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Originally Posted by Kevin
Trouble is, the folks they surround themselves with these days are probably nothing more than a chorus of yes-men. And in some places, vapid campaigns based upon platitude and being folksy is enough to get you elected.
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I don't know if I'd go that far. To be sure there are going to be some "yes-men" in the crowd. But, there are politicians who surround themselves with smart, capable people. There are some good people working on campaigns, both national and local.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin
My observation as to local politics (and I think it translates nationally) is this -- politics has become less and less about ideas and more and more about name brand promotion. The key is not to actually have ideas people agree with, it's to make people think you have the same ideas they do without ever directly communicating anything. This is accomplished by making folksy common-sense statements, running on platitudes, and above all else, making oneself look like the least-bad choice.
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I think that could go for any local or national election around the country. It takes so much money to run a campaign these days, let alone a successful one, that candidates have to appeal to those areas of the electorate where 1) they could get votes and 2) they could raise money. If that means focusing on one or two issues and glossing over the others, that's what they'll do.
There's such a thin margin of error with the process, especially in the day of the 24 hour news cycle. If you make a mistake of fact, or you go too far one way or the other, you're done. Look at Howard Dean - he had a lot of momentum, got too excited after a primary, and his campaign was finished. (that may be oversimplifying things, but you get my point)