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Examines how Edward Bernays' techniques of reading the inner desires of consumers was applied to politics during the 1980s and 90s in Britain and the United States.
Bill Clinton's tax increases in his first term led to his losing the Congress in mid-term elections and threatened his re-election. To win back support he decided to adopt a political strategy focusing on the business principles of individualistic consumerism rather than leftist ideology. The approach focused to the personal concerns of swing voters that appealed to their desires, and using focus groups to discover what Americans really wanted from the government.
The Labour party in Britain adopted a similar approach, utilizing focus groups of swing voters, which resulted in the election of Tony Blair in 1997. It was seen as a triumph of a new form of democracy - "consumer democracy" - that prioritized fulfilling the desires of individuals and not treating the public as a faceless ideological bloc.
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