What do Political Consultants Read During Their Time Off?
As political consultants, it's no secret that here at The Campaign Workshop we love words. We thrive on combining short, powerful phrases with impactful images to make eye-catching online ads. We dig into topics like GOTV, advocacy, and storytelling in our ebooks and guest blog posts. And in our office, we happen to have a tiny library (OK, so it’s really just a shelf in our conference room) where the staff can turn for inspiration, history or other political or consulting books once the crush of the presidential election is over.
Here are a few of the titles that sit next to our Pantone catalogs and our political advertising awards (sorry, we had to brag for a minute there).
Lyndon Johnson and The American Dream by Doris Kearns
Kearns famously met LBJ when she was at Harvard and they both attended a White House dance. While their meet-cute might seem quaint now, Kearns’ has a journalist’s eye and was given full-time access to Johnson after his presidency ended. The Times said, “No other President has had a biographer who had such access to his private thoughts” and, indeed, those thoughts come across on the page.
What’s the Matter with Kansas? by Thomas Frank
Voting against your economic interests is one of the great paradoxes of modern American politics. Frank explores this serious question with depth and humor, making it a valuable read for the new political consultants on your staff.
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
The movie version of this Pulitzer Prize winning novel will take political consultants back to Poli Sci 101. While the Old South that Warren paints might feel dated, the themes of power, ambition, and struggle make it one those classics that has a certain vitality each time you pick it up.
Youtility by Jay Baer
Want to rise up in the ranks of Google results? Inbound marketing and a savvy SEO strategy can help. Youtility explains the world of content, and why giving away some of your secrets can actually be a good thing. Our staff read it together last year before our annual retreat, and we went on to write an ebook about harnessing the power of content marketing for nonprofit list-building.
Although we wish we had more time to read, we also love to write and create content for you. Check out our ebooks here, and be sure to sign up for our blog to receive bi-weekly blog updates from yours truly!