My guest this afternoon from Arlington, Va., is A.F. Cook, the author of “Democrats in the Red Zone: an Independent Voter’s take on the game of political perception”!

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A.F. Cook is an author, sometime blogger, and average American citizen whose recent book, “Democrats in the Red Zone: an Independent voter’s take on the game of political perception” was published in November 2007. Cook wants Democrats to be savvier about how they play the political perception game. She believes Republicans retain an edge in their understanding of American cultural biases, and that Democrats must sharpen their rhetoric and cultivate more mainstream perceptions of their constituencies to gain an upper hand.

In a direct challenge to the organizational culture of the Democratic Party in particular and liberal culture in general, Cook asserts that such a strategic shift will only occur when barriers to inclusion based on class and educational credentials are broken down within those two cultures. Cook believes that America’s voting majority — especially football fans — detests one trait even more than dishonesty: pretentiousness. In her view, the impact of Sarah Palin’s nomination as the Republican Party’s vice presidential candidate clearly illustrates this reality.

Cook lives in Virginia, which she calls a “red state going purple.” Originally hoping for a presidential run by former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, she is currently a supporter of Barack Obama

Today’s discussion will be an update on the state of American politics in the wake of the last eight months of campaigning since our guest, A.F. Cook was last here. AF Cook will tell our audience how she perceives the strengths and weaknesses of all four candidates, and why both Joe Biden and Sarah Palin were added to the national tickets. Some of the questions A.F. Cook will address are the following:

• What is meant by the term “game changer?”
• What does the term the “American People” mean to politicians?
• Has American feminism been advanced by the candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin?