It’s not that I am brilliant, nor am I a television pundit; however I think I have determined why Hillary lost.
There is a theory out there that says people buy, or vote, for things based on the “why” rather than the “what” of their message. In the context of this election this theorem says there are three levels to your voting choice for a candidate. The levels are why, how and what.
The “why” is the candidate’s vision which is based on their closely held beliefs. The “how” is the strategies they will use to reach that vision; and the “what” are the tactics used to complete the strategies.
Enough on theorems; each of us has our own vision of our futures. Every election we look for someone who holds a like vision. It has been shown over and over that the most important characteristic of gaining a voter’s confidence is the “why” factor. Donald Trump as a entrepreneur inherently knew this. He put his vision, “Make America Great Again” in front of all of us. Following the introduction of his vision, he placed his strategies out there as well. Those strategies were developed and given life from that vision. The “what” or tactics, much to the consternation of his opponent and the media, were hazy. They didn’t understand that, like all tactics, they well could change with the changing environment.
Hillary didn’t start with her vision. What it appears she did was start with her tactics and then created strategies based on those tactics. Finally she created the slogan “I’m with her” or “Stronger Together” which was not a generator of great enthusiasm. She failed to understand that people, other than those on the hard left or hard right, would most likely vote based on the candidate’s vision, of which she really had none. You can see this, in part, by the candidacy of Bernie Sanders. He was a candidate of vision. Had the DNC not worked to ensure Hillary’s victory, Senator Sanders may have well been the Democrat nominee. Had Senator Sanders prevailed, it would have been an election between two competing visions. Rather than two competing visions, we were asked to select a candidate based on his vision and her slogan. I remind you of Martin Luther King. This was a man who had closely held beliefs. Those beliefs formed his vision which he so cogently delivered standing in Washington D.C. proclaiming, “I have a dream.”
Webster Russell, Sun City
