Mansfield and Dirksen: Bipartisan Giants of the Senate
by Marc C. Johnson
In contrast to today’s polarized politics, the US Senate of the 1960s functioned with a great deal more civility and bipartisan cooperation, despite deep political divisions. This book is both a history lesson and a study in the leadership styles majority leader Michael Mansfield (Democrat) and minority leader Everett Dirksen (Republican).
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Stragility: Excelling at Strategic Changes
by Ellen R. Auster and Lisa Hillenbrand
“Tragically, more than 70 percent of change efforts fail and in most cases the organization emerges weaker—exhausted, demoralized, and confused.” To combat this, authors Auster and Hillenbrand have coined the portmanteau word “Stragility” to represent a skill set for “strategic, agile, people-powered change… Without ongoing agility, even good strategies will fail.”
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Words That Work: It’s not what you say, it’s what people hear
By Dr. Frank Luntz
Frank Luntz is a communication strategist for corporate and political clients. Although he’s done a lot of work for Republicans (including the Contract with America) this is not a book about political ideology. It’s about persuasive communication in political campaigns, product marketing, and labor disputes.
Words that work do not happen by chance. Luntz uses market research techniques (polls, focus groups, dial sessions) to test how audiences respond.
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Idiocracy
DVD starring Luke Wilson, directed by Mike Judge, 84 minutes.
Idiocracy, a portmanteau of idiot democracy, is a satirical look at the future of American culture and politics. What makes this funny is that it is grounded in contemporary reality, just pushed to an (even more) absurd level.
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The Key Point 