Marco Rubio, The Presenter, Version 4.0

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Marco Rubio, The Presenter, Version 4.0 on Friday, March 11, 2016.

Thirty-four minutes into the 12th Republican debate last night, Donald Trump said, “So far, I cannot believe how civil it’s been up here!” (more…)

Dubya Disses Donald Without Mentioning His Name

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Dubya Disses Donald Without Mentioning His Name on Tuesday, February 16, 2016.

For the first time in the seven years since he left office, George W. Bush returned to the campaign trail yesterday, undoubtedly prompted by the difficult sight of seeing his brother, Jeb, struggle in his campaign to become the Republican candidate for president. (more…)

Marco’s Mantra Backfires

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Marco’s Mantra Backfires on Wednesday, February 10, 2016.

The Greeks had a word for it: anaphora, or the repetition of a word or set of words or phrases in a speech to create emphasis. (more…)

Clinton And Sanders (Almost) Victory Speeches

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Clinton And Sanders (Almost) Victory Speeches on Tuesday, February 2, 2016.

“Fake it til you make it!” is a phrase often attributed to recovering Alcoholics Anonymous, but it came roaring to mind last night watching the television networks broadcasts of the results of the Iowa Caucuses. (more…)

Cruz Forces A Rare Concession From Trump

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Cruz Forces A Rare Concession From Trump on Saturday, January 16, 2016.

Two days after their heated exchange during last week’s Republican presidential debate, the sparks are still flying between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. (more…)

Obama Evokes Socrates In His SOTU

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Obama Evokes Socrates In His SOTU on Wednesday, January 13, 2016.

For his seventh and final State of the Union Address last night, President Obama broke the tradition of his predecessors—and even his own (more…)

Obama Breaks His Own Mold With His Speech On Gun Reform

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Obama Breaks His Own Mold With His Speech On Gun Reform on Wednesday, January 6, 2016.

After having ridden to his first term in office on the engine of his fiery rhetoric, President Barack Obama proceeded to spend the next seven years being criticized—by supporters as well as opponents (more…)

The Single Most Important Factor For Persuasion

This blog was originally published on Forbes as The Single Most Important Factor For Persuasion on Tuesday, December 8, 2015.

An indisputable fact of life in every company, every industry, every vertical, every geography, is that sales people sell features when they should be selling benefits instead. (more…)

Ben Carson’s 3 Non-Answers Cost Him 8 Points

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Ben Carson’s 3 Non-Answers Cost Him 8 Points on Monday, November 23, 2015.

In the primary campaign for the 2012 presidential election, Rick Perry’s infamous “Ooops!” in response to a question caused a drop in his public opinion poll numbers and ultimately led to his withdrawal from the race. (more…)

The Republican Definition Of Debate

This blog was originally published on Forbes as The Republican Definition Of Debate on Wednesday, November 11, 2015.

In the aftermath of the third Republican presidential debate two weeks ago, the candidates and the Republican National Committee screamed bloody murder about the CNBC moderators, accusing them of asking “gotcha” questions—particularly the first question asked of Donald Trump: “Is this a comic-book version of a presidential campaign?” (more…)

Battle In Boulder: The Third Republican Debate

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Battle In Boulder: The Third Republican Debate on Thursday, October 29, 2015.

Last night, as I watched the Republican debate from the University of Colorado at Boulder, I followed the Twitter feed crawling across the bottom of the CNBC screen. (more…)

5 Lessons In How To Pitch From Bill Clinton

This blog was originally published on Forbes as 5 Lessons In How To Pitch From Bill Clinton on Tuesday, October 27, 2015.

Last weekend, for the first time in this now already overheated presidential campaign—and six months after his wife announced her candidacy—Bill Clinton went on the stump for her at a rally in Iowa. (more…)

Joe Biden Sings His Farewell Aria

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Joe Biden Sings His Farewell Aria on Thursday, October 22, 2015.

The first commandment in sports is “there is no ‘I’ in ‘team.’” For Vice President Joe Biden, there is no “team” in his “I.” (more…)

Nouns And The Syrian War

This blog was originally published on Forbes as Nouns And The Syrian War on Thursday, October 1, 2015.

Nouns, by definition, define. The best noun to define the Syrian war is “conundrum.” (more…)

The Pope And The Pyramid

This blog was originally published on Forbes as The Pope And The Pyramid on Friday, September 25, 2015.

Yesterday, for the first time in history, a Pope addressed a joint session of the U.S. Congress; and—just maybe—for  the first time in history, a speaker at that esteemed podium delivered a logical, well-structured speech. (more…)