David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass Review 2024: Teach Campaign Strategy And Messaging

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OVERALL VERDICT

In the MasterClass by David Axelrod and Karl Rove, two political experts teach about running campaigns and leading. They talk about how to create messages and strategies for politics. It's helpful for anyone who wants to understand how to communicate and plan in the world of politics.

8.5

Out of 10

Pros

  • In-depth insights from political insiders.
  • Navigating political landscapes with expertise.
  • High production quality enhances overall experience.
  • Dynamic and informative learning environment.
  • Real-world examples enhance practical understanding.

Cons

  • Theoretical classes
RATING:
PRICE: 180

We’ll talk about David Axelrod & Karl Rove’s MasterClass Review. An unlikely pair, David Axelrod & Karl Rove, are teaming up, reaching, and teaching across the aisle about winning elections.

The political odd couple Axelrod was a senior adviser to former President Obama. At the same time, Rove, who famously served under former President George W. Bush, has put on their teaching hat to instruct a MasterClass on politics called “Campaign Strategy and Messaging,” ITK has exclusively learned.

Bottom Line Upfront:

David Axelrod and Karl Rove’s MasterClass provides an unparalleled deep dive into the world of political strategy and communication.

The course offers valuable insights from two seasoned political operatives, exploring campaign tactics, messaging, and the intricacies of navigating the political landscape.

Axelrod and Rove’s engaging discussions, coupled with real-world examples from their experiences, create a dynamic and informative learning environment.

The MasterClass not only demystifies the complexities of political campaigns but also instills a deeper understanding of the decision-making processes behind significant political events.

david masterclass

The high production quality enhances the overall experience, making it an enriching journey for both political enthusiasts and those seeking a behind-the-scenes perspective.

We highly recommend David Axelrod and Karl Rove’s MasterClass for anyone interested in politics, communication, or strategic decision-making at the highest levels.

Try Out David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass Now.

david axelrod masterclass review

In this post, we have shared the David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass Review 2024 with the main aim of campaign strategy and messaging. Read about Davi Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass Here!!

Who Is David Axelrod?

He was born on the 22nd of February 1955, and his place of birth is the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, but David Axelrod spent his formative years in the Stuyvesant Town area.

He is of American nationality, as indicated by his place of birth, and his ethnicity is white. His parents were liberal Jews engaged in professional jobs.

David Axelroda campaign strategy review

His dad’s name was Joseph Axelrod – a psychologist, and he was an immigrant from Eastern Europe to the US at age 11.

David’s mum has been identified as Myril Bennett – she worked as a journalist at a liberal-leaning 1940s newspaper known as PM; later in life, she proceeded to Young & Rubicam, where she became an advertising executive.

However, his parent’s marriage ended when he was eight, and his father is known to have committed suicide in 1977.

About Karl Rove

Karl Rove, full name Karl Christian Rove, was born Dec. 25, 1950, in Denver, Colo., U.S., American political advisor and principal architect of U.S. Pres. George W. Bush’s two presidential election campaigns (2000, 2004).

Rove was political even as a young child. He attended the University of Utah and other colleges but did not receive a degree. In 1971, he went to Washington, D.C., to become executive director of the College Republicans.

Two years later, he successfully ran for the post of chairman in a campaign managed by planner Lee Atwater, an early mentor.

Karl Rove Teaches Campaign Strategy review

During the 1970s, Rove was involved with various Republican organizations and candidates, including George H.W. Bush. Involved in Texas politics, Rove worked on the congressional campaign of George W. Bush in 1978 and, in the same year, on the gubernatorial campaign of Bill Clements, the first Republican to be elected to the state’s highest office since Reconstruction (1865–77).

Rove shaped his consulting business in 1981 with a list of clients, including Phil Gramm, elected to the U.S.

Career

Rove handled George W. Bush’s flourishing politician campaign in 1994, and he was given a lot of credit for transforming Texas from a Democratic to a Republican stronghold, with the party holding all elected state offices by 1999.

David Axelrod & Karl Rove Campaign Strategy MasterClass Review 2024

David Axelrod & Karl Rove Masterclass Review

The goal of this MasterClass is to get us to understand what’s going on within a campaign because if we know how difficult it is to run for office (whether you run for city council, state legislature, congress, statewide congress, or presidency)-learning how to prepare and educate yourself with tremendous discipline for winning candidates, we will end up having more confidence.

