Democrats' Tin Ear on Values and the South
Betsy Newmark has pointed out that the Democrats don't seem to understand that voters notice when they talk publicly about how they need to mold their words in an effort to appeal to them. She has written in the past that voters aren't likely to be fooled in any event.
Democrats are completely out of touch with the South and the "values" issue. I was talking with a friend, Big D, about this. After we kicked around the fact that most Democratic politicians have never worked in the real world, he made an interesting observation about how even business people in the North fail to understand the importance of values and integrity when doing business in the South.
Big D is an independent manufacturers rep whose customers are all in the South. Just about all the manufacturers he represents are located up North and the vast majority of their customers are as well. He says he has to constantly remind them that Southern customers are much more concerned with loyalty, integrity and long term relationships. Apparently, these manufacturers are used to customers who will say anything to get the best price, special service, or unusual customization. Next time around, these customers will go elsewhere for a better deal.
Big D says he has to remind his manufacturers that his Southern customers can be depended upon to do what they say. For them, honesty, integrity and loyalty aren't just words uttered on Sunday, but serious values to live by. When they promise to continue to do business with a company that agrees to meet some special need, you can count on it. These customers are looking for reps and suppliers who want to develop a long term relationship based on trust and cooperation. They would rather pay a little higher price, if necessary, in order to continue working with people they know they can count on in a crisis.
Apparently, Big D's manufacturers aren't familiar with doing business on that kind of basis. Note -- I'm not impugning everyone in the North, just passing on Big D's observations. But I do think that a lot of the Democrats (usually from somewhere other than the South) who are suggesting that they can be competitive in the South, if they simply change the words they use, fail to understand the depth of their problem or the appeal of someone like President Bush.
As Larry Kudlow writes:
One of the defining characteristics of the presidency of George W. Bush has been that he says what he means, and means what he says. Our CEO-like MBA president has always communicated his vision in clear and simple terms. Once he establishes a policy, he moves rapidly to implement it with all the political force he can muster. You could even argue that Bush has been the clearest and most reliable presidential-policy maker since Ronald Reagan — one would have to go back many more decades to find another chief executive like him.
I should point out that inside the beltway types thought Newt Gingrich was crazy to set out specific promises in his Contract with America or to promise prompt action on every one of them. They were even more shocked when he kept his word. That type of integrity is part of the "values" that Southern voters embrace.
Becoming more artful in the use of language isn't likely to pay many dividends for Democrats with these voters.
Democrats are completely out of touch with the South and the "values" issue. I was talking with a friend, Big D, about this. After we kicked around the fact that most Democratic politicians have never worked in the real world, he made an interesting observation about how even business people in the North fail to understand the importance of values and integrity when doing business in the South.
Big D is an independent manufacturers rep whose customers are all in the South. Just about all the manufacturers he represents are located up North and the vast majority of their customers are as well. He says he has to constantly remind them that Southern customers are much more concerned with loyalty, integrity and long term relationships. Apparently, these manufacturers are used to customers who will say anything to get the best price, special service, or unusual customization. Next time around, these customers will go elsewhere for a better deal.
Big D says he has to remind his manufacturers that his Southern customers can be depended upon to do what they say. For them, honesty, integrity and loyalty aren't just words uttered on Sunday, but serious values to live by. When they promise to continue to do business with a company that agrees to meet some special need, you can count on it. These customers are looking for reps and suppliers who want to develop a long term relationship based on trust and cooperation. They would rather pay a little higher price, if necessary, in order to continue working with people they know they can count on in a crisis.
Apparently, Big D's manufacturers aren't familiar with doing business on that kind of basis. Note -- I'm not impugning everyone in the North, just passing on Big D's observations. But I do think that a lot of the Democrats (usually from somewhere other than the South) who are suggesting that they can be competitive in the South, if they simply change the words they use, fail to understand the depth of their problem or the appeal of someone like President Bush.
As Larry Kudlow writes:
One of the defining characteristics of the presidency of George W. Bush has been that he says what he means, and means what he says. Our CEO-like MBA president has always communicated his vision in clear and simple terms. Once he establishes a policy, he moves rapidly to implement it with all the political force he can muster. You could even argue that Bush has been the clearest and most reliable presidential-policy maker since Ronald Reagan — one would have to go back many more decades to find another chief executive like him.
I should point out that inside the beltway types thought Newt Gingrich was crazy to set out specific promises in his Contract with America or to promise prompt action on every one of them. They were even more shocked when he kept his word. That type of integrity is part of the "values" that Southern voters embrace.
Becoming more artful in the use of language isn't likely to pay many dividends for Democrats with these voters.
posted by Stan at 6:28 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home