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-{{ovation.company}}Straight Talk Politics — What’s Really Going On.
Veteran GOP Strategist Mike Murphy breaks it all down as only a real insider who’s been behind the curtain in American politics really can. The lead consultant for Sen. John McCain’s 2000 Straight Talk Express, Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger’s California Recall, as well as for numerous other GOP leaders like Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and many more, Murphy gives a highly informed and hilariously entertaining back room look at how campaigns and politics really work. A veteran of five Republican Presidential campaigns and dozens of successful Senate and Gubernatorial races, Murphy has an entertaining style that both entertains and informs. As a Leader of Republican Voters Against Trump, yet still a loyal Republican, Murphy sees the current divided nature of American politics from both sides, with his trademark No Spin honesty, understanding of data and long experience running political campaigns all over the world. Known for his trademark humor, Murphy both entertains and informs audiences with his many hilarious stories from backstage on the campaign trail. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents will all enjoy Murphy’s tour through what happened in 2020 and where American politics is going right now; from the fight inside the GOP, the future of Donald Trump, the Biden Presidency and the future of the Democratic party and the big issues that will drive tomorrow’s political landscape.
Politics and Pop Culture: The New Rules of Politics in the Internet Age
For years, well known GOP political strategist Mike Murphy has led a double-life! While you may know him as a popular analyst for NBC News and a former TIME columnist, or as the political consultant behind iconic campaigns like John McCain’s 2000 Straight Talk Express, Arnold Schwartzenegger’s historic election as Governor of California, or successful races for Governors like Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush, Murphy is also a Hollywood writer and producer! He’s written jokes for Dennis Miller and sold TV and movie projects to HBO, CBS, 20th Century Fox and others. (Recently he created a new CBS prime time TV pilot being shot in 2021 staring Patrick Dempsey and set in the U.S. House of Representatives.)
Drawing on his background in politics and entertainment, Murphy offers a funny and fascinating journey through the growing connection between pop culture and politics: from Arnold’s evolution from Terminator to Governator, The Trump Reality Show Presidency, and now, in the age of Snapchat, Twitter and Streaming Media, what the future may hold, or can Kardashian Fit on a Bumper Sticker.
As co-director of the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future, Murphy closely follows the emerging trends of American Politics. With his trademark humor and deep understanding of both pop culture and campaigns, Murphy takes audiences on an entertaining and informative and hilarious journey through this new world of Pop Culture Politics. His backstage stories from Arnold’s campaign and other famous efforts will keep audiences laughing, and learning, as he analyzed what the Trump Presidency may tell us about the future and how technology is powering so much of this change.
Healthcare Politics: the Mega-Issue
From Hillarycare to Obamacare to today, no issue looms bigger in American politics than healthcare. Veteran GOP strategist Mike Murphy takes audiences on an information journey about how we got here on healthcare politics and where the debate may be going. From Washington DC to Statehouses, no one domestic issue drives American politics more than healthcare. With his trademark humor, Murphy examines how healthcare became America’s mega-issue, what trends are driving this and where the healthcare debate is heading during the Biden Presidency. What new issues will emerge? How will Republicans devise a new healthcare agenda? What is the future of the ACA? Murphy examines all these key subjects in a highly entertaining presentation mixing political stories, backstage campaign insight, polling data and issue knowledge that will be interesting to Democrats, Republican and Independents. A familiar face, Murphy is a long time analyst for NBC News, a former TIME Columnist and the co-director for the USC Center for the Political Future where he heads the Health Care Politics Initiative.
Hacks on Tap Podcast with Mike Murphy & David Axelrod
When David Axelrod and Mike Murphy get together to talk politics, it’s not academic. They speak from the perspective gained through hundreds of campaigns for offices from City Hall to the White House. So if you want to know what’s really going on behind the scenes, where strategic decisions are being made, pull up a stool for Hacks on Tap. Incisive, sometimes uproarious and always entertaining, these political warhorses and their guests will give you insights you’ll only get from folks who have spent a lifetime in the political trenches of both parties. Check out latest episodes >>
Mike Murphy is one of the Republican Party’s most successful political media consultants, having handled strategy and advertising for more than 26 successful gubernatorial and Senatorial campaigns, including 12 wins in “blue” states that have consistently voted Democratic in Presidential elections. He served as a top campaign advisor to John McCain, Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger, along with dozens of other GOP Senators, Governors and Members of Congress. Murphy has worked on five GOP Presidential campaigns and for foreign leaders in Europe and Latin America. He also advises several Fortune 500 corporations, as well as several Hedge Funds and Trade Associations. In 2020 he served as a key strategist for Republican Voters Against Trump.
Murphy is also a widely quoted pundit; he is a longtime top analyst for NBC News and MSNBC and he co-hosts the popular podcast Hacks on Tap. In the Hacks on Tap newsletter, Murphy and Robert Gibbs share insights you'll only get from folks who have spent a lifetime in the political trenches of both parties. He’s written columns and op-ed pieces for TIME, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Bulwark. Visit Murphy's website to read his commentary >>
Murphy is currently co-director the University of Southern California’s Center for the Political Future. He serves on the boards of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. He served as a longtime senior fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs; focusing on the intersection of domestic politics and national security decision making. Murphy also works as a writer and producer in the entertainment industry with projects at HBO, CBS, and 20th Century Fox Studios.
Murphy was born in Detroit, Michigan and attended the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He lives with his wife Tiffany and daughter Audrey in Los Angeles.