The Ass Is A Poor Receptacle For The Head: Why Democrats Suck At Communication, And How They Could Improve

by Barry Eisler

"Barry Eisler is this generation's tech-savvy new media incarnation of Graham Greene." -Jeremy Scahill, The NationBy internationally bestselling thriller author and syndicated political blogger Barry Eisler, THE ASS IS A POOR RECEPTACLE FOR THE HEAD is a must-read for anyone interested in verbally crushing the competition in politics, business, and even romance.Regardless of what you think of their policies, the sad truth is that Democrats suck at selling their ideas to the public. In this hilarious and hard-hitting essay, Eisler draws on his expertise in narrative, his CIA training in persuasion, and his background in technology marketing to offer Democrats some sound advice on how to improve their communications strategy. Borrowing principles from judo and boxing, Eisler encourages Democrats (and anyone trying to sell an idea) to hammer their opponents into a rhetorical corner…and knock them the hell out!

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

42 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 12, 2011

About the author

Barry Eisler spent three years in a covert position with the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, then worked as a technology lawyer and startup executive in Silicon Valley and Japan, earning his black belt at the Kodokan Judo Institute along the way. Eisler’s award-winning thrillers have been included in numerous “Best Of” lists, have been translated into nearly twenty languages, and include the #1 bestsellers Livia Lone, The Night Trade, and The Killer Collective. Eisler lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and, when he's not writing novels, blogs about national security and the media. www.barryeisler.com

Series:
* John Rain

Reviews

[Barry Eisler · Rating 5 out of 5]

My political essay, intended to help Dem politicians. If they can be helped.

[A. Bowdoin Van Riper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who’s paid attention to American politics for the last forty years will likely grant Barry Eisler’s central premise: the Republican party is, as a whole, superb at communicating its message, and the Democratic party is, as a whole, terrible at it. Eisler, a Democrat himself, is apoplectically frustrated with this state of affairs. It has, he argues, a crippling effect on the Democrats’ ability to win elections and – when they do win – to build and maintain support for their policies. Here again, politically astute readers will (regardless of party affiliation) likely agree with him.

Eisler does not, of course, take that agreement for granted. He enumerates the Democrats’ rhetorical sins and the Republicans’ strengths – with compelling and (for Democrats) cringe-inducing examples – as a prelude to explaining how, by adopting a handful of simple strategies, the Democrats could do better. The great strength of The Ass is a Poor Receptacle . . . is its laser-like focus on those rhetorical strategies. He’s interested in teaching Democratic politicians and their supporters how to win arguments, and discusses individual policies like the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act not to advocate for them, but to use them as illustrative examples. Despite its Democrat-centric message, therefore, The Ass is a Poor Receptacle . . . makes a very effective (if highly informal) primer on how anyone can learn to argue their case for any socio-political position more effectively.

The Ass is a Poor Receptacle . . . is, at 40 pages, a digital-age example of a once-flourishing non-fiction form: the pamphlet. Inexpensively priced and easily read in a sitting or two, it delivers a tightly focused argument in a length somewhere between a long magazine article and a short book. It is, regardless of your politics, well worth both your time and your money.

[Jonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m reading this essay 12 years after it was originally published so that makes my review not that relevant. Still there were some good points in the essay. The main point that grabbed me was that whoever chooses the topic wins. The electorate doesn’t remember and isn’t moved by details.

I agree that democrats had poor messaging back then, and I think they still have poor messaging today. There are many middle-class positive messages that could be promoted by democrats right now, yet they still are playing defense instead of offense.

Another message in the essay that resonated with me was that any country trying to thwart terrorism by using inhumane and unreliable tactics, will not elicit truthful, actionable information. There are different ways to break a detainee; the key is doing it in way to get the most reliable intelligence.

If I had read the essay in 2011, I’d probably say it was 3.5 stars. Reading it today, I rounded the 3.5 stars up since hindsight is 20/20.

[Tony Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Only

No one should be allowed to run for elective office as a Democrat if they have not read this book - twice!! Eisler nails it - brutally - with solid examples. While written 11 years ago every chapter is still relevant and on point. And the people that need to hear his message the most, apparently, have not done so. Excellent read.

[Myrna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A side of politics I hadn't really thought much about until I read this very informative analysis. It's one of those "how you think things work, but here's how they really work" books that I will be going back to when hot political issues are in the news. Thanks, Barry!!

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant essay on the importance of messaging. Regardless of which side of the political aisle you reside, you should be able to enjoy the truth of Barry Eisler's words.

[Sean Onitsuka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now more than ever!

Eisner adds political science to his repertoire. It’s all about how the message is delivered. Judo indeed! An excellent read, along with his novels.