We discover that the message side of things will be handled by David, while Karl is more of a master planner.

First, what seems like a niche topic is endlessly applicable to so many different areas, which we love most about this MasterClass.

  • You might aspire to hold the office.
  • You might want to work on campaigns.

Or maybe, to be a better person, you just want to know more about the political system.

Whatever camp you fall into, you certainly have this MasterClass covered.

You should treat this MasterClass like a candidate Bootcamp if you aspire to hold office (it does not have to be presidential; it could be for city council or even school board).

David Axelrod & Karl Rove Masterclass Review

You will clearly understand what area your talents and temperament will ideally apply themselves to by the end of this MasterClass if you are considering a future in political campaigns.

And suppose you really want to learn more about the political system and understand what’s happening behind the scenes in recent elections. In that case, this MasterClass will undoubtedly get that, too.

What do you get in the David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass?

David Axelrod and Karl Rove are on opposite sides of the political spectrum. Yet, like a very well-oiled machine, they agree so much on organizing a campaign, and their teaching style works together seamlessly.

One of the reasons the two-man dynamic works so well, we think, is that you can really assume these two are good friends who have put a lot of thinking together in this class.

You will get 24 video modules with 5 + hours of content plus a workbook that is tightly structured to cover all aspects of campaign strategy and messaging, covering subjects such as:

  • Debates
  • Slogans and logos
  • Public appearances
  • The campaign message
  • Harnessing social media
  • Getting your message out
  • Budgeting and fundraising
  • Researching your opponent

You know this will be a phenomenal MasterClass right from the start when it starts with an exhilarating opening in which we learn where David Axelrod & Karl Rove got their first footholds in politics and how their unlikely friendship began.

We tend to demonize those on the other side because we don’t know them, but Karl thinks it’s strange that people think it’s strange that they’re friends.

Here, David will cover the message side of things, while Karl is more of a master planner.

David Axelrod & Karl Rove Masterclass Review-workbook

The aim of this MasterClass is all about getting us to understand what goes on inside a campaign because if we understand how hard it is to run for office, knowing how winning candidates have to prepare and educate themselves with tremendous discipline, we’ll end up having more confidence in the system itself.

What is MasterClass?

Entrepreneur Aaron Rasmussen and film editor and director David Rogier started MasterClass in 2015. It’s an online education platform for creative professionals based in San Francisco.

Of course, you don’t need to travel to San Francisco to take a MasterClass.

You can watch MasterClass courses using your computer or phone and consume the materials at your own pace.

As a student, you can learn the art of comedy from Steve Martin, writing thrillers from James Patterson, dramatic writing from David Mamet, screenwriting from Aaron Sorkin, and lots more.

It is an excellent way of learning online from top creators you would not usually have access to.

Who is MasterClass For?

The MasterClass is for writers, photographers, artists, musicians, painters, and creative professionals. It’s ideal for students who are happy to learn at their own pace using a computer.

MasterClass suits writers, musicians, artists, and creative professionals, unlike Lynda or Treehouse.

This is an exciting niche.

Many of the online courses I’ve taken facilitate students to learn business skills like promoting or additional sensible skills like writing or internet development basics.

The MasterClass isn’t ideal for people who thrive in classroom environments and prefer a more hands-on approach from teachers.

David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass Syllabus

1. Introduction
2. Starting a Campaign
3. Assessing Your Candidate
4. Researching Your Opponent
5. Working on a Campaign
6. The Campaign Plan
7. Understanding the Electorate and Targeting Voters
8. Polling and Focus Groups
9. Budgeting and Fundraising
10. The Campaign Message
11. Campaign Messaging Case Study
12. Public Appearances
13. Getting Your Message Out
14. Harnessing Social Media
15. Direct Mail
16. Slogans and Logos
17. Supporting Your Candidate
18. Mobilizing Volunteers
19. Debates
20. Keeping the Campaign on Track
21. Identifying Influencers
22. The End of the Race
23. The Current State of Politics24. Parting Words

Crucial things to learn from this Masterclass!

Both Karl and David continue to link all their advice over and over again throughout this course to every possible level at which the view can be, whether it’s presidential level, city council level, or even talking about running for school president.

Starting a Campaign

Starting a campaign is all about the first lesson. Where you get to know that a story is your campaign, a narrative with a beginning, middle, and ending. So, what are the story elements you are going to tell?

