Break out the Karavaki and dress up in your finest sweaters and scarves because it's time again for The Strategists to unpack the year that was in their annual Holiday Spectacular. Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter talk about the best and the worst of the year, write political obituaries and talk about the year-to-come in this regular-length special. Our discount airline sponsor* picks the topics while Zain Velji keeps everybody in line. Dedicated to Ramos. Subscribe on Patreon: http://www.strategistspatreon.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1277: Holiday Spectacular

Professional unprofessional strategists Stephen Carter, Corey Hogan and Zain Velji dissect the news of the day, pass judgment on strategy choices and lift back the curtain on how decisions are made. Described as "the least deliberate podcast of all time", "shockingly insightful" and "sports talk radio for politics". Not sponsored by Flair Airlines. Get Thursday episodes and bonus content on Patreon

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Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter discuss the strategy/tactic of "flooding the zone" - how it works, why it seems more common these days, and how it can be resisted by opposition parties - before turning to how to artfully pull out of a debate. Is frequent "flooding the zone" a consequence of more ideological politics? How do you avoid debates when people already know you're bad at them? And how much weaker is the Alberta NDP leadership contest with the loss of Gil McGowan and his 1964 energy? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Subscribe on Patreon: http://www.strategistspatreon.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1803: Stractics

Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter discuss Pierre Poilievre's Memo to Corporate Canada calling on corporations to invest in persuading Canadians and disinvest in play-nice lobbying - and names names while doing so. Was Corporate Canada really the target audience? Does this mark big changes coming to the lobbying profession should Poilievre win? And can we hear more about Project Black? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Subscribe on Patreon: http://www.strategistspatreon.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1302: Defying Gravity

Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter discuss the impending creation of municipal political parties in Calgary and Edmonton - the strategic considerations in setting them up, the tactics to position them for success and more. How do you create a new political party from scratch? What level of coordination can we expect to see between politicians - within cities and between cities? And when it comes to podcast hosting, do we think Justin Trudeau is more of an Annalise or a Zain? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Subscribe on Patreon: http://www.strategistspatreon.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1300: Its Party Time

Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter dive into Jagmeet Singh and the NDP's threats to bring down the Liberals on Budget 2024 and the Liberal appeal to "generational fairness". Is Singh's sabre rattling good strategy? Are there risks in the Liberals driving a message on "generational fairness"? And is it fair to say that - while we don't know what day Zain will start his leadership campaign - we know it will end on a Thursday? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Subscribe on Patreon: http://www.strategistspatreon.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1299: Type 2 Budget

Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter discuss the 2024 federal budget and the expectation game the Liberals willingly set for themselves. Does the budget tell the story the Liberals want to tell? What happens if the Liberals don't get their heavily-telegraphed 5-point polling bump? And isn't The Strategists an example of a three-man monologue? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Subscribe on Patreon: http://www.strategistspatreon.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1277: Holiday Spectacular

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