TKC Republicans host Tea Party strategist Michael Prell

This article was originally published in the Campus section of the Empire State Tribune on 10/1/12.

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TKC Republicans host Tea Party strategist Michael Prell

By Cori O'Connor





 

Financial District, NEW YORK—The King’s College Republicans hosted Tea Party Patriots strategist Michael Prell, who lectured on “branding and communications for a conservative audience” Friday, Sept. 28. Prell focused his lecture on why the world needs more artistic conservatives.



Prell said he’s glad Mitt Romney has not focused

his campaign on the independent voters. According to

Prell, independents are “so dumb [they] could probably

 swallow [their] tongue while trying to vote.”

Photo by Meagan Clark.

Prell is also a writer and an award-winning political campaign advertiser who has published more than 30 million pieces of campaign literature, TV and Radio ads. Prell has served many conservative figures including Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper. He is also the author of Underdogma: How America’s Enemies Use Our Love for the Underdog to Trash American Power.

King’s alumna Holly Hall worked with Michael Prell and suggested to Dr. Corbin, the chair of the PPE degree at King’s, that Prell speak at King’s.

Jeremy Cerone (’13), leader of The King’s College Republicans, said he chose the specific topic because it pertained to all of the degrees offered at King’s. “It’s something we can share in,” he said.
Prell summarized good communication in seven rules: focus on your audience, research, brevity, impact, benefits and consequences, contrast and the goal or action. Prell told students to be creative and to use his structures to communicate better.

Prell emphasized brevity for holding audience attention. On the front of campaign pamphlets, he tries to use seven words maximum and no words if possible. “It’s also a really smart way to use basic language out of respect of time and out of respect of language,” Prell said.



Students taking American Political Thought and

Practice received extra credit for attending the event.

Photo by Meagan Clark.



 

Prell also touched on the current campaign that’s underway. When asked to grade the quality of the Romney campaign against the Obama campaign, Prell said he likes that Romney hasn’t focused on the independents as his audience.

“If you don’t have enough information to make up your mind about which side you’re on, this is a philosophical debate from two vastly different visions from America,” he said. “If you are in that three to five percent who haven’t made up your mind, you’re so dumb that you could probably swallow your tongue while trying to vote,” he said.

“There aren’t even issues being discussed,” Prell said, emphasizing the need to start a national debate on bigger philosophical ideas. In order to do this, he said, there is a need for persuasive conservatives who are effective communicators. “Don’t give up,” he said. “If you don’t do it, no one will.”