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Our seminar will offer an inside look at the 2006 race for the US Senate from Connecticut. We will focus on the increasing role of the internet, the blogs, and interest groups, and their impact on the political process- all at the expense of the political parties. Our seminar will analyze old and new media, the role of lobbyists and interest groups in influencing elections and legislation, and the future of political parties. Most seminars will feature guests representing two different points of view and we expect you to join the debate. After hearing from many of the different players who were on the field for the 2006 campaign, we will conclude with a strategy meeting with the top strategists for the Lieberman and Lamont campaigns, how the played their cards pre and post primary, and what they learned heading into the 2008 elections.

Finally, as someone who started up a business from scratch, I am most comfortable with an outsider's or entrepreneur's perspective on these old debates- union versus entrepreneur, moderate versus extreme, dove versus hawk, ethnic politics and media manipulation- as we try to reach some consensus for action. This is not only an insider’s look at an upstart campaign, but a commentary on how we make our political choices and the implications for our country.

2/15: The Business Plan

Most new businesses start with a business plan, which includes a detailed analysis of the product, the market, the risks and opportunities, and projections about the future. How is planning a campaign different? What is our product and who are we selling to? This first seminar will decipher the most salient issue of our campaign, the war in Iraq- how did it play to different constituencies, pre and post primary?

2/22: Beyond parties: the interest groups

One of the most important lobbies in America is AICPAC, the America Israeli Public Affairs Committee, with over 100,000 members "working to make Israel more secure by ensuring that America's support remains strong." Blogs such as MyDD.com feature posts which decry the role of 'special interests' in American politics as they facilitate a grass roots 'discussion' on the issue of the day. Derek Schulman is New England director for AICPAC and Matt Stoller is a leading blogger on MyDD. They both followed the Connecticut Senate campaign from very different points of view. We will discuss ethnicity, blogs and interest groups and how they impacted the 2006 campaign, and what to expect in 2008.

3/1: Liberal or conservative, Republican or Democrat- how important are these labels in today's political marketplace and how can they be manipulated to political advantage?

The 2006 Senate campaign featured a Republican nominee with little party support, a Democratic nominee who was strongly opposed by the party establishment throughout the primary, and an independent candidate with party support on both sides of the aisle. Our guests include Stephanie Cutter, spokesperson for the Kerry for President campaign and a strategist for the Lamont campaign, and Tom D'Amore, who has served as Chair of the Republican Party in Connecticut, Chair of the Connecticut Party (an independent party which elected Lowell Weicker as governor), and Co-Chair of the Lamont campaign.

3/8 Media: Paid and Unpaid

The campaign message must be reinforced by the paid and unpaid media. How does a campaign frame a message and how does the unpaid media (journalists) respond? The proliferation of unpaid media outlets- newspapers, blogs, radio, broadcast and cable television- each address different audiences in different ways. Our guests include Carl Cameron, who is Fox News political reporter. Fox has been at the forefront of blending online- talk radio-and television , and blending news and commentary. Bill Hillsman was the media strategist for Paul Wellstone, Ralph Nader, Jesse Ventura and Ned Lamont. Watch the ads and prepared to discuss the why and the wherefore.

3/15 Unions-entrepreneurs, free trade and fair trade

What is the role of unions in an increasingly competitive world economy? Connecticut is a state which has lost 1/2 of its manufacturing jobs over the last twenty years, and it is a state which relies heavily on its hi-tech and export oriented businesses. Is there any middle ground? Guests will feature the head of a major union and a leading venture capitalist.

3/22 Lobbyists: Pros and Cons

There are approximately 60 registered lobbyists for every congressman spending on average $400,000/month per congressman in an attempt to influence legislation. Ted Kratovil is a longtime lobbyist for UST, formerly known as US Tobacco. David Sirota is a blogger and author of Hostile Takeover, How Big Money and Corruption Conquered our Government. Do lobbyists corrupt or educate our politicians?

4/5: Education Reform and the teacher's unions

Teachers' unions have been vilified for standing in the way of fundamental education reform, and cheered for championing more support for public education. Our guests may include Sharon Palmer, President of the American Federation of Teachers in Connecticut, and a leading provider of charter schools.

4/12: The Liberman-Lamont campaign: blow by blow

We have heard from the interest groups, the party leaders, the media strategists, the old and new media; how did the campaigns strategize and react? Dan Gerstein, chief strategist and spokesman for the Connecticut for Lieberman campaign, will plot how the Lieberman campaign recovered from their upset defeat in the primary to a victory in November. George Jepsen, co chair of the Lamont campaign, will paint the opposite picture.