Acquiring Political Power - Part 3

Day 1,090, 15:45 • Published in New Zealand Austria • by Albert Neurath

You are reading Part 3 of my series on acquiring political power. We last ended with my section on gathering the core supporters necessary to mount an effective political campaign. Now that the futire politician has gained his core, it is time for him to begin attracting the masses.

When trying to get large numbers of people to vote for his or her movement, it is crucial for the future President to realize that the vast majority of voters are not deeply involved in the media or the issues. Their votes can be won or lost in a heartbeat. It is therefore necessary for the future President to boil his political points down into a series of tangible, easy messages that the masses can understand.

A message should always be short and to the point. Long, turgid statistics on economic growth will appeal to only a small group, who, although very influential, cannot win an election for a politician. Much more appealing to the masses is a slogan such as "Land! Bread! Jobs!" (for example). It is easily understood, explains the goals of the party and its leader in three short sentences, and it translates very well into other languages ("Terre! Pain! Travaille!" for example).

A message should always be distinguished from that of its opponents'. The whole goal of a slogan is to create a mental connection between the words of the slogan and the party that created it, so that it resounds well with the average person. If the slogan sounds very much like another party's slogan, then all that has been accomplished is confusion.

A slogan should always be either completely positive, or completely negative. This means that a party should either be very positive about themselves in their slogan, or very negative about their opponents in their slogan. An example of a negative slogan would be "We're not the _____ Party!" I would always recommend a positive official slogan, as any negative press can be better accomplished through the media's shadier wing of propaganda.

If a party has crafted its slogan, it is now faced with the even more important goal of getting it to the people. That shall be covered in the next issue, "Spreading the Word."

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Albert Neurath