Political Marketing

   Somewhere, there is an MBA in Politics, combining statistical sampling techniques with marketing and advertising strategies, and applying them all to election campaigns.
   Consider these factors: A certain portion of the electorate will vote Democratic or Republican no matter the candidate's positions or qualifications. Others will vote for (or against) a candidate for any one of many reasons that have little or nothing to do with politics or governing. These include such elements as gender, ethnicity, religion, race or some other cultural factor. Finally, there are the few who vote not from the heart but from the head, basing their choice on the candidate's intelligence, education, ability, experience, economic and foreign policy positions, or similar qualifications.
   Those last few are the hardest to persuade. It follows, then, that campaigns will devote resources to influencing voters who are easier to persuade. Thus, electioneering is more like marketing, and conventions become promotional events designed to spread the most appealing message to the most people.
   To their credit, the major TV broadcast networks this year are opting out of the propaganda machinations. Instead, they will carry convention events for one hour only, each night for the final three nights of the convention.
   Republican Party leaders greeted that decision with howls of anger that their carefully crafted opening night spectacular will not be shown on the major networks. The days of all that free publicity are gone. There is no drama, no tension, no news, since the choice of nominee is already known. This is also true of the Democratic Party.
   However, for those political junkies who still want their daily or hourly fix of extensive coverage of the Grand Old Party's party, they can turn to CSPAN or to the cable TV channels to get what little "news" may come during the carefully scripted festivities.
   The downside of CSPAN, of course, is the lack of commentators telling viewers what they are seeing. And some of the cable news outlets will reinforce the party line. In a way, it's like watching a baseball game while listening to a radio play-by-play. What you see isn't really real unless some authoritative voice reassures you by describing in detail what you are seeing.
   What's the point, really, since -- at the conventions, at least -- we already know who the winner is. But let's think of it as watching reruns of Law and Order. We know how it turns out, but it's entertaining nonetheless.
   The real drama comes in November.