political Reporter’s perspective on how campaigns could better handle the media
“THE WORST THING A FLACK CAN DO IS SPIN ALL THE TIME. IF YOU SAY THE SKY IS RED AND IT’S CLEARLY BLUE YOU’RE GONNA LOSE ALL CREDIBILITY.” — JOSH K...
Wayne Laugesen, award-winning journalist & Editorial Pages Editor at the Colorado Springs Gazette reveals the inner-workings of Newspapers and their Editorial Pages
“IF THEY [Reporters] ARE GOOD AT OBTAINING INFORMATION, THE WRITING SORT OF TAKES CARE OF ITSELF; SO LONG AS THEY HAVE A VERY BASIC SE...
Morton Kondracke, respected reporter & co-author of “Jack Kemp: The Bleeding-Heart Conservative Who Changed America” explains how the famed quarterback, congressman, and father of supply-side economics can serve as a model for today’s politicians
“THE PURPOSE OF POLITICS IS NOT TO DEFEAT YOUR OPPON...
One key to effective campaigning is repetition.
Far too many campaigns think that if they have knocked on someone’s door once, called a voter a couple times, run one radio or newspaper ad and sent a mail piece they have done enough to win.
As I’ve said before, what does it take to win an election?...
Republican General Consultant and Political Trade Secrets Contributor, Sean Bartley, joins Dustin Olson to answer questions submitted by listeners and fans of Political Trade Secrets
Â
In today’s episode, my business partner, Sean Bartley and I tackle your campaign questions from fundraising to gr...
As you can tell from the title, I believe grassroots campaigning matters.
To begin, we must define grassroots.
I consider grassroots to be all local or person-to-person efforts of a campaign. Typical elements of grassroots include but are not limited to phone banking and door-to-door activity.
No...
Republican Pollster and President of Magellan Strategies presents great insight into how to plan your polling, get the best results for your campaign’s strategy, and the challenges facing pollsters in the 2016 GOP Primary
Â
This week we continue our conversation with Republican pollster, David Fla...
