I don’t like arguing politics. Mostly because I’m about as far to the left as you can possibly be. I know that the majority of people don’t agree with me, and I’m fine with that. Truth be told, I enjoy it. To quote Barney Frank, “I’m a left handed gay Jew. I’ve never been part of any majority.” And yeah, I spent two years interning in his office. Liberal bias? I sure hope so…
But we just elected a senator in Massachusetts. Maybe you’ve heard? His election was initially a longshot, and most certainly more of a symbolic campaign than anything else. How, in the name of George McGovern, could a Republican win a senatorial election to replace the seat vacated by Ted Kennedy? It couldn’t be done. It shouldn’t be done. But it happened?!?
Watching the campaign, it became obvious to me that Brown spent a lot of time cultivating his “man of the people” image. He drove a truck, and instead of a cashmere topcoat, he wore a beat-up leather barn jacket. Incidentally, that jacket retails for $675.00 but that’s not part of the story. It would sound better if he bought it at Costco while he stocked up on toilet paper and Diet Coke. You know, just like you and me…
Anyway, on the other side of the proverbial aisle, Martha Coakley continued her campaign of destiny. She was a Democrat running in Kennedy Country, so nothing could stop her. Unfortunatlely, nothing seemed to start her either. She kept a remarkably low profile, and the second the Republicans and Independents smelled the smallest whiff of victory, they (and their money) swarmed in. Caught looking lackadaisical and inneffective (despite a strong history as DA), Martha Coakley started tossing out negative ads, never tried to debate her opponent, and as a result limped into the election.
The lesson here: look strong, work hard, appeal to the masses. If you’re a politician, musician, or any kind of professional, projecting confidence works. Martha Coakley never did that. Scott Brown was one of us, he was everyman, and he was taking us to Washington with him. It didn’t matter that his position on issues was way to the right, or that he had an unremarkable record of achievement, because he drove a truck! This was a campaign won on the strength of the brand — not on any logical, factual, or issue driven basis. Martha Coakley did nothing to show that she wasn’t the status quo, and voters (like it or not) never want the status quo.
We’ve been conditioned to vote for change. Even when that change is actually reverting back from the change we voted ourselves out of just two years ago. Sometimes irony is indeed quite ironic.
Politics is show business for ugly people. So when you get a million dollar smile, and a carefully crafted candidate, it’s far easier to overlook the things that matter. The music industry isn’t very different. I know I can name each of the Jonas Brothers, but I’ll be damned if I could sing any of their songs.
Maybe I sing Republican, and vote Democrat? Hmm ….
