Jim Duffy, a Godfather of Democratic Media
09/07/21 • 50 min
Jim Duffy is one of the Godfathers of Democratic media consultants. He joined with Raymond Strother in the mid 80s to form Strother Duffy - one of the elite Dem firms of the era. Jim cut his teeth working in New Orleans politics - for names like Moon Landrieu and Lindy Boggs, before making the move to DC as an ad-maker. As a media consultant, Jim has helped elect numerous Senators, Governors, and members of Congress - and in this conversation, he talks about the Louisiana politics of his youth, learning the nuts and bolts of campaigns in New Orleans, and his experiences and advice from four decades working in political media.
IN THIS EPISODE...
How the policies of Huey Long brought the Duffys to Louisiana...
Jim breaks down the Long / anti-Long Louisiana politics of his youth...
Jim talks the influence of Cajun voters on state politics...
Jim tells some great Edwin Edwards stories...
Jim’s first big political break by working with New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu...
Jim manages Congresswoman Lindy Boggs first competitive primary...
Jim intersects with premier Democratic media consultant Raymond Strother in 1984...
Jim talks the political consulting landscape of the 1980s...
The 1989 special election that helped put Jim on the map on his own...
Jim’s deep bench of Blue Dog clients...
Jim tells a great story of developing the message to help Buddy Roemer beat Edwin Edwards...
Jim’s advice to those entering the media business...
Jim pays a compliment to a Republican’s ability to message...
Jim’s pitch for people to work in politics...
AND...Roger Ailes, Matt Angle, Beryl Anthony, Doug Bailey, Sidney Barthelemy, Lloyd Bentsen, Hale Boggs, Lindy Boggs, Jim Brown, Bud Cramer, the Delta Airline Crown Room, David Duke, Joyce Elliot, Martin Frost, Pete Geren, Bob Goodman, Al Gore, Charles Guggenheim, Bill Hamilton, Peter Hart, Blanche Lincoln, Bob Livingston, Russell Long, Louisiana State Normal College, Bill McCuen, message delivery systems, LF Payne, Leander Perez, Mark Putnam, David Sawyer, Ronnie Shows, Bob Squier, Charlie Stenholm, Strother Duffy Strother, Blaze Starr, Billy Tauzin, Wayne State University, Jim Wright & MORE!
Jim Duffy is one of the Godfathers of Democratic media consultants. He joined with Raymond Strother in the mid 80s to form Strother Duffy - one of the elite Dem firms of the era. Jim cut his teeth working in New Orleans politics - for names like Moon Landrieu and Lindy Boggs, before making the move to DC as an ad-maker. As a media consultant, Jim has helped elect numerous Senators, Governors, and members of Congress - and in this conversation, he talks about the Louisiana politics of his youth, learning the nuts and bolts of campaigns in New Orleans, and his experiences and advice from four decades working in political media.
IN THIS EPISODE...
How the policies of Huey Long brought the Duffys to Louisiana...
Jim breaks down the Long / anti-Long Louisiana politics of his youth...
Jim talks the influence of Cajun voters on state politics...
Jim tells some great Edwin Edwards stories...
Jim’s first big political break by working with New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu...
Jim manages Congresswoman Lindy Boggs first competitive primary...
Jim intersects with premier Democratic media consultant Raymond Strother in 1984...
Jim talks the political consulting landscape of the 1980s...
The 1989 special election that helped put Jim on the map on his own...
Jim’s deep bench of Blue Dog clients...
Jim tells a great story of developing the message to help Buddy Roemer beat Edwin Edwards...
Jim’s advice to those entering the media business...
Jim pays a compliment to a Republican’s ability to message...
Jim’s pitch for people to work in politics...
AND...Roger Ailes, Matt Angle, Beryl Anthony, Doug Bailey, Sidney Barthelemy, Lloyd Bentsen, Hale Boggs, Lindy Boggs, Jim Brown, Bud Cramer, the Delta Airline Crown Room, David Duke, Joyce Elliot, Martin Frost, Pete Geren, Bob Goodman, Al Gore, Charles Guggenheim, Bill Hamilton, Peter Hart, Blanche Lincoln, Bob Livingston, Russell Long, Louisiana State Normal College, Bill McCuen, message delivery systems, LF Payne, Leander Perez, Mark Putnam, David Sawyer, Ronnie Shows, Bob Squier, Charlie Stenholm, Strother Duffy Strother, Blaze Starr, Billy Tauzin, Wayne State University, Jim Wright & MORE!
