In looking at the results of this past Tuesday’s primary elections in assorted states, a few things are clear. To those who have ears to hear, as the Scripture says.
First and foremost, Sarah Palin remains the barracuda to everyone else’s guppy. Her endorsement of Joe Miller in the Alaska GOP Senate race was crucial in his upset win over incumbent Lisa Murkowski despite her heavily outspending, plus enjoying far greater public recognition than, Miller.
While it can be safely argued Palin’s support of Miller stemmed from her preferring his far more conservative political stance than that evidenced by Murkowski, this falls by the wayside when one considers she also supported the highly unpopular among conservatives John McCain, who crushed J.D. Hayworth in what many had thought would be a much closer Arizona GOP Senate primary than turned out to be the case. Granted, Hayworth was a bit of a clown. Actually, more than a bit. Yet despite this, he was highly favored among those who have labeled McCain the symbol of all that is evil in the Republican party. The opinion of voters strongly indicate otherwise. It should also indicate to those who blame McCain for everything under the sun that maybe they should get over themselves and their precious litmus tests. The enemy of your enemy may not be your BFF, but they sure ain’t your enemy either.
Anyway, an even stronger message was proclaimed in one of the Arizona GOP House primaries, where cyberspace sweetheart Pamela Gorman came in fifth with Dan Quayle’s son Ben taking the win. Ouch. For the record, Palin never endorsed Gorman despite her, on the surface, being everything one would want in a mama grizzly. Why?
Palin is seldom given credit for her political savvy. Or much of anything else, even by more than a few of her most ardent supporters who have become so enraptured by her aura they fail to see the person behind them. Palin is not addicted to pleasing those who measure everything by their aforementioned private political litmus tests. She pays little attention to pundits, professional or amateur, on either side of the aisle. Instead, time and again she has demonstrated pragmatism without sacrificing principals. Palin has never failed to explain her choices for those she endorses. When she doesn’t endorse someone… again, as the Scripture says wisdom is proved right by her children. More than once — Gorman, prior to that Chuck DeVore in the California GOP Senate primary — Palin has withheld an endorsement, in the case of DeVore endorsing a candidate (Carly Fiorina) who ostensibly should have been the last person to receive a nod, let along a wink and a smile.
Let’s break this down a bit.
When ostensibly solid candidates turn into dots on the horizon when the ballots are tabulated, the question of why naturally arises. Sometimes it’s due not to their being disliked, but rather to the opposition being more preferred. However, more often than not it’s due to the losing candidate, regardless of how in many cases they generate tremendous enthusiasm among the faithful, running a terrible campaign.
Bringing in one of my favorite topics, namely NASCAR, the parallels being succeeding in it and succeeding in politics are numerous. Examples, you say? Sure.
Race the track. A winning driver in NASCAR is running not so much against the other drivers as they are running against the track, and to a degree themselves. Each track in NASCAR is unique, with its own characteristics brought about by an assortment of factors: length, shape, degree of banking, configuration of turns and so on. How well you negotiate each track determines your success far, far more than how the other drivers are taking care of business. If you do your job well, you do well. Period.
Similarly, in politics, especially a primary, a successful candidate spends far more time defining themselves than running against or so much as acknowledging the other candidates. You can’t be the best of the people running in the primary and leave it at that. You have to be the best person for the job period. Using another sports analogy, running full bore against the other people in your party is the equivalent of a starting pitcher laying it all on the line… in the pre-game warmup.
Next, stay focused on the local. There isn’t a NASCAR driver out there who’s turning laps at a short track like Martinsville while thinking about their strategy for the upcoming race at a restrictor plate track like Talladega.
Far too many candidates are becoming bedazzled by the bright lights of social media and nationwide attention. While it’s definitely important to effectively use social media as part of your campaign efforts, devoting too much time and energy toward making appearances with, and winning acclaim from, the more popular practitioners of preaching to the choir generates tremendous applause from said choir. And nothing from the overwhelming majority of those who will actually be going to polling places where your name appears on the ballot.
Social media goes only so far. It doesn’t reach all that many people compared to traditional methods, and especially in politics is primarily received solely by those already in tune with the given message and its backing philosophy. They’re already voting for you. At least, the tiny number of people eligible to do so will be doing so. The old-fashioned way of shoe leather and direct local contact still rules. Think global? Sure. But campaign local.
Every driver is identified with their crew chief. While the driver is the one mashing pedals and turning the steering wheel, at every race the crew chief is the one who gets information from the driver about how the car is responding. From this, they prescribe what changes, if any, need to be made to the car during the next pit stop.
The person or persons who oversee a candidate’s campaign efforts are very much in the same vein as a NASCAR driver’s crew chief. If they are a hired gun, a carpetbagger whose apparent loyalty extends solely to padding their resume, you’ve got problems.
The best crew chiefs, even when directly questioned, talk up nothing and no one but their driver. Same deal goes for campaign managers, strategists and everyone else. Anonymous. Assistance. Always. Anyone who says “look at me” while ‘helping’
Is not helping. Period.
Substance first, style second. A driver might connect wonderfully with the fan base based on different factors — looks, mannerisms and the like. But if they can’t drive, they won’t be around for long.
Taking this to politics, kitsch makes for horrible advertisements. We’ve had some doozies this year. The unifying factor behind them all? The candidate who made them got smoked. Issues, issues, issues. Not machine guns.
Sell yourself, but not solely yourself. Have a personality, but it must be mainly demonstrated through policies and practices. Substance.
And that’s how NASCAR and politics work together.
By the way, Sarah Palin is a huge NASCAR fan. 
The Republicans are so funny, when the economy is good you say let’s all celebrate “Cinco de Mayo, my brothers” but when the economy is down “it’s all your fault, you damn immigrant”. When most Americans (with Latin America roots) go to the polls this November we will remember that the GOP has gone on a nationwide rant in proposing and passing several anti-immigration legislation (that continue to fail in our US Courts) and have continue to blame the immigrant for the flat economy or worse. We will remember who stands with us and who stands against us, so trying to stop it now is somewhat funny, but go ahead, you will not change our minds. Plus the more radical of the GOP are now attacking our Constitution and our Bill of Rights, in a misguided attempt to garner some much needed votes, they really are fools, and leading the GOP towards obscurity because they are no longer a party of ideas, just of empty suits. Your hate made you do it, in November; you will reap what you have sown. I wonder what Abraham Lincoln would say about todays GOP, he unlike the current GOP was a man of ideas.
You really need to stop drinking before lunch.