{"id":2304,"date":"2020-09-30T10:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T17:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/veteran-campaign-consultants-bob-shrum-and-mike-murphy-talk-politics\/"},"modified":"2024-07-29T11:09:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T18:09:49","slug":"republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/","title":{"rendered":"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                          \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Robert Shrum and Mike Murphy have spent decades working for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, yet they remain fast friends. (Image Source: iStock\/traffic_analyzer.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=faculty\">Faculty<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  The long-time friends and now leaders of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future still argue about affairs of state 30 years after forming an unlikely friendship across the ideological aisle. But they do agree on one thing. <strong>[8\u00bd min read]<\/strong>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Lance Ignon<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">September 30, 2020<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 1.058837 1.0874543 2.51831502 1.6884158 4.03502747 1.6884158 1.44087681 0 2.80427251-.5423678 3.86936601-1.5289606l.1656615-.1594552 2.2321428-2.2321428-1.6311813-1.6311813-2.2321429 2.26076c-.6581959.658196-1.5167124 1.0016026-2.43246332 1.0016026s-1.7742674-.3434066-2.43246337-1.0016026c-.65819597-.6581959-1.00160257-1.5167124-1.00160257-2.4324633 0-.8547009.2991453-1.6595442.87416905-2.2981957l.12743352-.1342677 2.23214286-2.2321429zm6.88661855-.40736607-5.26116068 5.26116075 1.61881868 1.6188186 5.2611607-5.2611607zm1.3837569-5.54501488c-1.4408768 0-2.8042725.54236779-3.869366 1.52896062l-.1656615.15945513-2.23214282 2.23214286 1.63118132 1.63118132 2.2321429-2.23214286c.6581959-.65819597 1.5167124-1.00160256 2.4324633-1.00160256s1.7742674.34340659 2.4324634 1.00160256 1.0016026 1.51671246 1.0016026 2.43246337c0 .85470089-.2991453 1.65954419-.8741691 2.29819559l-.1274335.1342678-2.2321429 2.2321428 1.5739469 1.5739469 2.2321429-2.2321428c1.0874542-1.058837 1.6884157-2.5183151 1.6884157-4.03502751 0-1.51671245-.6009615-2.94757326-1.6884157-4.03502747-1.058837-1.08745421-2.518315-1.68841575-4.0350275-1.68841575z\" transform=\"translate(-3 -3)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Copy Link<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#facebook\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Facebook\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_facebook\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m23.9512 6h-16.9024c-.57923625 0-1.0488.46956375-1.0488 1.0488v16.9024c0 .5792362.46956375 1.0488 1.0488 1.0488h9.10024v-7.34768h-2.46772v-2.87584h2.46772v-2.11508c0-2.45404 1.49872-3.79012 3.68828-3.79012.7389668-.00263323 1.4775241.03516995 2.21236.11324v2.56348h-1.51392c-1.18788 0-1.4174.56544-1.4174 1.39612v1.8316h2.84772l-.37088 2.87584h-2.47684v7.34844h4.83284c.5792362 0 1.0488-.4695638 1.0488-1.0488v-16.9024c0-.57923625-.4695638-1.0488-1.0488-1.0488z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -6)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Facebook<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#twitter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"X\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_twitter\">\n              <svg version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\"\n\t y=\"0px\" viewBox=\"0 0 30 30\" enable-background=\"new 0 0 30 30\" xml:space=\"preserve\" width=\"19\" height=\"19\">\n<path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M14.5,16.2l-0.8-1.1l-6.3-9h2.7l5.1,7.3l0.8,1.1\n\tl6.6,9.4h-2.7L14.5,16.2L14.5,16.2z M16.9,13.4l7.4-8.7h-1.8l-6.5,7.5L11,4.8H5l7.8,11.4L5,25.2h1.8l6.8-7.9l5.5,7.9h6L16.9,13.4\n\tL16.9,13.4z\"\/>\n<\/svg>\n\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">X<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#linkedin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Linkedin\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_linkedin\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m25 21.4220779c0 1.974026-1.6038961 3.5779221-3.5779221 3.5779221h-11.84415582c-1.97402598 0-3.57792208-1.6038961-3.57792208-3.5779221v-11.84415582c0-1.97402598 1.6038961-3.57792208 3.57792208-3.57792208h11.84415582c1.974026 0 3.5779221 1.6038961 3.5779221 3.57792208zm-14.5584416-12.21428569c-.98701295 0-1.60389606.61688311-1.60389606 1.48051949-.12337663.8636364.49350649 1.4805195 1.48051946 1.4805195.987013 0 1.6038961-.6168831 1.6038961-1.4805195 0-.86363638-.6168831-1.48051949-1.4805195-1.48051949zm1.3571429 12.70779219v-8.6363636h-2.83766234v8.6363636zm10.2402597 0v-4.9350649c0-2.5909091-1.3571428-3.8246753-3.3311688-3.8246753-1.4805195 0-2.0974026.8636363-2.4675325 1.4805194v-1.2337662h-2.8376623v8.6363636h2.8376623v-4.9350649c0-.2467532 0-.4935065.1233767-.7402597.1233766-.4935065.6168831-.987013 1.4805194-.987013.987013 0 1.4805195.7402597 1.4805195 1.974026v4.564935z\" transform=\"translate(-6 -6)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">LinkedIn<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_bluesky\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#bluesky\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Bluesky\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_bluesky\">\n              <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\">\n                <path fill=\"#00000\" d=\"M12 10.8c-1.087-2.114-4.046-6.053-6.798-7.995C2.566.944 1.561 1.266.902 1.565C.139 1.908 0 3.08 0 3.768c0 .69.378 5.65.624 6.479c.815 2.736 3.713 3.66 6.383 3.364c.136-.02.275-.039.415-.056c-.138.022-.276.04-.415.056c-3.912.58-7.387 2.005-2.83 7.078c5.013 5.19 6.87-1.113 7.823-4.308c.953 3.195 2.05 9.271 7.733 4.308c4.267-4.308 1.172-6.498-2.74-7.078a8.741 8.741 0 0 1-.415-.056c.14.017.279.036.415.056c2.67.297 5.568-.628 6.383-3.364c.246-.828.624-5.79.624-6.478c0-.69-.139-1.861-.902-2.206c-.659-.298-1.664-.62-4.3 1.24C16.046 4.748 13.087 8.687 12 10.8\"  fill-rule=\"evenodd\" \/>\n              <\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Bluesky<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                                <a class=\"a2a_button_email\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#email\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"E-mail\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_print\">\n              <svg height=\"12\" viewBox=\"0 0 18 12\" width=\"18\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu\/staff\/robert-m-shrum\/\">Bob Shrum<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu\/staff\/mike-murphy\/\">Mike Murphy<\/a> were rising political consultants when they met in the late \u201980s (maybe it was the early \u201990s; they can\u2019t remember) and embarked on what would become a lifelong friendship. Today, Shrum is director and Murphy is co-director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife-center-for-political-future.usc.edu\/about-cpf\/staff\">USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future<\/a>, which encourages civil, fact-based political dialogue to break today\u2019s partisan gridlock.<\/p>\n<p>Shrum is a lifelong Democrat who has consulted for some of the party\u2019s biggest names: Joe Biden, Al Gore, <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/2989\/john-kerry-climate-change-bipartisan-issue\/\">John Kerry<\/a> and Ted Kennedy, among many others. Murphy has been a Republican since he was old enough to vote and has advised the likes of John McCain, Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and Arnold Schwarzenegger. But Murphy, like Shrum, is also a critic of Donald Trump and is a strategic advisor to\u00a0<a title=\"Republican Voters Against Trump\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Republican_Voters_Against_Trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Republican Voters Against Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Murphy and Biden are particularly busy these days helping students and the public, through their many media appearances, sort out the forthcoming presidential election. Part of that task includes parsing the results from the widely cited USC Dornsife <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/topics\/62615\/daybreak-poll\/\">Daybreak Poll<\/a>, which pointed toward a Trump victory in 2016 but which shows Biden ahead this time.<\/p>\n<p>They took some time out of their schedules to answer a few questions about today\u2019s politics. Their political views are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Their answers have been edited for length and clarity.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Robert-Shrum-instory_vert-3320.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of Robert Shrum wearing a gray sport coat over a light blue collared shirt\" width=\"360\" height=\"560\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bob Shrum. (Photo: Matt Meindl.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>As a country are we really that much more partisan than we used to be when you started in this business?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Murphy: Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Shrum: Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Murphy: \u201cWell, we choose to be. Now you can say the system oppressed us with it, but the fact is the voters have kind of rewarded polarization while at the same time saying they hate it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shrum: \u201cI think it may get better, maybe because Trump has taken it to such a point that I think that a majority of the country is actually tired of it and would like to see people get together and make some progress. That doesn\u2019t mean there won\u2019t be disagreements on policy. There will be. And sometimes you\u2019re going to compromise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have any advice for people on how to safely discuss politics?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shrum: \u201cYou\u2019re not going to be absolutely right about everything all the time. Reagan was not my cup of tea \u2026 [but] he was a very significant president and, in many ways, a very good president. \u2026 He restored the dignity and authority of the presidency at a time when people were very uncertain about where we were going to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Murphy: \u201cMy wife [a Democrat] and I, we disagree, but we don\u2019t argue about it. My wife, who thinks A.O.C., I assume, is kind of cool and happening, doesn\u2019t bring it up because she\u2019s just bored with my eyes rolling up and all that. And I don\u2019t go into reminiscing about the fun I used to have with Mitch McConnell. You just learn to be kind of considerate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is that how your friendship works?