In elections, the most important single presentation skill is “Developing Relationships.” This principle is about identifying\u00a0the “in-group” and “out-group.”<\/p>\n
The winner of the election will not be the candidate that you agree with the most on issues. You won’t agree with anyone on everything, so you will subconsciously defer to something else.\u00a0You will vote for the person who you think belongs to your “in-group,” who understands your “in-group,” and who agrees with you about the “out-group.”<\/p>\n
You will vote for the candidate of “us” and reject the candidate of “them.”<\/p>\n
The Losers<\/h3>\n
Obviously\u00a0this principle by itself doesn’t determine everything–but almost.\u00a0Here’s a list of current candidates for president that are really bad at\u00a0framing their message as “us” vs “them”:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Martin O’Malley<\/li>\n
- Rand Paul<\/li>\n
- Jeb Bush<\/li>\n
- Ben Carson<\/li>\n
- John Kasich<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Besides the fact that they are bad at framing in-group \/ out-group relationships they have one thing in common — they are losing!<\/p>\n
Here are four people that frame almost everything they say in terms of “us” versus “them”:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Donald Trump<\/li>\n
- Hillary Clinton<\/li>\n
- Ted Cruz<\/li>\n
- Bernie Sanders<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
It’s no coincidence that they are winning.<\/p>\n
I’m going to save my analysis of the Democrats for another time. In most elections the Democrats use the politics of social identity better\u00a0than Republicans.\u00a0However, this year, we have 2 newcomers on the Republican side.<\/p>\n
The Genius of Donald Trump<\/h3>\n
I cannot count how many times I’ve heard people talk about Donald Trump as if he is crazy, bigoted, or impulsive.<\/p>\n
If you understand the psychology of social identity you will see exactly the opposite. Donald Trump is a genius at framing his message in terms of social identity.\u00a0He knows exactly what he is doing. He is doing it very deliberately–and it’s working.<\/p>\n
Look at these quotes that got Trump into the headlines and notice that each one clearly identifies “us” and “them.” I’ll bold the group references.<\/p>\n
On his opponent Carly Fiorina (Attractive\u00a0vs. Unattractive):<\/strong><\/p>\n
Look at that<\/strong> face! Would anyone<\/strong>\u00a0vote for that<\/strong>? Can you imagine that<\/strong>, the face of our<\/strong> next president?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On China (Winners vs. Losers)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
When was the last time anybody<\/strong> saw us<\/strong> beating, let\u2019s say, China<\/strong> in a trade deal? They<\/strong> kill us<\/strong>. I<\/strong> beat China<\/strong> all the time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On Immigration (American vs. Foreign)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
I will build a great, great wall on our<\/strong> southern border, and I will make Mexico<\/strong> pay for that wall. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On terrorism (Christian vs. Muslim)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
[I call for a] total and complete shutdown of Muslims<\/strong> entering the United States<\/strong> until our<\/strong> country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
On establishment politicians (Politics vs. Business)<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
We have a bunch of losers<\/strong>, we have a bunch of political hacks<\/strong> … I know our best negotiators.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Trump creates labels for everyone.<\/p>\n
Why is every opponent a “loser” or “low energy” or “just okay” or “mediocre”?<\/p>\n
Because in\u00a0identity politics there are only 2 teams: “us” and “them.” When I\u00a0stereotype the other team looking weak, stupid, low energy, ugly, out of touch, nervous, average, or foreign, you will join my team whether you like me personally or not.<\/p>\n
The Losers Respond<\/h3>\n
The losing candidates who don’t understand how to use social identity to their advantage take it personally. For example, Jeb Bush says:<\/p>\n
Trump is a jerk.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
That might make Jeb feel better, but notice that there is a complete and utter lack of group identity in the retort. Jeb Bush frames it as Jeb versus Trump, instead of winning team versus losing team. Then, Jeb wonders why his team is losing.<\/p>\n
The Genius of Ted Cruz<\/h3>\n
![\"Ted_Cruz_by_Gage_Skidmore_4\"](\"http:\/\/michaelspeaks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Ted_Cruz_by_Gage_Skidmore_4-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>Just this week, however, things have become a lot more interesting on the Republican\u00a0side of the election. Ted Cruz may have just beat Trump at his own game.<\/p>\n