Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Straight For The Heart

Paul Freedman at Slate makes a good case that Terrorism was the real deciding issue in the election. It just might be so. But whether it's "moral values" or terrorism, one thing is certain: the better man for the job based on either criteria lost.

Don't get me wrong. Josef Göeb--er, Karl Rove did a great job rallying the people behind Orwellian slogans and cryptic buzzwords. After all, they repeatedly assert their superior ability to read the people, over in that far-right crowd. Perhaps they actually do a better job knowing the people, perhaps just simplifying their arguements. I think they just learned a long time ago a fundamental truth that liberals and progressives have always known, never forgotten, and never missed an opportunity to lord over the illiterate masses who don't understand: they cannot win an ideological battle for the minds of the people. The progressive arguement is just too compelling. From a neck-up standpoint, belief in the cause of the left is inevitable.

But the demagogues of the right did something back then, that progressives must do now: suck it up and move on, prefereably with a new and better strategy for winning the political arena. They did it by changing strategy; they stopped trying to win people's minds, and started trying to win people's hearts (more on how they won America's heart later). And it has worked beyond any measure that could be anticipated. They are in control of Congress, the Presidency, and soon the Supreme Court. And now it's time for these folks to put their money where their collective mouth is. In other words, to step in it big-time.

See, the issue is not whether these guys are truly more morally centered, or tougher on terrorism, but that they told the people so, and in such a way as to make a majority of them believe it. But because they were successful in selling the brand, now they face the inevitable backlash when the product doesn't live up to the hype (Think XFL). Here is the conversation:

"Hey, I thought you guys were tough on terror! So how come there's more terrorists now than there were before 9/11?"

"I thought you cared about the small business owner! How come it's less affordable for me to run my shop now than it was under Clinton?"

"You said you wanted to give me tax relief, but my tax relief is less taxable wages! What gives?"

"You said you value human life! So why can't Gramma get affordable medicine? And how come the cure for Uncle Pete's palsy comes from Switzerland?"

We'll see how the second season goes.

Meanwhile, the left has been struck by proverbial lightning. See, now we know how to win the body politic. We know the people need to know our hearts. They need to know that the Democratic leadership "feels their pain." They need to know that there is real concern there, that their best interests are shared by the Democrats in office. I know already that it's there, that's why I voted Democrat, but there is still a hard sell for the American people. But there are two distinct advantages for the Democrats.

First, there isn't a whole lot of selling to do. Between 45% and 50% of Americans in Virginia, Colorado, Nevada, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa and New Mexico are already sold. Plus the 47% in Florida and 49% in Ohio that see the light. That's 103 electoral votes essentially up for grabs. And Arizona and North Carolina aren't far behind. So all it takes is 10% of the old brand buyers switching their moral detergent, to get that critical majority market share. And a sweeping call for a new direction in a bold, forthright America that will clean up it's mess and walk the talk on "moral values."

Which brings up the second big advantage. Our product is a far superior stain remover.

Get scrubbin'.

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