Candidates “Positioning” Themselves for Your Vote – “The Sunday Political Brunch” April 16, 2023

Sunday, April 16, 2023

 

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Former President Donald Trump PHOTO: File

My political observation tour remains in South Florida this week as I try to assess what candidates are doing and saying to catch the eyes of voters. I don’t mean to sound cynical, but these races are as much about marketing as they are about political philosophy and issues stances. Candidates are literally trying to “position” themselves like a product in a supermarket or department store. The bottom line, they want you to “buy-in.” Let’s “brunch” on that this week:

 

“Positioning” – When I was in college in the late 70s and early 80s, studying communication and marketing, there was a book that became sort of the “Bible” of marketing. It was simply titled, “Positioning” and was co-authored by Al Ries and Jack Trout. It was a bestseller and a must-read. According to its Wikipedia page, “positioning refers to the place that a brand occupies in the minds of the customers and how it is distinguished from the products of the competitors and different from the concept of brand awareness.”

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“Why is ‘Positioning’ so Powerful?” – Let’s look at some classic examples. Getting into a car accident or having your house catch fire are two of the worst experiences in life, and I’ve been witness to both. It’s awful and scary. But when the TV commercial comes on and sings, “And like a good neighbor, State Farm is there!” Well, that’s comforting and reassuring. And if you’re afraid to fly on a plane, and the ad sings, “Fly the friendly skies of United,” well, gosh I may be comforted enough to buy a ticket. And when the McDonald’s ad sings, “You deserve a break today,” the cook in me says we’re escaping the home kitchen and taking the kids through McDonald’s drive-thru. Now it’s not that pedestrian. It’s not “Pavlov’s Dog” guaranteed you will respond as solicited, but if you are persuasive, a good many will.

 

“South Florida Articles” - The banner headline on Easter Sunday in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel read, “Trump’s local backers not wavering.” It was a chronicle of how many Trump supporters in South Florida are loyal, and even some who successfully got inside last week’s Trump rally at Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, the evening of his indictment. “Absolutely I support him,” said Cathy Rollins, a Trump supporter who spoke with the Sun-Sentinel. “Am I likely to vote for him again? Absolutely. I think it’s terrible what they’re putting him through,” she told the newspaper. With Trump potentially locked in a titan primary fight with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Florida, people here are fighting for every vote already!

 

“Abortion Returns” – Late this past week, the Florida Legislature approved a six-week limit on abortions, the strictest in the nation. Opponents say most women would not even know they are pregnant at six weeks. Gov. DeSantis signed it into law. So how will candidates’ “position” themselves on that? DeSantis will boast that he signed the toughest abortion ban in the nation. Trump will credit his three Supreme Court appointees for overturning Roe v. Wade and making it a state-by-state issue. And Biden will claim to be the most pro-choice president in history and will pledge more pro-choice nominees to the high court if he’s reelected.

 

“Poll Wars” – A poll from the Miami Herald last week showed DeSantis leading Trump in Florida. But a poll by Forbes Business three weeks ago shows Trump beating DeSantis in a head-to-head match-up in the Sunshine State. So, let’s call it close, and perhaps even. But neither man can win the nomination, nor the keys to the White House, without securing Florida. It simply has to be in the GOP pocket, or the rest of the math fails and likely means another Democrat term in the White House, whether it’s Biden or someone else.

 

“Let’s Unpack That” – To be sure, Trump is in some complicated legal trouble. So how does he hang on to his loyal base? Positioning. “I am a victim,” Trump told his supporters at a previous South Florida rally after his digs at Mar-A-Lago were raided. The phrases, “This is a ‘witch-hunt,’ and this is ‘political persecution’ are gold because they’re short, to the point, and they fit on a bumper sticker or protest sign. That’s GOLD in the marketing world, whether you like Trump or not.

 

“Positioning, or Posturing?” – Few presidents have mastered the discipline of marketing and messaging. In my lifetime Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump were the best. Basically, pick a message and slogan to define yourself and then STICK WITH IT, without wavering. Reagan in 1980: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”

Clinton in 1992, “It’s the economy, stupid!’ Then, Obama’s, “The Audacity of Hope,” in 2008, to Trump’s, “Make America great again,” in 2016. All four themes were clear and consistent. All four candidates won.

 

“Be Careful of What You Wish for (and Promise)” -- But positioning can also backfire badly. The image of Gov. Michael Dukakis driving a tank in military garb in 1988 failed badly. He looked like Snoopy flying the doghouse. It was a disaster. So, pick your images, but pick your battle themes, too! In fairness, President George H.W. Bush saying, “Read my lips, no taxes,” in 1992, and then raising them anyway, was another epic fail.

 

“Define Yourself First!” – There’s an old saying in politics, “Don’t let your opponent define you before you can define yourself!” I think back to the 1988 campaign when Vice President George H.W. Bush would taunt Gov. Michael Dukakis (D) Massachusetts by saying, “You’re a liberal!” Or “He’s a liberal!” Of course, being liberal is neither illegal, nor contagious. But it was a conservative era, and everyone knew Bush. Few people beyond New England really knew Dukakis, so when he tried to tout his “Massachusetts Miracle,” it fell on deaf ears. Bush won in a landslide.

 

“Tennessee Optics” – My point this week is that imagery matters, and sometimes the optics of the imagery can blow up in your face. Yes, three Democrat lawmakers in Tennessee, along with other protesters, disrupted the decorum of the Tennessee Legislature last week over possible gun control measures in the wake of the Nashville school murders. All three members were brought up on charges to expel them from the House. Two who were expelled were Black males, while a third Democrat – a white female, was allowed to keep her seat. The outrage was palpable. How can you be so tone-deaf? This is also about treating people (and elected lawmakers) equally, regardless of race, gender, or political party. By late week, the two Black lawmakers were reinstated to the legislature by their respective county commissions.

Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations serving West Virginia, its five neighboring states and the entire Washington, DC media market. He is also a MINDSETTER™ contributing political writer and analyst for www.GoLocalProv.com and its affiliates.


 

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