WE VOTE ON EMOTIONS NOT ON THE ISSUES PRIMARILY
According to clinical, personality, and political psychologist and neuroscientist Drew Westen
Today on C-span 2, which is where Book TV airs authors speaking, I watched a show that explained why campaigning is about soliciting our emotions, especially our unconscious ones. Including discrimination. The author Drew Westen of the book The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation explained how grab-our-attention words and images should be framing issues in a positive way and how they are used unethically and amorally. The best was when he dissected a campaign ad that had covert racial messages. I always thought that many of the ads and messages during the primary Democratic party's season were covertyly racist. And when I say covert, I mean covert to white people, primarily, including the media. Black people have experience with it and it is in the overt category to them. I am white by the way. Very white. I sunburn easily.
The show isn't on the Cspan website, yet. However, I have included some bits of Drew Westen speaking that have been posted on Youtube. The person who uploaded the following video thinks it is funny. This is HIS text from the youtube page where the campaign ad is posted: "A funny video poking fun at Harold Ford Jr, made by Scott Howell." The post titles this as " Harold Ford Jr. not for Tennessee".
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This is the ad that Professor Westen used in the C-span 2 Book TV airing where he detailed and illustrated race baiting embedded in the political ad. This is an example of how Tennessee Bob Corker used racist covert messages against the losing candidate Harold Ford in 2006. Westen went into some detail with different parts of it. Westen said that it took him a few viewings of the ad to figure out why he was bothered by the ending that reads
Harold Ford
He's Just Not Right
with white letters against black
which Westen says is the opposite of the usual way of black letters on white. What Westen decided after repeated viewings is that the hidden message at the end was
Harold Ford
He's Just Not White
Also, Westen said that the idea of a white woman soliciting Harold Ford was using the fear of white men: a black man with a white woman. I was told years ago that it is much less bothersome to whites that a white man "has" a black woman. Black women were subjugated by white masters during slavery. It was considered a right by whites. So not so bothersome to white racists. Personally, my black partner and I received many looks until people got used to us or until I stopped noticing.
Westen also pointed out that it was intentional to have the woman appear like she could have been nude. It is the image that is intended and the rest is left up to your psyche.
Westen said that if we had a functioning FCC these ads and comments used on Fox News (such as "terrorrist fist jab", adding Barack's middle name of Hussein every time his name is said, etc) wouldn't be allowed on the air.
Westen goes into more of the messages laid out in the ad above than I have abbreviated here. But if you are not a racist, you will catch some of the not so subtleties with your own brain. No matter your race.
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Chris Matthews shows his disgust with the race-baiting ad that was run against Harold Ford in the 2006 Tennessee Senate race.
Uploaded by jazzcyclist
I don't believe for one minute that Corker didn't have full knowledge of this ad before it ran.
There are some candidates who are after the morally retarded voters. They will never fund education programs because they want stupid voters. Voters smarter than them are a threat to them. They will call you elitists.
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dsf3g text of this uploaded video "The RNC is running patently racist advertising against Harold Ford in Tennessee..."
Westen also said that Hillary Clinton's ad that used words in the Primary such as lightweight, muslim and two others I can't rememeber had racism beneath it.
Barack Obama needs to hire this man.
These words are from the C-span 2 Book TV page:
About the Program
Psychologist Drew Westen argues in The Political Brain that Americans vote not based on reason, but on their emotions. Mr. Westen contends that Republicans are more skilled than Democrats when it comes to making emotional appeals to voters.
About the Author
Drew Westen is a clinical, personality, and political psychologist and neuroscientist. He teaches in the psychology and psychiatry departments at Emory University. He is also the founder of Westen Strategies, a political and corporate consulting firm. He has been an adviser to several political candidates and organizations. He is the author of Self and Society : Narcissism, Collectivism, and the Development of Morals.
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Dr. Drew Westen speaks on how Democrats should frame their positions
Uploaded by tedhuman7
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The Political Branin, Part 1
Drew Westen discusses emotions over mind, and how this fact has failed Democratic candidates
Uploaded by goodmanl
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The Political Brain, Part 2
Uploaded by goodmanl
Here is one has no embed with Katie Couric, but here is the link.
Harold Ford's concession speech:
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Uploaded by bsm1970
Text by the poster: "Nov. 7, 2006 Harold Ford, Jr. gives a classy concession speech in the Tennesse U.S. Senate race."
OBAMA - BIDEN 2008
Just to correct a mistake: John McCain never hired our firm, before or after the Harold Ford ad run.
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