Subliminally Correct

Subliminally Correct

By Alex Dobranic & Taylor ShermanSociety & CultureNewsGovernmentPolitics
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Subliminally Correct episodes

  • 44: The American People Aren't Wrong

    Are the American people wrong for wanting a change in our government, in wanting a choice in their healthcare, and in which wars we engage in? In this episode we take a listen to the key points of the New York Times / CNN debates in Ohio, a key battleground state where the candidates who are still remaining are fighting it out to win votes, and the respect of the others on the stage.

    Take a listen to this episode to find out:

    • Why the new measure of Democracy is how many selfies a candidate has taken with their supporters
    • Insurance companies pulling the rug out from under people and what the candidates have planned to solve this
    • Using words like "only" and how they narrow the focus of attention to being exclusive rather than inclusive
    • Is a trickle-up economy possible? How Andrew Yang thinks that Universal Basic Income (UBI) will heal the American tax payer
    • How Cory Booker and Kamala Harris are battling with each other to be the biggest advocate for women's rights
    • Bernie Sanders' brilliant reframe where he moves into story language and captivates the audience - we break down why it was so effective
    • Elizabeth Warren's masterful maneuver that redefines the "complex equivalence" of Pete Buttigieg's medicare plan
    • Is Tulsi Gabbard a Russian prop given her repeated language using foreign talking points? Listen to this episode for our true opinions!
    • Beto's potential instruments of terror and how the moderators catch him in a lie
    • And more!
    • Remember to visit our website and support us through Patreon!

      You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

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      1 hr 15 min
    • Episode 43: Did the Republicans Lie about the Impeachment Inquiry?

      In this episode we listen to clips from a joint press conference by Republican leadership in the wake of Nancy Pelosi announcing an impeachment inquiry of Donald Trump.

      We hear in this episode a high degree of spin from the Republicans, and persuasion skills are at the forefront! Take a listen to this episode to find out:

      • The key transitional phrase that Republican leaders keep using in order to pace and lead the audience
      • What Nancy Pelosi has to do with the classical game of Plinko from the Price is Right, and this hilarious analogy and linkage
      • The key phrases that the speakers use that let you know they just lied and how you can be on the lookout for them
      • How selective attention is being used to focus you only on the facts they want you to see
      • The "They/We" switch and why pronoun usage is so important when analyzing persuasive messages
      • A breakdown of linking cause and effect statements and what this has to do with Trump
      • The distraction game and how Corey Lewandowski makes an appearance
      • Taylor's favorite nominalization in all of politics
      • The "Big Reveal" - how listening to this press conference a few days after it aired shows a shocking revelation that not even the Republicans knew had already happened!
      • And much more!
      • Remember to visit our website and support us through Patreon!

        You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

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        51 min
      • Episode 42: The Third Democratic Debate

        In this episode we listen to important moments stemming from the third democratic debate, held on ABC news. We break down how both the moderators and the politicians influenced the debates, as well as influenced each other. Listen to this episode to learn:

        • The secret behind the Yang Gang's popularity
        • The PR reason that candidates are so keen to say that they love Obama, while simultaneously rejecting his policies.
        • How Elizabeth Warren uses the persuasion technique of value stemming to bypass a moderator's question and go right to the core of the matter
        • More transitional phrases and how Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren are now using the same phrase to divert the audience's attention from the tough questions they are asked
        • How one candidates uses an on/off voice tone in order to hammer in a particular message that their contemporaries might not be willing to accept
        • The technique of moving from large groups to small groups to increase liking, and how individuals are the most likeable of all
        • Universal Quantifiers as they are used on the debate stage - do you know which candidate is most Trump-like in this way? It might not be who you expect...
        • Pete Buttigieg's tough uphill battle against the race and immigration allegations that won't leave him alone and his plan to defeat systemic racism
        • The moment where Kamala Harris is caught off-guard as she is starkly confronted with facts on her record and how she spins it
        • Beto's appeal to religiousity and how he mixes that with his strongly progressive gun rights stances
        • And more!
        • Remember to visit our website and support us through Patreon!

