Catching up this week with return guest Dr. Michael Cohen, who just released a new edition of his book Modern Political Campaigns this month. He studied under iconic pollster Bill Hamilton as a student, worked in the trenches in Republican campaigns, spent time at Gallup, apprenticed under renowned GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio and worked with famed Dem strategist Mark Penn when Michael was an in-house pollster at Microsoft. Along the way, Michael started his own firm (Cohen Research Group), built the successful Congress in Your Pocket tech app, and wrote Modern Political Campaigns to bring the campaign literature up to speed with the ever-evolving political industry - including a new edition that includes a focus on the role AI is playing in political campaigns. This is a great nuts-and-bolts conversation on the political industry with a smart pollster, tech entrepreneur, and author.
IN THIS EPISODE…
The new edition of Modern Political Campaigns, including a focus on AI in campaigns...
How political campaigns are (and are not) using AI at this point...
What Michael knows about Gen Z from teaching courses at NYU and Johns Hopkins...
Lessons he learned from a recent heart attack and recovery...
Michael’s formative years growing up on Long Island…
The political switch flips for Michael in college…
Michael crosses paths with famed Democratic pollster Bill Hamilton…
Michael makes the jump to political polling under Tony Fabrizio…
The bizarre story of how one of Michael’s candidates was pilloried on the Colbert Report…
Michael starts his own polling firm to move beyond partisan politics…
Michael’s stint as an in-house pollster at Microsoft with Mark Penn…
Michael’s compares working with legendary Dem pollster Mark Penn and iconic GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio…
Michael creates the wildly successful Congress in Your Pocket app…
Michael’s 101 on how to create an app…
The long journey behind Michael’s new book Modern Political Campaigns…
Michael’s advice to those who want to write a book and get it published…
Michael’s take on what makes a good pollster…
Michael weighs in on the question of a “polling crisis”…
Michael’s advice on the best books to understand how politics works…
AND AAPOR, Michael Bender, Sidney Blumenthal, Stephen Colbert, Sean Cook, Bob Dole, enlargement ads, Ezra Cohen Corporation, Arthur Finkelstein, the Gallup Poll, Josh Gottheimer, Sasha Issenberg, Peter Jennings, Steve Jobs, Ed Koch, Celinda Lake, Massapequa mannerisms, mobilization vs. persuasion, Never Trump Republicans, Ronald Reagan, Rowman & Littlefield, Jake Rush, Karen Thurman, Chris Tompkins, Tevi Troy, vampire roleplaying, Ted Yoho, & more!
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