David Axelrod & Karl Rove are on opposing sides of the political spectrum, yet they agree on how to structure a campaign, and their teaching style works seamlessly together – like a very well-oiled machine.

We think one of the reasons the two-man dynamic works so well is because you can tell these two are good friends who have put a lot of thought into this class together.

We learn how to inventory the elements of our story, the timeline in which we want to say them, and how to inventory the various ways to convey them (news conference, voice, talk radio show, social media, or a combination of all).

Next, we learn all about evaluating the candidate (whether it’s you or the person you’re working on whose campaign). We’re getting into how to dig deep into the bio of your candidate (especially the hideous and dark sides).

Then, we get into the elements of a clear message about where you want to go, a combined bio, a record, and some projective language.

Great messages are inferentially contrastive.

Great messages project those qualities that your candidate has that their opponent doesn’t have.

David gets into one of his biggest mistakes in a race – and why you absolutely must avoid this.

This was a fascinating strategy-building lesson on what to do about your weaknesses and how to be ready to go if they get attacked.

Thinking back over the last few presidential elections, it was amazing to put this stuff together. We remember seeing some of this (or the lack of this) in different areas of different campaigns.

You’ll understand the Hilary-Trump face-off, for example, after this lesson in campaign strategy.

David Axelrod & Karl Rove Masterclass Review-classes

Political drama comes alive.

Karl goes into a George W. Bush case study – the drunk driving one – in which they knew the information was out there and could hurt them, but what they should have done is chosen a time sometime after he secured the nomination in which they the party would have willingly revealed the information themselves, got it out there, and got it behind them – instead of having it revealed for them.

We then get into the biases that women and people of color must contend with, but we also learn about their strengths and how they are positively perceived.

This part of the course gets you thinking about how to take an obstacle and turn it into strength.

Know Your Opponent

The researching your opponent part of this MasterClass was also fascinating, not just for the content itself but looking at what the other students were saying in the student comment section.

People find this class electric, informative, dramatic, educational, and controversial, and passions are running high – the greatest and the worst emotions.

One thing’s for sure – there is no dull moment in this MasterClass, and no matter where you sit on the political fence, it will stir you up.

Not only do we go into the how and why of researching your opponent, but we personally found the section on the ethical implications of researching your opponent fascinating.

David & Karl MasterClass Review-know your opponent

Then, we get into the campaign plan itself. There are some great discussions about crafting a campaign around a message.

Also, excellent bonus materials in the form of a downloadable Campaign Strategy Primer for a complete campaign timeline – not only is this stuff applicable for most fields, but we think writers in the political thriller genre will find a ton of value in this course.

After you’ve got the details of the message, then it’s all about practicality, budgets, timings, volunteers, media, etc.

Here, we analyze the subtle characteristics of the environment in which the election takes place – looking at the possible factors that shape the lens through which people view the election.

Analyzing historical data

Then, we analyze historical data to pick up patterns and estimate how the future will go. How do we determine floor and ceiling votes through past losing and winning candidates?

Looking for the swing. You have red and blue areas but also locations where swing voters, tend to be higher.

Karl goes into how he determines to get 50% of the vote.

You learn all about finding the people who need to be persuaded and who the people who need to be motivated are.

Candidates who succeed reflect their communities.

It was also interesting to study your opponent’s portion of this MasterClass, not only for the content itself but to look at what other students think in the student comment section.

The remarks demonstrate what we might already say halfway through the first class. People find this class electric, informative, dramatic, educational, and controversial, and passions are running high – the greatest and the worst emotions.

One thing’s for sure – there is no dull moment in this MasterClass, and no matter where you sit on the political fence, it will stir you up.

Not only do we go through the how and why of researching your opponent, but we personally found the segment on the ethical implications of researching your opponent interesting.

Then, we get into the strategy of the campaign itself.

There are some excellent discussions about designing a message campaign (funnily enough, we see this as beneficial and relevant outside politics. – brand building and product launch with an email list, anyone?).

Also, excellent bonus materials for an entire campaign timeline in the form of a downloadable Campaign Strategy Primer-not only is this stuff relevant to most fields (obvious politics in particular). Still, we think writers in the political thriller genre would find a lot of value in this course.

How to get a 24-year-old to the voting booth in the first place?

