Our Brand is Tarnished: The Trouble With Republicans Part 1

Only in America would the buzzwords of marketing be unselfconsciously injected into political discourse. And so we hear, all too often, about how the Republican brand is tarnished. As if a bad batch of hair coloring had caused a scalp infection, forcing a product recall. And now management was faced with a PR campaign to rebuild the brand.
But the exercise of government is much more than the maintenance of brand quality. And the consequences that flow from the mismanagement of government are far more long lasting than the discomfort of a scalp infection.
By now the list is all too familiar: record surplus to record deficits, historically low unemployment to 6 per cent unemployment, millions of jobs created to 10's of millions now lost, no WMD, a tragically mismanaged war, Katrina, unprecedented world leadership to unprecedented world hatred. And underneath it all a mean spirited religious fundamentalism every bit as zealous as that of a Mullah.
And the Republican solution? Let's all rally around McSame. If we yell loud enough and long enough perhaps we can mesmerize independent Americans into thinking that a calculated political move represents reality. Or, to use marketing vernacular, let's reposition our brand. Since sales are declining because we have promoted experience, we must tout a different set of attributes- heah, how about change? OK we'll run it up the flagpole.
When people ask me " What kind of lawyer are you? " I have often replied" I preserve the world of designer jeans, handbags, perfume and shoes. " I guess now I should add Presidential candidates.