Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1244IR // #c1244Synthesis

"For many people, all of politics—left, right, and center—is over there, whereas their real life is over here."

— In our words · Source: This Is the Plan (Ben Wikler)

[Use when]

You're pitching to people who don't follow your field and you're about to use your field's categories.

[Why it matters]

In the survey Wikler cites, the biggest group of swing voters described their views in kitchen-table terms like "affordable" and "cost of living." They let the news come to them rather than seeking it out. A left-right pitch misses them entirely.

Filed under situations:When you need a yes and they’re not there yetWhen your picture of things might be wrong

More from This Is the Plan

#c1233"Here’s the operating principle: All other things being equal, you’ll be most persuasive to the people with whom you have the closest…You want to change minds and are about to start with the widest, least personal channel available. #c1234"Keep a CONSTANT WATCH on the DOUBTFUL VOTERS, and from time to time have them TALKED TO by those IN WHOM THEY HAVE THE MOST CONFIDENCE."You need to win over a wavering group and are deciding who should deliver the message. #c1235"Whenever a new way to reach someone unsolicitedly and cheaply pops into existence—mail, texts, Facebook messages—it has a brief twinkling…Your team is excited about a new cheap outreach channel because early numbers look great.

Same situation, different book

#c1291Narrative contagionA story about your industry or company is spreading faster than the facts behind it.From Trade Outside the Box #c1279The Smarties test for adultsYou're sure the other side must see what you see.From Trade Outside the Box #c1222The introductory lecture testYou think you understand a subject well enough to explain it, sell it or decide on it.From How to Take Smart Notes #c1565The Fourfold Remedy, Desire Triage, and Static vs. Kinetic PleasureUse when auditing your personal burn rate, stripping scope creep from a product roadmap, or breaking the…From Lives of Eminent Philosophers