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Murphy: \u201cNo, we disagree on everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shrum: \u201cWe talk about politics all the time. We\u2019re happy to disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Mike-Murphy-instory_vert-3320.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait of Mike Murphy wearing glasses, a dark blue suit coat, a light blue dress shirt and a gray tie with blue dots\" width=\"360\" height=\"560\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mike Murphy. (Photo: Michael Calas.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>How do we lower the political temperature in this country and mend the political divide?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Murphy: \u201cWell, my plan is to move to Singapore, where they seem to run things just to my temperament, which is a thoughtful dictatorship. We\u2019ll find out. This will either rotate and there will be a reformist urge because people don\u2019t like what they have and they get tired of it. Or they\u2019ll just settle into the warmth of living in a bubble and condemning the other side. Now, if you believe that that is inevitable, you should be worried as a Republican because the demography in the double-bubble theory does not favor us because grumpy old white guys are declining, and it\u2019s why I think Trump will lose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shrum: I\u2019d say three things. First of all, Mike\u2019s right. The Republicans are in a demographic cul-de-sac and it gets worse with each passing year. Secondly, I do believe that there is a civil majority in this country that wants government to function and wants a restoration of a kind of common decency and a sense of commitment to values. And third, we can\u2019t do this ourselves, but the Center for the Political Future can model and advance the politics where we respect each other, we respect the truth and [agree that] we\u2019re not going to find common ground on everything.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mike, as a lifelong Republican, has it been difficult for you to speak out against Trump?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Murphy: \u201cIt\u2019s been on one level quite easy because it\u2019s such an obvious choice. I\u2019ve been anti-Trump since \u201992. I don\u2019t know where all the Johnny-come-latelies came from. Now, economically, it\u2019s not been great because I blew up my career. I had an agency in D.C. that used to have over a dozen people and we don\u2019t anymore. We had to lay them all off and that\u2019s hard to do. It\u2019s not like I\u2019m getting calls from A.O.C.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What about today\u2019s politics troubles you? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Murphy: \u201cIn authoritarian regimes or the transition to them, the first target is always to destroy the idea of facts because without common-agreed facts, you don\u2019t have democracy because you\u2019ve got nothing to talk about. \u2026 My biggest worry about Trumpism is it\u2019ll catch on, on the left. I look at some of the rhetoric coming out of the heart of the progressive left and the war on facts there, and it troubles me. I\u2019m hoping they\u2019re not tested the way the Republicans are, because the Republicans failed. And that has been a horrible thing for our democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Shrum: \u201cI think if he [Biden] has a successful presidency, then I think the Democratic party is unlikely to move in that direction. But Mike\u2019s right; I see tweets every once in a while: \u2018Why can\u2019t the Democrats be like the Trumpers.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>The <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/3312\/daybreak-poll-shows-biden-leads-on-everything-but-jobs\/\">latest USC Dornsife Daybreak Poll<\/a> shows Trump with a 4-point advantage when it comes to jobs and the economy, whereas Biden leads on eight other categories including uniting the country, response to COVID-19, health care and even law enforcement. But if elections are about the economy, doesn\u2019t this mean Trump is actually leading?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Murphy: <\/strong>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t. But it means that the election becomes exclusively focused on the economy, and more than anything else, Trump will move up in the polls vis-\u00e0-vis Biden. It doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019ll move up enough to win, but the race will tighten, and it is the scenario Trump is hoping for. That\u2019s why he keeps trying to declare the COVID-19 pandemic over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shrum: \u201c<\/strong>Trump is steadily losing his advantage on the economy. And this is not a normal election because he is a profoundly abnormal President. The country wants to tell him, \u2018You\u2019re fired.