Sun-haters and Caffeine Crazies: powerbrokers in a small world? A book by Hillary Clinton’s chief strategist claims to identify small groups who can change the political world. The data he used was American, but even politicians over here are desperate for his research Until this month, not many people knew […]
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The Trend in Trends: Experts try to predict the future without knowing the past. – WSJ.com “Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes,” by Mark J. Penn, was published a couple of weeks ago. Its title reminds one of the 1982 best seller “Megatrends,” by John Naisbitt. Mr. Naisbitt […]
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America, Bit By Bit Mark Penn’s author bio bluntly states he is “widely regarded as the most perceptive pollster in American politics.” Not the more common “one of the most,” but the quite unequivocal “the most.” When you invent the phrase “Soccer Mom” and it goes on to define a […]
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Business Week: Name That Demographic Mark J. Penn still revels in the moment 11 years ago when he identified what became known as Soccer Moms. He was working with President Bill Clinton as a pollster at the time and looking for voters who had not yet made up their minds. […]
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Why There’s Strength in Small Numbers The human psyche finds something supremely reassuring about numbers. Just ask my 9-year-old son. His favorite prime-time television series is CBS’s “Numb3rs,” spelled with a digit in place of the third-to-last letter. The show features an F.B.I. agent and his math-genius brother solving crimes […]
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FT.com / Comment / Opinion – Societies under the magnifying glass Margaret Mead, the anthropologist, once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” It is a truism of modern politics that one person who […]
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Clinton Pollster Sees Future Filled With Snipers, Teen Knitters The woman reading over my shoulder on the subway was clearly drawn to a chapter about Cougars, or “women who date younger men.” “What’s the name of that book?” she suddenly demanded. So I showed her: “Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind […]
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Small, offbeat trends can change the world While Malcolm Gladwell’s “Tipping Point” explores how a trend emerges from obscurity to the mainstream, a new book says even small trends can have big effects. College-educated nannies, home-schooled children, spouses who are together only at weekends and home-buyers with bad credit all […]
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Meet Clinton’s ‘Number Junkie’: Despite Influential Role in Clinton Campaign, ‘Microtrends’ Author Says He’s No Karl Rove Mark Penn is a self-described numbers junkie who started out as a shy boy from the Bronx, N.Y. Penn’s shyness has actually become an asset — he wanted to discover what people were […]
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Finding Big Meaning in Small Trends In 1996, pollster Mark Penn highlighted what he thought was an important Democratic constituency: soccer moms. Now, he’s got a new book out. He tells Kai Ryssdal of a new trend — young people minding their knitting.
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