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I Can Tell…

A Field Guide to the American Political Animal — by Tell, Not by Type

“I knew the second you ordered.”

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by Vance Davis · writing as The Double Agent

A comic field guide to telling Democrats from Republicans — not by what they believe, but by the tiny, learned tells: the smile that's an argument, the throat-clear before the hot take, the vest. Read the whole thing, free.

Contents

  1. The Disclaimer 2 min
  2. A Note from the Double Agent 3 min
  3. How to Use This Field Guide 3 min
  4. Chapter 1 I Can Tell by the Smile 6 min
  5. Chapter 2 The Eyebrow Report 5 min
  6. Chapter 3 Micro-Expressions & the Reaction Shot 5 min
  7. Chapter 4 The Vocabulary Tells 4 min
  8. Chapter 5 The Soft Opening 5 min
  9. Chapter 6 Catchphrases & Verbal Tics 5 min
  10. Chapter 7 Cadence & Pitch 5 min
  11. Chapter 8 Volume & the Room 5 min
  12. Chapter 9 The Hands 5 min
  13. Chapter 10 Posture & Stance 5 min
  14. Chapter 11 The Uniform 5 min
  15. Chapter 12 The Footwear Doctrine 4 min
  16. Chapter 13 The Props 5 min
  17. Chapter 14 Native Environments 5 min
  18. Chapter 15 The Curated Shelf 5 min
  19. Chapter 16 Identification in the Wild 4 min
  20. Chapter 17 Common Misidentifications 4 min
  21. Chapter 18 The Tell You Can't Hide 5 min
  22. Appendix A Glossary of Tells 4 min
  23. The Double Agent's Apology 2 min

About the Author

Portrait of Vance Davis

Vance Davis

Vance Davis is an engineer, woodworker, and memoirist whose work explores the many ways people build—systems, furniture, relationships, and lives. Guided by a lifelong appreciation for craftsmanship, he believes the things we create often reveal who we are. Whether writing about technology, making with his hands, or reflecting on life's defining moments, he is drawn to work that values precision, curiosity, and the complexity of being human.