\u2019 It\u2019s now up to Biden to make the case in the debates. Biden is likely to win, but it\u2019s not certain. And Trump will do anything to stop the process if he\u2019s losing. Our democracy is on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>How are students different today than when you were in college?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shrum: \u201cI think students are politically engaged in a way that we haven\u2019t seen since the late \u201960s. I think that is a byproduct of Trump to some extent, but I also think it\u2019s the rise of issues like climate change, income inequality and racial tension that has driven that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would say that a majority of the students probably in Dornsife tend \u2026 tend to be liberals, which would be very different from the USC of 20 or 30 years ago. But when I teach the course on great [presidential] races \u2026 two of the people they really, really like and relate to and say, \u2018I wish we had someone like that around now,\u2019 are JFK and Ronald Reagan. Reagan\u2019s not a bad guy to them because he was a conservative.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Murphy: \u201cI\u2019ve been struck by the spirit of activism and kind of an idealistic faith in government. I think that\u2019s all good. If I had a critique, it would be that I\u2019d love to see a little more critical thinking. When I was on campus in the \u201980s, we had spirited debates with the college Democrats. And now there\u2019s, I think, kind of a social pressure that you\u2019ve got to be on one catechism and there\u2019s virtue [in] signaling [being] attached to it. You\u2019re evil if you\u2019re not onboard. I\u2019d like to see them sharpening their minds with more argument.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>From the Mouth of Murphy to Your Ears<\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to tossing off memorable zingers, Mike Murphy can be downright <a href=\"https:\/\/www.collinsdictionary.com\/us\/dictionary\/english\/churchillian\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Churchillian<\/a>. Here are a few that surfaced during the conversation with Murphy and Robert Shrum, the co-director and director, respectively, of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, plus a few from a website that tracks <i>bon mot<\/i>aficionados.<\/p>\n<p><strong>From the conversation:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Political consultants \u201cused to be a pretty small group of people that were doing the major statewide campaigns. So, it was kind of the ear lobe surgeon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI grew up in a Democratic family. Well, my father was an eccentric voter who hated Texans. He actually voted for Goldwater against LBJ.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have never, with maybe one exception, ever met anybody in the U.S. Senate who tells me, \u2018You know what I\u2019m dying to do? Make a few principled stands and lose.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m like a pseudo-Democrat right now because I\u2019m for Biden. I like to say, \u2018I\u2019m going to rent, not buy.\u2019 I\u2019m a conservative.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>From <\/strong><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/quotepark.com\/authors\/mike-murphy-political-consultant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">QuotePark<\/a>:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy story is very boring. Mostly about hair loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve got to break this equation of \u2018I\u2019m right, you\u2019re evil. So everything you do is suspect, everything you say is a lie, your facts are fake news.\u2019 Because that is an acid on politics. We\u2019ve got to get rid of that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny good demagogue is very courageously telling people exactly what they want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m too pretty to go to jail.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe only mark-to-market thing in politics is Election Day; everything else is hot air.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy father likes to talk about the stroller accident that resulted in me becoming a Republican.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The long-time friends and now leaders of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future still argue about affairs of state 30 years after forming an unlikely friendship across the ideological aisle. But they do agree on one thing. <strong>[8\u00bd min read]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,50],"tags":[503],"class_list":["post-2304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty","category-politics","tag-center-for-the-political-future"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The long-time friends and now leaders of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future still argue about affairs of state 30 years after forming an unlikely friendship across the ideological aisle. But they do agree on one thing. [8\u00bd min read]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"USC Dornsife News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-30T17:20:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-29T18:09:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michael