Mark & Silvio: a historical reenactment.Mark Penn, the American pollster poll·ster n. One that takes public-opinion surveys. Also called polltaker. Word History: The suffix -ster is nowadays most familiar in words like pollster, jokester, huckster, ... is now advising Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi (born September 29, 1936) is an Italian politician, entrepreneur, and media proprietor. , the Italian premier.--The Independent, March 2006 Berlusconi called opposition voters 'coglioni' or testicles Testicles Also called testes or gonads, they are part of the male reproductive system, and are located beneath the penis in the scrotum. Mentioned in: Testicular Cancer, Testicular Surgery, Vasectomy . He also compared himself to Jesus Christ Jesus Christ: see Jesus. Jesus Christ 40 days after Resurrection, ascended into heaven. [N.T.: Acts 1:1–11] See : Ascension Jesus Christ kind to the poor, forgiving to the sinful. [N.T. and offended of·fend v. of·fend·ed, of·fend·ing, of·fends v.tr. 1. To cause displeasure, anger, resentment, or wounded feelings in. 2. Beijing by claiming Chinese communists boiled babies to use as fertiliser.--The Scotsman, April 2006 MEMORANDUM TO: Prime Minister Berlusconi FROM: Mark Penn DATE: April 5, 2006 RE: Next week's election Dear Silvio, I apologize for the talking point about the testicles. (I'm telling you, Maddie Albright got a bounce when she talked about Cuba and cojones--maybe try it in Spanish.) And sorry for the Christ comparison idea. (We had excellent numbers on Jesus.) But I stand by the line about the Chinese. Remember, you have to focus on the concerns of average Italian voters--jobs, healthcare, and Chinese babies boiled into fertilizer by Communists. Some other points: * Your line about Italian secretaries being the most beautiful in the world went over well with visiting foreign investors. But, true, it has cost you some support among women voters--mainly in the 18-to-85 demographic. I think the way to patch that up might be through the media. (I'm told you control about 90 percent of that, and that is definitely something we should leverage.) * Our polls show that voters associate the Berlusconi brand fairly strongly with organized crime, and this is dragging down your numbers in the non-incarcerated voting segment. What you need is a Sister Souljah moment In United States politics, a Sister Souljah moment is a politician's public repudiation of an allegedly extremist person or group, statement, or position perceived to have some association with the politician or their party. . We recommend that you invite James Gandolfini James R. Gandolfini (born September 18, 1961) is a three-time Emmy award winning American actor known for multifaceted portrayals of conscientious yet often inherently sinister characters. to Italy and publicly berate him. * You've said, "I fight communism the way Churchill fought against Nazism." Great comparison--under-45 rural women really like that sort of confidence. But you should go with a positive message about what you're fighting for, like: "Churchill fought against Nazism, but I'm fighting for jobs, healthcare, and education." That worked for Tom Vilsack Thomas James Vilsack (born December 13, 1950) is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002. . * I like your line about how "Only Napoleon did more than I have done," and it's given you a 30 percent spike on Corsica. But, since that's in France, how about someone more local? Augustus Caesar, for instance, also had a lot of legislative accomplishments. * Final suggestion. I don't always recommend this, but denial can be a genuine ace-in-the-hole. If the numbers go against you, and if the courts rule against you, do not--repeat, do not--concede. Drag it out for several embarrassing weeks. Or just stay in office. That was my advice to Bob Mugabe. Sincerely, Mark |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion