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So Goes the Nation
A little over two weeks ago, Joe Gandelman published a review of the documentary So Goes The Nation. It’s a great review, that convinced me that this was one documentary I had to watch.
Joe, being the generous guy he is, asked me whether I would like to get it from him. He sent it to me shortly afterwards and… I received it in the mail a couple of days ago and watched it yesterday evening. Joe’s review is so good that I haven’t got much to add (to it). In short: this is one great documentary. If you wonder, every now and then, how political campaigns are organized, what tricks are used etc. So Goes the Nation is a must watch.
A couple of “lessons” the Dems had to learn, as So Goes the Nation proves: you’ve got to communicate one clear message, not several. One should be able to summarize that message in one sentence. Second, do not be afraid to attack your opponents. The Democrats did some polling, the results showed that ‘swing voters’ did not like negative ads. So, the Democrats thought “lets not do a lot of negative campaigning”. Major mistake: as Republican ‘masters of propaganda’ said, “people lie”. They might say they don’t like negative ads, but guess what, they work nonetheless.
Third, one has to approach elections as a war, not merely as an ideological battle. It’s a war and, in love and war everything is allowed. Sadly, so this documentary shows, it is not about good policy suggestions, it is about winning. If you want to win, you must not be afraid to use serious issues for political gain. The best campaigners (not the candidates, but the professional campaigners, the staff) concentrate on winning, and winning only. Not formulating good policy.
Those were just a couple of points, there is much more to this DVD, for that, you really have to read Joe’s post and, well, you just have to watch So Goes the Nation.
3 Responses to “So Goes the Nation”
MvdG- I haven’t seen the DVD, but would hate to think that Joe is right, because the ends-justifies-the-means mentality is one of the things that turns me off the most about the GOP. All-out war degenerates into dirty politics and polarizes the two parties even more than they already are. When I vote, I hope I’m voting for someone who can actually win, but mostly am interested in problem-solving- so I do look at their policies. It is truly discouraging to hear that this DVD paints this as the Dem’s biggest weakness. I agree about the message,however, and think that Kerry in particular was too detailed and nuanced for voters, while Bush has a simple message- most who voted for him liked his personality.
One clear message? The problem is that the fundamental differences between the republican party and the democrat party are so incredibly divergent, that “one clear message” will never suffice. I disagree. Every difference must be high-lighted. Furthermore, I think the results of the midterm elections proved that a massive shift in the national constituency’s political confidence has occurred. The momentum is now rapidly to the left erasing decades of gradual gains on the right.
The one clear issue is; Which party has the desire and ability to lead America in the direction Americans want to go. Not just where they can be lead or persuaded to go.
I’m wondering if we are so polarized that 50% think the Democrats have better policies,while the other 50% believe in the GOP’s platform. Of course there are the swing voters, but I find it discomforting that our last 2 presidential elections were so close. Maybe it is too difficult to bridge the gap, so that most people will feel we are headed in the right direction, and that their government’s priorities are mostly representative of their own- I haven’t felt that way for at least 6 years.