

The Strategists
Stephen Carter, Corey Hogan, Zain Velji
Professional unprofessional strategists Stephen Carter, Corey Hogan and Zain Velji dissect the news of the day, pass judgment on strategy choices and lift back the curtain on how decisions are made. Described as "the least deliberate podcast of all time", "shockingly insightful" and "sports talk radio for politics". Not sponsored by Flair Airlines. Get Thursday episodes and bonus content on Patreon at strategistspatreon.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 20, 2025 • 45min
Episode 1869: The World Famous Annalise and Carter Show
Annalise Klingbeil and Stephen Carter kick off their world famous podcast series (hosted by The Strategists Podcast Network). They begin by exploring the wonders of the outdoors before trying to explain what exactly IS going on in Alberta. Is the age of scandal over? How serious is the separatist threat? And is Carter really going to be the new CFO of The Strategists Media Corporation? Annalise asks questions, except when Carter decides to turn the tables and ask some of his own. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 13, 2025 • 53min
Episode 1868: How to Bidet a Cabinet
Stephen Carter and Zain Velji flush out the latest on Mark Carney’s cabinet unveiling. Get ready for a stream of insights on Alberta’s political expectations. How refreshing does this new cabinet need to be? Do the Liberals need to spray away all traces of the previous government? And will Carter ever stay in a different hotel ever again? Annalise Klingbeil asks questions, Zain and Carter do their best to dodge. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 7, 2025 • 1h 6min
Episode 1867: Capitulation and separation
Stephen Carter and Zain Velji discuss Mark Carney's transformative visit to the White House. Then it's off to tackle issues closer to home in Alberta. What's the final grade on Carney's performance? What's the strategy behind stoking the separatist sentiment in Alberta. And will anyone pay Carter's speaking fee again after visiting invitecartertospeak.com? Annalise Klingbeil picks the questions, and sometimes even gets answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 3, 2025 • 1h 24min
Episode 1866: MP Hogan
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter face their toughest accountability session ever as they dissect the strategy behind the campaign for one Corey Hogan. They go over what worked (everything) and what didn't (nothing) and get into lessons learned along the way. Was this the perfect campaign? Is ground game truly dead? Is Carter actually good at his job? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 28, 2025 • 1h 4min
Episode 1865: April Fools!
Stephen Carter and Zain Velji finally expose the truth behind the Corey Hogan campaign. The gang discusses how "star" candidates affect volunteer turnout, before diving into a retrospective on the national campaigns. What were the highlights? What were the lowlights? Any why does Zain have such a soft spot for Jagmeet? Corey isn't getting any sleep tonight, but Annalise is here to ask questions and maybe get answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 22, 2025 • 1h 8min
Episode 1863: Going soft
Zain Velji and Stephen Carter talk political ads, platforms, and predictions. With more unsolicited advice for the campaigns than you can shake a Kory Teneycke at. Are party platforms still relevant? Why are everyone's ads so bad right now? And should you contact your doctor if the urge to vote conservative lasts more than 4 hours? Annalise does her best, but Zain and Carter have other ideas. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 14, 2025 • 49min
Episode 1861: Dirty deeds
Zain Velji and Stephen Carter discuss "Buttongate" and how the parties should handle it. Then it's on to talking about recent polling developments before ending off on debate prep for the leaders. Are campaign "War Rooms" still relevant? How excited should people get if the polls tighten? And what skulduggery is Carter saving for his memoirs? Corey Hogan is out knocking on doors in the dead of night. Zain and Stephen feed the content machine as best they can. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 8, 2025 • 51min
Episode 1859: Accountability isn't just a river in Egypt
Zain Velji and Stephen Carter discuss Stephen's recent campaign loss in the Vancouver by-election before turning attention to the federal election campaign. Oh, wait - Corey is here too? For the start? Well, he probably wants something. Let's see what it is. Maybe he'll stick around to hear about how Carter lost. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 2, 2025 • 21min
Episode 1857: Candidate Hogan
Corey Hogan is allegedly the new Liberal candidate in Calgary Confederation. Up is down, down is up. Zain and Stephen assemble to ask if this happened, how this happened, and to create as much chaos as possible. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Apr 1, 2025 • 1h 3min
Episode 1856: Boxed out
Corey Hogan and Stephen Carter discuss whether the ballot question is set, if public criticisms of the Conservative campaign are sincerely well intentioned, and how Jagmeet Singh can get back into the game. Is affordability doomed to be just one bullet under a bigger issue called "Trump"? Can early public discussion about campaign challenges strengthen a campaign? And why is Zain not buying domains somehow more dangerous than Zain buying domains? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


