Bernie Sanders Turns on the Iowa Afterburners

January 21, 2016

As I have taught you, persuasion can be ranked like this:

1. Identity (best)

2. Analogy (okay)

3. Reason (useless)

Bernie Sanders had been operating in the lower two categories along with Hillary Clinton. But his new ad, set to a Simon and Garfunkel tune, is pure identity (America!) and pure gold.

That should put him over the top in Iowa, according to the Master Persuader filter.

I don’t think Sanders can beat Trump in the general election. Remember, Trump hasn’t turned his canons on Sanders yet. And Sanders looks like a target-rich environment for Trump. But Sanders does have a puncher’s chance if he stays in the top layer of persuasion like this.