The Power of the Vote: Electing Presidents, Overthrowing Dictators, and Promoting Democracy Around the World (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: benchmark poll, mall tests, religious voters, New York, United States, South Korea (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For the last thirty years, Doug Schoen has been one of the most innovative people in Democratic politics, working behind the scenes as a political strategist for some of the world's most influential and respected politicians.

In The Power of the Vote, Schoen offers a never–before–seen glimpse inside his most pivotal campaigns, illustrating how a kid whose political career began leafleting on New York's Upper West Side became a force that revolutionized the American political process. From the legendary New York City mayoral race of 1977 where he helped Ed Koch claim the throne of New York to his twenty years efforts to modernize Israeli politics to Bill Clinton's reelection campaign in 1996, Schoen takes the reader through the international political landscape of the last thirty years, demonstrating how politics have evolved and how he has utilized the latest technology to help candidates win the hearts and minds of the public.

In addition, Schoen also details his valiant, decade–long struggle to unseat Slobodan Milosevic not with cluster bombs and air power but through diligent campaign strategy and sophisticated polling. Revealing intimate, firsthand details about the ten–year struggle in Serbia, he demonstrates that much of the conflict could have been avoided through United States support of the Serbian political process, while discussing how the most effective nation building comes not with bombs but with ballot boxes.

Despite these successes, it is in his efforts with President Bill Clinton during the mid–1990s that Schoen finds his most important and ultimately successful work. Helping to reshape President Clinton's image in the wake of the Republican victories in the 1994 mid–term elections, Schoen molds the Clinton's positions anew, giving him a second life as a centrist Democrat, ensuring his reelection in 1996, and placing President Clinton within the pantheon of Democratic greats.

Complete with a discussion of the strategies and tactics that will lead the Democrats back to the White House in 2008, The Power of the Vote is a true insider's tale from one of Washington's most successful and cherished personalities.

About the Author

Douglas E. Schoen has been a Democratic campaign consultant for more than thirty years with his firm Penn, Schoen, and Berland Associates. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (April 10, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061231886
• ISBN-13: 978-0061231889
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,063,485 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Secret to Winning the 2008 Election as Revealed by a Top Political Strategist, April 10, 2007

By	DrProactive Randy Gilbert "Top Business Coach" (Video studio at "BestsellingBiz.com") - See all my reviews

Even at 367 pages, I found this book to be a fun and relatively quick read. The stories are very entertaining and what I liked most was being able to go behind the scenes and see many of the campaigns from the eyes of a true political expert.

Doug Schoen wasn't always the expert, but you can tell by his early year stories that he always loved politics. I think anyone who has ridden a New York subway will love the story of him posting flyers on the D train at 16 years old (and then getting caught).

I found this book extremely valuable to understanding why polling is critical in a democratic society, and more importantly, as a community and business leader, why it is imperative that I listen to my fellow citizens and customers.

Since most people read non-fiction books for the benefit they bring (rather than pure enjoyment), I've identified a few points that might help you.

Here are a couple of my favorite strategies Doug has learned over the years and which have brought him and his clients great wealth, recognition, the power to win elections.

** The absolute best secret to winning elections (and winning customers) is to actively listen. The modern polling process, which Doug and his partners created, has become an essential part of American and International politics. They started with a homemade PC and literally rocked the world by speeding up the process and targeting the right people. This process, properly administered, has even toppled dictators. Now that is proactive power!

** Knowing how to ask the right questions, is knowing who will win the election. There is a universal principle that says "what you ask for, you will receive." Similarly, in polling it is very important to know the right questions to ask and who to ask them to. Very often it is the "swing" voters that determine an election, so it is critical that you know who they are don't ignore them. Doug reveals who he thinks they will be in 2008.

** If you understand how politics really work, you'll be able to know which candidates are genuine and who you can trust. The right kind of polling can cut through all of the clutter and the back-stabbing politics and find out what candidates really believe. Media polling can leave you in the dark sometimes, give you the wrong bias; however the modern method Doug recommends will empower us.

I interviewed this author on Inside Success Radio for three reasons: 1) I believe that speaking with an author is the best way to know a book is genuine, 2) it gives the author an opportunity to summarize the main points, which creates a type of "Readers Digest" version of the book, and 3) during an interview you often get additional "golden nuggets" that aren't found in the book.

Here is a golden nugget that heightened my respect and admiration for Doug Schoen even more.

When I asked Doug if there were any Inside Success Secrets to winning elections, this was his answer.

**

Doug Schoen's Voice: "I think there are a couple things Randy. The Power of the Vote offers a number of inside success secrets. First you have to be proactive. You have to take the message to your constituency or your customers. You can't sit back; you have to frame the message. You have to be aggressive and you always have to stay on the offensive.

Second, you have to constantly understand how people are reacting to your message so it's an interactive process where, it's not only a question of doing the research; you have to understand how effective you are in communicating your message. You have to respond very quickly if the opposition develops a counter message or attacks you. Once they attack, you need to engage in that interactive process so you understand how the two competing messages are appearing.

Once you get that and once you understand how the messages are competing with one another you can determine how to refine or reshape your message, so if there's a core inside success principle, its be proactive, stay on the offensive, be responsive and demonstrate to your audience that you understand their concerns, you're reacting to them, you're responsive and that you're ahead of them not waiting for them to come back to you with their concerns.

That, I think, is the ultimate message of The Power of the Vote."

***

I've tried to identify who might not enjoy reading this book. Although not easy, this book is probably not for the person who is closed-minded and who thinks politics, voting, the democratic process, etc. don't work. Or, who feels that the hard liberal left, or the hard right, is the only way to go.

However, if you're proactive and want to enjoy the benefits that come from successfully listening to your voters and customers, I believe you'll enjoy this book and get a lot out of it.

The rating I give this book is based on a combination of how much I believe a proactive person might enjoy reading it and how much it might help you to be more proactive in this particular subject.

This book easily earns 5 stars.

Dr. Proactive Randy Gilbert, producer of "Inside Success Radio"

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read and tought provoking, April 30, 2007

By	Lance K. Mayer - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not only did the book offer incredible insights into the country's political process, it brought to life many of the moments in history that I grew up with, and particapted in. A great book!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart, challenging, and controversial, April 29, 2007

By	rebeccafrank "becca" (austin, tx) - See all my reviews

How can Democrats win the Presidency? From the middle? From the left? Doug Schoen, who is as smart as they come, stakes out his position and takes on all comers. Great read.