Politicians and the curse of knowledge
01/18/2011
It’s hard to imagine that a game I played with my kids merited a Ph.D. for a Stanford psychologist. It turns out the game reveals a deep truth of which…
The culture of incitement in America
01/11/2011
Does it really matter whether Jared Loughner’s murderous rampage was a direct response to Sarah Palin’s exhortation to “rearm” instead of retreating, or Michele Bachmann’s appeal for “armed and dangerous”…
Hill readers: How weird are you?
01/04/2011
We each like to believe we are pretty normal, pretty much like everyone else. Other people know what we know; we see things the way most other people do. However,…
The political economy of defeat
12/14/2010
Regular readers (at least those who believe anything I say) recognize economic performance as a key determinant of electoral outcomes. Instead of rehearsing all the evidence for this proposition again,…
Deflation or defection in midterms?
12/07/2010
Turnout fetishists, who interpret this and most every election in terms of who did and did not come to the polls, are again infesting the commentariat. Of course, almost by…
Coaching no longer the ‘key’ to wins
11/30/2010
While I was focused on campaigns, two new studies rippled through the sports world, demolishing icons and challenging long-held assumptions. Contrary to conventional wisdom – as well as untold hours…
Despite Democratic Carnage, The Mellman Group Applauds Victories By Reid, Boxer, Quinn, Manchin And Gray, Among Others
11/16/2010
On an otherwise horrific night for Democrats, The Mellman Group is proud to have played a pivotal role in helping secure crucial victories for Senator Harry Reid, Senator Barbara Boxer,…
How jobs are driving politics
11/16/2010
James Carville was not the first person to discern a link between politics and the economy. Though no one had phrased it quite so artfully before (“It’s the economy, stupid”),…
Harry Reid: Withstanding the Wave
11/15/2010
Pundits and prognosticators, strategists and seers all said it couldn't be done. Incumbents who garner positive ratings from fewer than four in ten voters and who post double-digit deficits in…
Exposure + recession = disaster
11/09/2010
Understanding the great wave that washed away so many fine Democratic members of the House begins neither with ideology nor policy, but with performance and exposure. We will explore some…