I have just finished "The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation" by Drew Westen, and it a must read for any political junkies, theorists, strategists and passionate believers. What Westen has done is use his training as a psychologist, his years of experience with psychological studies and his great intellect to make crystal clear: emotion wins the day, not a list of carefully thought out position papers. The model of the dispassionate mind, which is one that many consultants believe in, is wrong. Dead wrong.

Now I admit to several prejudices. First, this is exactly what we have done with the films and shorts, which is get the emotion, get the heart, and then and only then, add the facts. Westen articulates this with study after study, story after story, ad after ad. It is a damning case of incompetence and cowardice leading to electoral defeat after electoral defeat.

My other prejudce is that I have met Westen, and he is smart, passionate and on a mission! Thanks to the efforts of Jamie McCurk, Victoria Hooper and Michael Vachon, word is being spread so it doesn't just remain a book. He had a terrific response at Take Back America, as well as enthusiastic support in Los Angeles. Get the book, read the book, and then raise hell when consultants or candidates don't go for the heart, reach for the emotion, and hit as hard as possible when attacked. Our kind of guy!

Also read Susan G's review of "The Political Brain" over at DailyKos for a more in depth look.