I just watched the latest episode of Bill Maher's HBO show. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
was representing the Republican side of the aisle. Wow... talk about
sticking to the script. Listening to her, you'd think that there's not
a problem in the world. The sad part is that she didn't get the updated talking points memo - she was on a script that was about a year old.
So over on my business related blog,
I talk a lot about how marketing (and advertising) today is largely failing due to the "Consumer
2.0" mindset. Namely, that people have access to information and choice unlike any
time in human history, and it allows them to connect with each other
and share information and call bullshit immediately. Couple that with
the fact that we've all grown incredibly tired of "traditional
marketing" being shoved down our throats and you have an environment
that makes it pretty hard for traditional marketers to be taken
seriously.
Since politics has largely turned into nothing more than marketing, our
general rejection of marketing is general rejection of politics as
well. Now that we can easily hear the rallying cry of a certain group
on TV, CNN.com, local news, blogs, papers, etc. within seconds, we can
tell how much bullshit it really is.
Ros-Lehtinen was stumbling over the same canned, scripted talking points about how Ambramoff was dealing equally
with Democrats as with Republicans (not true), or trying to say that any questioning of the current state the Iraq war is unpatriotic, or and cracking unfunny jokes about
Democratic confusion. I'm not sure if she's a junior Congresswoman or not, but she sure seemed like she was.
By the same token, when the Republicans continue to present a fairly united front, it's really easy for us to see how none of the Democrats seem to be in agreement on anything. If they can't align themselves when the playbook has been on display for 3+ years, when the hell can they align??
And the solution is as straightforward for politics as it is for
business - honesty, openness, and reality. Two parties isn't reality.
Scripted talking points aren't reality. Men and women of all backgrounds
morphing into one archetype Washington, suit-wearing insider isn't
reality. We seem to be in a societal shift to skip over many of the traditional sources of information (politics, news, marketing, etc.).
Howard Dean's success proved to me that there is opportunity in this
realm. Now if only we could get someone a little less... whack job...
to start us down that path. By 2008 it'll be interesting to see what happens, considering we'll have 4 years of Internet penetration and acceptance since the last election.
But in order to truly fix this, we have to back the hell off too. We're all guilty of playing a part in this drive for fake perfection from our politicians. We all see some poor sap on TV in front of glaring studio lights, behind a TV camera, and being grilled by a reporter and say things like: "Boy, he really doesn't want that job, does he? Look how irritated he got with that reporter's question!"
I experienced this first hand in my role at LEGO. I was responsible for interacting with the LEGO enthusiasts, and with the media. I felt like much of my day was spent simply trying to ensure that I didn't say something that allowed those groups to pounce on me for the pure bloodsport. It was tough to avoid said pouncing, and my role dealt with a relatively small group of people and a small amount of media. I can't imagine what a presidential candidate goes through.
We all want our politicians (and our marketing) to be more real, more honest. Let's let them be those things.
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