The Democrats are no different than a company that threw what they thought was a well researched product over the corporate wall, did a media blitz, reacted to events, and came close to having a successful product launch. Unfortunately this was a presidential election not a product launch so close does not count.

The election is over. There is no shortage of political analysis. Looking back over the campaign, many of the real issues seemed to disappear in the media storm. We were left with over-simplified images that became substitutes for the real people trying to win our votes.

Can we the people really say the polices that were hidden behind the personae are not important to our future? Perhaps we know the candidates’ public stance on Iraq, terrorism, the budget deficit, and a few other areas, yet somehow I feel like the country has been sold a hidden bill of goods.

Actually perhaps our choice was between two hidden agendas or at least ones with very few specifics.

So how do we change the dynamics next time? Obviously the party in power does not have an incentive to do anything different. They are delighted with the results from a campaign based more on image than issue.

That leaves the defeated Democrats. They can pick another candidate or image for the next campaign or they can make up their minds to do things differently starting now. In so doing they just might force a change in the process.

The Democrats are no different than a company that threw what they thought was a well researched product over the corporate wall, did a media blitz, reacted to events, and came close to having a successful product launch. Unfortunately this was a presidential election not a product launch so close does not count.

Some have suggested the three percent victory margin might be reversed with some simple tweaking. There is already no shortage of market research on why people voted the way they did. In theory, picking a new values-based product or candidate for better results the next time should not be a problem so why force a change in the process? Fortunately for those of us hoping for a change in the process, the Democrats already know it is not going to be as easy as finding a new face.

Political parties already market potential Presidents like products, but they often do it without even considering the basics from the corporate world. Products don’t necessarily sell on their own merits. After over twenty years in business world, I can tell you the best product is not always the winner. So if having the best candidate will not guarantee success, perhaps a new business strategy is in order.
Going after the next election like a company trying to penetrate a new or difficult market owned by the competition could change the process for us all. It could be just what the Democrats need.

Treating the new Republican majority as a desirable market would be a lot more beneficial than obsessing over all the red and blue maps. In spite of the horror they inspire among Democrats, they do not spell the end of civilization as we know it, nor are they nearly as bad as going after a market where you have less than 1% market share which can happen in the business world.

The Democrats are in far better shape than this, but long term trends show that they, just as many corporations have, need to reinvent themselves. They need new ideas which sometimes mean new people. But the new ideas could be right in their own organization just farther down the organization chart or closer to the customer as we say in the business world. Dennis Waitley, one of my favorite motivational writers, once said “Crisis is a change trying to happen.”

As hard as it is to do, reinvention often means turning organizations upside down. Can the Democrats do what needs to be done? It means an open discussion of ideas, listening to those who didn’t vote for them or especially paying to attention to those whose ideas from within their own organization did not get consideration this time around. Trying to craft a strategy that keeps them true to their principles while making their ideas more receptive to others is not an easy job.

Changing the rules of the game is better than once again hope to beat the Republicans at the their own game. Fixing the top line strategy and doing things differently the next time around, can force a change in political dynamics in the whole country. While listening to the voters that rejected them is a good start, it is only a start. A open dialogue on policies that engaged the electorate now instead of three years from now would be a hopeful sign.

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