          You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

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          1 hr 5 min
        • Episode 41: Marianne Williamson in San Francisco

          In this episode we break down a Marianne Williamson campaign rally in San Francisco, where she covers many areas of her policy but more importantly how she thinks about the politics. We break down how she has managed to gain as much traction as she has, and analyze her persuasive communication. Listen to this episode to find out:

          • Is Williamson's voice a helpful inspiration to bring new air to our political system, or is she "flat out crazy"?
          • How she uses Trumpian tactics of crowd handling to move the audience and insert new ideas.
          • Why it's important that Williamson grew up in Texas and what that has to do with baseball.
          • Associating into the "second position" of the other as described in Neuro-Lingustic Programming and how she uses this tactic without saying what she is doing.
          • What the health of the body has to do with national security, and why you need to listen.
          • A call-back to one of Biden's old tropes, and how she spins it and makes it her own.
          • Punctuational ambiguities and how she uses an old Milton Erickson technique to give double meanings.
          • Why a few statistics about women generated her so much cheering and applause.
          • The metaphors of a song, a dog whistle, and a megaphone, and how Williamson uses "VAK" languaging to gain rapport with more of the room.
          • And more!
          • Remember to visit our website and support us through Patreon!

            You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

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            1 hr 6 min
          • Episode 40: The Gabbard Doctrine

            In this episode we listen to an NPR interview from a series called "On The Trail," done with Tulsi Gabbard, a 2020 candidate for President. Take a listen to this one to learn:

            • What Gabbard does with her voice repeatedly in order to seem more Presidential
            • Why the way she addresses her potential influence with Russia reveals more than what she actually says, and a first hand experience with Russian bots on Twitter.
            • How she is using code language to call out to those who serve in the armed forces or who are related to military
            • Her past as it relates to climate policy and how a trip back to her childhood reveals surprising insights
            • The one mistake she made in her life and how she manages to turn it around into an inspirational narrative
            • How NPR interviewers change their questions in order to influence the type of answer that comes back
            • Gabbard's catch phrase that she uses repeatedly in order to suggest that she has a particular personality trait
            • The hypnosis technique of Pacing Current Experience and how it is being used by politicians to create rapport and suggest familiarity
            • What Gabbard thinks of Justin Amash and how he might be similar to her
            • Whether Gabbard has considered leaving the Democratic party
            • And more!
            • Remember to visit our website and support us through Patreon!

              You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

              Full NPR episode: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/08/739603781/which-u-s-wars-were-justifiable-tulsi-gabbard-names-only-world-war-ii

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              48 min
            • Episode 39: Meeting Mr. Mueller

              In this episode, we talk about Robert Mueller's appearance before the House Judiciary Committee on whether the Trump campaign obstructed justice, and on the Russia investigation. In this episode we lead you through:

              • Why Democrats and Republicans have vastly different ideas on the meaning of the hearing, the facts of the Mueller report, and how this will play out in 2020
              • How a key Republican talking point uses Mind Reading as a tactic to influence us
              • The Non-Mirror Image Reverse in hypnotic language and how this was used to create a "gotcha" question in the hearing!
              • The talk show themed paternity test drama that is brought in to the hearing
              • Whether Robert Mueller is in this just for duty, or if there is something personal in it for him
              • The battle between department policy versus personal feelings
              • Peter Strzok's firing and how internal motivation was used to drive policy
              • Why rapid speakers are more persuasive, and who in the House uses their tempo in order to purposefully create confusion
              • The chilling "1984"-like, anti-democracy message from one congressman that should scare you to your bones
              • Robert Mueller's response to why he thinks the President wanted him fired
              • Whether Donald Trump knew he was innocent or guilty, and how the "big justice department" might have influenced that
              • Whether congress has passed a record number of bills, or has accomplished nothing, depending on who you ask
              • The one congressperson who gets red faced and hot tempered in a staged emotional attack at Mueller and whether this type of attack is effective and on which levels
              • Remember to visit our website and support us through Patreon!

                You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

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                1 hr 3 min
              • Episode 38: Starting Gate Debates, Part 2

                We're back for the second night of the Democratic Debates. This one features some heavyweights - Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg.

                We've chosen to pick one segment from each issue/topic to analyze how the different candidates responded, and persuaded, one another and the audience. Listen to this episode to find out:

                • How transitional phrases are used by multiple candidates to not answer questions, and the exact words candidates are using to transition to a new topic
                • How Barack Obama's campaign messaging has been hijacked by Bernie Sanders to illustrate the difference between him and other candidates
                • The moment when Bernie gets caught off-guard and accidentally says the whole truth
                • The ways that moderators were trying to create a pit fight between moderate and progressive candidates, and why they picked certain candidates to go against each other
                • Why Kamala Harris jumps in when she did on the contentious questions about race and ethnicity, and what we should know about this from a persuasion standpoint
                • How candidates broaden their messaging by first diverting to values and then swinging back to policy points
                • The rhetorical technique of antimeria and which 2020 candidate won the "rhetoric award" for this debate
                • Necessity vs. possibility languaging and how candidates might be painting themselves into a corner
                • How Kamala Harris changes scope on a moderator and launches an implied threat
                • Eric Swalwell's attacks on Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg and why it makes sense to examine them more closely
                • The illogical but persuasively sound argument that one candidate made while on the debate stage that caused roaring applause
                • And much more!
                • If you enjoy this show, we can really use your support. Please consider supporting us through Patreon.