Previous Episode
Ellen Malcolm, founder of EMILY's List, on Women Winning
Ellen Malcolm helped found EMILY's List in 1985 and then served as EL’s President for 25 years. It’s hard to think of an organization over the last 30+ years that has changed politics more than EMILY's List, dramatically increasing the number of Democratic women in the both the Senate and the House. In this conversation, Ellen talks about how her early stops at places like Common Cause and the National Women’s Political Caucus prepared her to help found, launch, and grow EMILY's List. And Ellen outlines the key moments, decisions, and campaigns that have forged the successful political institution EMILY's List has become.
IN THIS EPISODE
Ellen grows up in a Republican household...
The cause and candidate that pulled Ellen into progressive politics...
Ellen cuts her teeth at Common Cause and the National Women’s Political Caucus...
Ellen comes out of the philanthropic closet...
The one Senate race in 1982 that was the catalyst for the creation for EMILYs List...
Geraldine Ferraro’s role in energizing the women’s political movement...
How “pro-choice” and “Democratic” became integral to EMILYs List mission...
Ellen’s memorable first meeting with then newly-elected Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi...
Barbara Mikulski and EMILYs List make history in 1986...
The 1988 House race that became a prototype what would soon be EMILYs List political department...
Ellen remembers her deep emotional investment in Ann Richards races in Texas...
The 1992 “Year of the Woman” changes the trajectory of EMILYs List...
The 2004 House race that became a model of how EMILYs List tries to operate...
After 25 years as President of EL, how Ellen knew it was time to pass the torch...
Ellen’s advice for new or smaller organizations that want to be the next EL...
AND 12-2 meetings, 60 Minutes, Tammy Baldwin, Lindy Boggs, Mary Beth Cahill, chain letters, Common Cause, John Danforth, donor networks, Dwight Eisenhower, the ERA fight, Anna Eshoo, John Gardner, Jane Hickey, Anita Hill, Eugene McCarthy, Walter Mondale, Gwen Moore, NOW, Mary Rose Oakar, David Obey, Tip O’Neil, Jen Pihlaja, Sally Ride, Run to Win, Stephanie Schriock, Wendy Sherman, Simon & Garfunkel, Martha Smiley, Lael Stegall, Adlai Stevenson, Clarence Thomas, Jolene Unsoeld, Willi Unsoeld, Watergate, Henrietta Windom, Harriet Woods...& MORE!
Next Episode
The Rise of Raghu Devaguptapu
Not many people have a story in politics like Raghu Devaguptapu...son of Indian immigrants, making the jump from touring with a band to working in politics, working at the upper echelons of both state and national politics, and then co-founding his own media firm. This is a great conversation talking through Raghu's early life, key moments in his career, and insight and advice from a one-of-a-kind career in politics.
IN THIS EPISODE...
Raghu grows up in Wisconsin as the son of immigrants straddling the worlds of being both American and Indian...
Raghu’s connection an Indian political luminary...
Raghu’s early forays “organizing” college parties creates an entre to political organizing...
Raghu’s time as a singer in the alt-rock scene in the Midwest...
Raghu’s Wisconsin Politics 101...
Raghu learns important lessons on Russ Feingold’s Senate campaign...
Raghu comes into his own running the WI State House Caucus...
Raghu learns important lessons while finding himself in the middle of a political scandal...
Raghu goes national working on state legislatives at the DLCC...
Raghu’s critical time at the DGA and AFSCME’s IE...
Raghu makes the jump to ad-making at the Adelstein Liston media firm...
Raghu helps elect the first Indian American to Congress in 50 years...
Raghu learns important lessons working for Congressman Mike Honda...
Why and how Raghu co-founds his own media firm Left Hook...
Raghu talks how Left Hook helped elect Mark Kelly to the US Senate...
Raghu weighs in on how to run smarter campaigns...
AND Eric Adelstein, George Aldrich, appropriate engagement models, Ami Bera, David Bergstein, Big Wheel, Tanya Bjork, Anthony Carter, Jen Cox, Michael Davies, economic diasporas, Ricky Feller, the Fox Valley, Lisa Grove, Lucinda Guinn, Brandon Hall, Danny Kazin, Kennedy Democrats, Lake Winnebago, the Lion of Andrha, Ann Liston, Operation Sting, Optic Box, Rachel Ostendorf, powder-keg questions, the Salt March, Larry Scanlon, Soul Asylum, Tom Petri, Tanguturi Prakasam, Scott Tyre, Josh Wachs, Wandering Aimlessly, the William D. Ford direct lending program, Josh Wolf, & more!
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/pro-politics-with-zac-mccrary-227965/jim-duffy-a-godfather-of-democratic-media-25822420"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to jim duffy, a godfather of democratic media on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy