Microtrends by Mark Penn

I've been pretty sympathetic to Mark Penn's recent plight, so I went and picked up his newest book, Microtrends: The small forces behind tomorrow's big changes. If you're looking for a good read on political trends and analysis, give this one a try. Too often, candidates and their marketers think that issues and facts don't matter that much, and that voters and consumers will often make their choices on a whim or a 30 second tv spot. For that reason, much of the political communication today is centered around half-truths and pointless drivel with no relation to the election or the office sought. This book shows that those candidates and marketers, not the consumers and voters, are the fools. It magnifies small forces emerging that will shape tomorrow's public policy. Penn identified and used one of these forces -- soccer moms -- in the 1996 election.