We go deep into the value of micro-targeting, which was extremely interesting and terrifying.

In 2004, they found if you owned a pickup truck in Ohio, you were a Bush voter, but if you owned a Volvo, you were a John Kerry voter.

In 2012, the Obama campaign found that you were an Obama voter if you listened to National Public Radio.

The cool thing about micro-targeting is being able to understand what the key issues are that will motivate individual voters.

No campaign can be one message but is a mix of several.

As always in this MasterClass, it’s essential to consider the candidates in the last presidential election, their chosen messages, and the ratios in which they combined them.

“Listening to David break down and discussing video instances of Reagan, Obama, Romney, Kerry, Bush, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Eisenhower, Nixon, Kennedy” framing spots “was riveting.

we enjoyed hearing about attack tactics. People think attacks are effective, but the counterpunch is often more potent in politics than the attack itself.

The module for public appearances was another aspect of the course that was rich and intense.

With examples from Obama, we learn about campaign launches and how to plan them, the basics of the stump speech, and cultivating your acts with an understanding that everything is under scrutiny.

MasterClass Pricing Plans

pricing

There are two ways by which you can purchase a MasterClass, a single MasterClass and an All-Access Pass for any of the gurus on the platform.

  • Single MasterClass: $90
  • All-Access Pass: $180 per year

The All-Access Pass comes in handy when you wish to take more than one MasterClass, so there is no limit on the number of MasterClasses on the All-Access Pass.

A 30-day money-back guarantee is also available for any of the MasterClass packages you purchase, and you will get a complete refund if you are not satisfied with their services.

Mobile Application

Access your MasterClass exercises anyplace quickly by downloading the MasterClass application for your iOS or Android gadget free from the App Store and Play Store. Save exercises as top choices, modify the playback speed, and watch them whenever necessary.

Pros & Cons

This MasterClass is about the elements of a successful political campaign while seldom broaching the ideology and morality inherent in politics. It’s how to run a campaign, never why.

Both of them offered good, general advice on how to win an election.

Rove is obsessed with micro-targeting constituents through advertising and thinks direct mail is an eternally good way to reach potential voters. On the other hand, Axelrod preaches the gospel of conducting focus groups to understand what voters are concerned about.

Whether you’re seriously considering a run for office – any office in any capacity – or just want to understand what’s happening on The West Wing, this MasterClass is an absolute must.

David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass Review

David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass Review

The strategy of planning your message, predicting your opponent’s response and your rebuttal to that response was eye-opening.  -Natalie P.

Great lesson. Most intriguing was the voter-venn diagram. This is way harder in multiparty states, but makes for a fun and useful analysis I believe.  -Leon K.

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FAQs | David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass Review

👍Who Is David Axelrod?

He is of American nationality as indicated by his place of birth and his ethnicity is white. His parents were liberal Jews engaged in professional jobs.

👉Who Is Karl Rove?

Rove was political even as a young child. Though he attended the University of Utah and other colleges, he did not receive a degree. In 1971 he went to Washington, D.C., to become executive director of the College Republicans.

🤔What you get in the David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass?

You will get 24 video modules with 5 + hours of content plus a workbook that is tightly structured to cover all aspects of campaign strategy and messaging

🔥 Does MasterClass Have A Free Trial?

MasterClass used to provide a free trial in the past. However, back in August 2018, they stopped giving out free trials. And this is no longer available.

🤷‍♀️ How does the 30-day guarantee work?

Our goal is to make sure that you have the best learning experience possible. If MasterClass isn’t for you, then email us within 30 days of the date you purchase your subscription, and we’ll offer a full refund.

Conclusion: David Axelrod & Karl Rove MasterClass Review 2024

In the end, David Axelrod and Karl Rove’s MasterClass is like a detailed guide to understanding how politics work.

They talk about elections, messages, and how to plan things. The class is good because both of them are experienced in politics, and they explain things well.

It’s a useful class for people who want to know more about politics or how important decisions are made. Whether you’re really into politics or just curious, this MasterClass is a great way to learn from experts.

Aishwar Babber

Aishwar Babber is a passionate blogger and a digital marketer. He loves to talk and blog about the latest tech and gadgets, which motivates him to run GizmoBase. He is currently practicing his digital marketing, SEO, and SMO expertise as a full-time marketer on various projects. He is an active investor in AffiliateBay. You can find him on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook.

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