                  Remember to visit our website, and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

                  Ten candidates: Joe Biden, Sanders,Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Kirsten Gillibrand, Michael Bennet, Marianne Williamson, Eric Swalwell, Andrew Yang, John Hickenlooper

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                  Remember to visit our website and support us through Patreon!

                  You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

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                  1 hr 4 min
                • Episode 37: Starting Gate Debates, Part 1

                  In this episode we take a listen to the first night of the Democratic debates, which occurred over two nights. This is part one of our two-part episode.

                  We've chosen to pick one segment from each issue/topic to analyze how the different candidates responded, as well as persuaded, one another and the audience. Listen to this episode to find out:

                  • The hypnotic technique of revivification and how it is used to do a conversational regression during the debate.
                  • How the moderators of the debate acted partially to sway audience's opinion and to frame questions for certain candidates to answer.
                  • This one photo that changed a whole discussion that you might not have seen yet.
                  • How Cory Booker bought himself an extra time slot that wasn't originally there to discuss his position.
                  • Utilizing words and catch-phrases that only certain groups know about (in this case, veterans and the military) in order to convincingly frame their opponent.
                  • How policy toward Israel and Palestinine became a hot-button topic without even mentioning the name of the country, and why one candidate was singled out for their position on Israel.
                  • What Chuck Todd thinks is now a part of "high school life" that wasn't there just a few years ago.
                  • Whether quoting the Bible is a good thing, and how one candidate quotes a religious text without saying what they are quoting.
                  • How one leading candidate uses the phrase, "This is not about policy, this is personal" which draws us away from reality and into rhetoric
                  • The metaphor of a painting that almost draws the audience away from the question being asked
                  • And much more!
                  • If you enjoy this show, we can really use your support. Please consider supporting us through Patreon.

                    Remember to visit our website, and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

                    Ten candidates: Cory Booker, Julian Castro, Bill DeBlasio, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Jay Insley, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Tim Ryan, and Elizabeth Warren.

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                    1 hr 3 min
                  • Episode 36: Meeting with the Mayor

                    An upcomer in the Democratic primaries, Pete Buttigieg, recently did an interview with Margaret Brennan of CBS's Face the Nation. We are able in this episode to understand how Mayor Pete has gained so much traction in the race due to his midwestern style of communicating and how he uses metaphors and values. In this episode learn:

                    • Why Pete says we need "new voices" and how it relates to one irrevocable quality of a candidate
                    • How he has been pushed to be more progressive and why Bernie Sanders is a sticky subject
                    • Why politicians are trained from day 1 to avoid horse race questions and instead pivot to this strength
                    • Freedom "To" do something vs Freedom "From" something, and which he uses most
                    • Playing with time - Future pacing and the ladder backward technique
                    • How climate change has become a Democratic talking point on security issues
                    • Joe Biden's big mistake according to Mayor Pete
                    • How we represent the world: Seeing, Hearing, and ... Tasting?
                    • The ways to have better wages, a better standard of living, and a better social fabric.
                    • What "Feeling like Americans" really means
                    • Pete's biggest weakness that is revealed in this interview
                    • And more!
                    • Remember to visit our website to get more information about each episode.

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                      1 hr 17 min
                    • Episode 35: Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, and Elizabeth Warren

                      With just five minutes apiece, nineteen democratic candidates faced off on the Iowa Democratic Hall of Fame event. In this episode we take a look at three candidates that we haven't covered as much: Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg.

                      Learn:

                      • Why we call Cory Booker the Football Coach
                      • How "Mayor Pete" utilizes example language to address policy stances to slide in to the mind of the listener
                      • Elizabeth Warren's persuadability and her plans to circumvent United States Supreme Court rulings
                      • How linking your family history to that of major historical movements aids in getting an audience on your side
                      • How rate of speech and volume influences whether a candidate is perceived to be more friendly
                      • How contrast is used to make simple ideas sound profound
                      • Theming, allusions, and analogies
                      • Why leading Democrats are now arguing that Republicans don't own the American value of freedom.
                      • The submodalities of viewing things from different positions and how it ties into scaffolding
                      • Remember to visit our website and support us through Patreon!

                        You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook!

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                        44 min

                      About Subliminally Correct

                      From the publisher's feed

                      Subliminally Correct is a bi-weekly podcast where two experts in subconscious messaging examine the intersection of politics, persuasion, and all the ways politicians and newsmakers are using psychological tactics to influence you every single day.