Why Clinton County Lost the Election

That was a trick. There are no answers here. I just knew such a bold and definitive headline would be more attractive to a potential reader than a headline that said -- "I'm not sure exactly why we lost, but I know some of the influences in voters and know that it was a painful blow." Too long, too boring.

Readers-voters-humans want quick answers, easy solutions, and simple explanations. Maybe it is my background studies in sociology and communications/marketing, but my understanding of what happened begins with -- the Democratic Party is not connecting with enough of the masses. But there are doable solutions!

1. First and foremost, the Democrat Party is losing the media dollars war. The share of mainstream media for Democratic Party platform issues and candidates will continue to shrink in the future. Though there are a few progressive and liberal commentators now, they are small blips on a trajectory towards political monopoly control. They do not have the support of the ultra rich or the Corporatracy. Without the money and means of production, Democrats cannot buy the media.

• Solution - Get control of the Corporatracy...or Find a new medium for the message and/or take advantage of free communication.

2. Republican commercials were more appealing. The best marketing minds in the world began working for the Republicans for the 2010 election and their money will continue to overwhelm the undecided, the uninformed, the easily manipulated, the lazy. A profit-seeking company does not spend millions on advertising because it doesn't work. It does. Commercials sells us brands that are equal to other brands. Commercials convince us to give more of our hard earned income to products we don't need. Once the momentum has started for a fashion, product, service, it grows because people don't want to be left out.

• Solution - Create a more appealing fad & take it viral. The Republican fad will fade.

3. The Democrats have a common branding weakness. Branding is the universally-recognized and unmistakably-likable image. What is the Democratic brand? Is it gay? Is it green? Is it union? Is it poor? Is it individualism? Community? Is it local? National? International? Is it free-trade? Buy-American? Is it pro-business? It is pro-choice? Pro-family? Damn. Is it "change"? Or sustainability?  Whew! It's exhausting & messy like an over-busy logo that no one can figure out or remember.
I know what Republican is -- white, Christian, English-speaking, simple. I may not like everything about that when I dig further, but I can feel comfort in at least knowing (thinking I know) what I am getting. The unknown is scary and people don't know what they are getting with a Democrat.

• Solution - Choose a centralizing message and demand discipline in communicating it. (Might I suggest we all focus on the centralizing of power back into the few wealthiest of the world since all other fights will be lost on this front?)
  

4. Republicans have shamelessly taken advantage of the overwhelmed, the rushed, the lazy, the shallow, the stressed, the gullible. My outrageous post title served to attract the reader. Like readers, voters are attracted to easy solutions, ones without personal sacrifice or guilt at making others sacrifice. It's just human nature to want a simple explanation of what the problem is. In today's busy, stressful culture, most people do not want to delve into the complexities of a problem. I would argue, most voters simply can't. Their time, emotional energy, and brains are being spent elsewhere. Republicans are in those places. Why aren't Democrats there.

• Solution - Message people in easily-digestible chunks, when & where they are receptive, in terms they can relate to. 

5. Democrats are downers. The public is accustomed to attractive people wowing them with bright, brash showmanship. They want someone to take away their worries, not add to them. Successful marketing and political campaigns tell people they can succeed easily (Lose 20 pounds in 1 week!); there is simple answer (Just buy this deodorant & you will get this girl!); that life is wonderful (Just opening that cereal box makes loud, happy music & tons of laughing friends!); we will prosper (Just stop taxes); we'll be safe (Just ban Islam/Koran/immigrants).  Republicans capitalize on liberal cautionary tale-telling; easily manipulating voters to shoot the messenger to solve the problem. Democrats spend valuable social capital telling people how they are wrong, all the things that can go wrong, etc.  We can't afford to make more enemies or to be a turn-off to a swing voter.

• Solution - Put on your most positive public face; cheery voice, and cooperative language, every time.  

So you see, my outrageous title, was an example of a deceptively simple ploy to get my message out. Then I ruined my message by breaking every rule. I'll make the following excuse -- You are clearly a smart, committed progressive, willing to slog through in-depth analysis or you wouldn't be here at all. Do as I say, not as I do?