How do you solve a problem like Ohio Part 2: Local Messaging
/(feel free to sing along)
Ohio always turns out for the president
But all other elections she is absent
Ohio attracts all the talent
Except in non summer Olympic years
I hate that I have to say it
But I feel very strongly
Ohio may not be an asset to her citizens
How do you solve a problem like Ohio.
Local candidates are rarely experienced, nuanced, political animals. Many times these candidates are recruited by local parties because they have strong opinions and can articulate these ideas well. The local bosses rely upon state and national support in order to maintain their positions in the local party offices. It is in the interest of the local political bosses that their candidates toe the national party line These national ideas do not always serve the best interest of the local voters. This causes a lack of voter enthusiasm and usually leads to low voter engagement.
The local candidate should create a local message. National politics is a glamour contest. The Republican Party has not fared well the last two presidential elections because they could not capture the votes needed in a contest for millions of votes. The Republicans use divisive and outdated rhetoric, and as a consequence they are not growing their voter base (see here for a deeper explanation). When it comes to local politics, the republicans tend to not be overshadowed by their national figures. The current divisions in the national Republican Party can be directly linked to the rise of strong, ideological, local movements. The religious right, tea party, and libertarians all began as smaller local movements. These groups maintain their strength at the local level, and they can rarely find national success. The lack of success with a bigger voter pool has caused these local movements to radicalize their beliefs and create division within their own national party. These groups were co-opted by the national party when there was electoral success down on the regional level. Theses groups also can use local electoral advantage (gerrymandered districts, lower voter turnout) that is not possible in a large national election. They cannot create a message that works for a large, diverse, pool of voters.
The Democratic Party needs to take a page from the republican regional success. The democrats need to create messages that directly speak to the voters they need. Some of the national party issues should be ignored, and in some cases should be rejected. Not that long ago there were pro-life democrats. Those democrats won local elections. Once a locally elected official wants to move on and campaign for higher office, their message should evolve for the voters that are needed for victory. Many would call this flip-flopping. The only people who care about flip-flopping are the media and the opposition. The regular voter does not care. By evolving the message, there is a greater chance to add voters. The ability to add voters is more important than any other aspect of a political campaign.
In order for Ohioans to see a more representative state and local government, the parties need to learn and adapt to the voters in these smaller elections. That has not happened because of the national drain that occurs on the homegrown politically talent. When politically minded Ohioans learn to work for themselves, we will see the Ohio problem begin to disappear.
RD Kulik
RD Kulik is the Head Editor for Seed Sing. He wants to solve the media problem by having you write for Seed Sing.