• By the bestselling author and host of the flagship show on the Air America radio network, heard coast to coast and on satellite radio
• Shows progressives how to master the science and technology of persuasive communication and counter the right-wing message machine
• Offers exercises and examples throughout to help readers put the concepts they’re learning into practice

Millions of working Americans talk, act, and vote as if their economic interests match those of the megawealthy, the multinational corporations, and the politicians who do their bidding. How did this happen? According to Air America radio host Thom Hartmann, the apologists of the Right have become masters of the subtle and largely subconscious aspects of political communication. It's not an escalation in Iraq, it's a surge; it's not the inheritance tax, it's the death tax; it’s not drilling for oil, it’s exploring for energy.

Conservatives didn't intuit the path to persuasive messaging — they learned these techniques. There is no reason why progressives can't learn them too. In Cracking the Code, Hartmann shows you how. Drawing on his background as a psychotherapist and advertising executive as well as a national radio host, he breaks down the science and technology of effective communication so you can apply it to your own efforts to counter right-wing disinformation. It's both an art and a science — as Hartmann explains, political persuasion is as much about biology as ideology, about knowing how the brain processes information and how that influences the way people perceive messages, make decisions, and form a worldview.

Throughout the book, Hartmann shows you precisely how to master this technology, providing examples dating back to the time of the Founding Fathers. As you read deeply in this book, you'll see things you hadn't realized were there — in everything from advertising to political rants — and discover abilities you didn't know you had. Whether you're a politician, an activist, a volunteer, or a concerned citizen, you'll develop a strong sense for how to reach into that part of the collective human psyche where we truly do have the power to create a new world.

Millions of Americans vote as if their economic interests match those of multinational corporations and the super rich. How did this happen? Hartmann, the host of a nationally syndicated Air America radio program and author of 20 books, argues that the apologists of the Right have become masters of subconscious aspects of political communication, and explains how liberals can use the same communication techniques to counter right-wing disinformation. Drawing on his background as a psychotherapist, advertising executive, and radio host, he reviews the way the brain processes information and implications for how we perceive messages and make decisions, providing examples from the Revolutionary period through the present day. The readership for the book includes politicians, activists, and general readers. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Millions of working Americans talk, act, and vote as if their economic interests match those of the megawealthy, global corporations, and the politicians who do their bidding. How did this happen? According to Air America radio host Thom Hartmann, the apologists of the Right have become masters of the subtle and largely subconscious aspects of political communication. It's not an escalation in Iraq, it's a surge; it's not the inheritance tax, it's the death tax; it's not drilling for oil, it's exploring for energy. Conservatives didn't intuit the path to persuasive messaging; they learned these techniques. There is no reason why progressives can't learn them too. In Cracking the Code, Hartmann shows you how. Drawing on his background as a psychotherapist and advertising executive as well as a national radio host, he breaks down the structure for effective communication, sharing exercises and examples for practical application.

Thom Hartmann is the host of a nationally syndicated Air America Radio program and is the author of eighteen previous books, including The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late; We the People: A Call to Take Back America; What Would Jefferson Do?, and Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights. Find out more at www.thomhartmann.com.