Liu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uscdornsife\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uscdornsife\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Michael Liu\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447\"},\"headline\":\"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-30T17:20:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-29T18:09:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/\"},\"wordCount\":10,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"center for the political future\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Faculty\",\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/\",\"name\":\"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-30T17:20:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-07-29T18:09:49+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg\",\"width\":1520,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/\",\"name\":\"USC Dornsife News\",\"description\":\"USC Dornsife news and events\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"USC Dornsife News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/USC-Dornsife-Cardinal-Black-on-White-RGB.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/USC-Dornsife-Cardinal-Black-on-White-RGB.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":330,\"caption\":\"USC Dornsife News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/uscdornsife\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uscdornsife\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/USCCollege\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/uscdornsife\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447\",\"name\":\"Michael Liu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16962c8d3900280cb2e47f931ab45f9c2432ea07c167e9c00a6c2f8a0ec3d61f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16962c8d3900280cb2e47f931ab45f9c2432ea07c167e9c00a6c2f8a0ec3d61f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Michael Liu\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/author\/liumk\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics","og_description":"The long-time friends and now leaders of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future still argue about affairs of state 30 years after forming an unlikely friendship across the ideological aisle. But they do agree on one thing. [8\u00bd min read]","og_url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/","og_site_name":"USC Dornsife News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife","article_published_time":"2020-09-30T17:20:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-07-29T18:09:49+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1520,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michael Liu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uscdornsife","twitter_site":"@uscdornsife","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/"},"author":{"name":"Michael Liu","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447"},"headline":"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics","datePublished":"2020-09-30T17:20:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-29T18:09:49+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/"},"wordCount":10,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg","keywords":["center for the political future"],"articleSection":["Faculty","Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/","name":"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg","datePublished":"2020-09-30T17:20:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-07-29T18:09:49+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3320.jpg","width":1520,"height":1000,"caption":"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/republican-democratic-consultants-shrum-murphy-friendship\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Veteran campaign consultants Bob Shrum and Mike Murphy talk politics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/","name":"USC Dornsife News","description":"USC Dornsife news and events","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#organization","name":"USC Dornsife News","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/USC-Dornsife-Cardinal-Black-on-White-RGB.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/01\/USC-Dornsife-Cardinal-Black-on-White-RGB.jpg","width":1000,"height":330,"caption":"USC Dornsife News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uscdornsife","https:\/\/x.com\/uscdornsife","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uscdornsife\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/USCCollege","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/uscdornsife"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d03084ed5319ed7575c96017879a7447","name":"Michael Liu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16962c8d3900280cb2e47f931ab45f9c2432ea07c167e9c00a6c2f8a0ec3d61f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/16962c8d3900280cb2e47f931ab45f9c2432ea07c167e9c00a6c2f8a0ec3d61f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Michael Liu"},"url":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/author\/liumk\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2304"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20834,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2304\/revisions\/20834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}