Changing The Dynamic

This chart caused no small number of us some consternation for a few reasons. We approach decision making in a rational manner or so we think but some recent research into brain science may indicate that is not always, or even mostly, the case.  The links I have provided indicate that our use of free will may be far less important than we thought in decision making.  To a large degree genetics will control the way our decisions are made.  Other research emphasizes the immense role that social networks influence decion making.

The implications for political elections are mind boggling and it seems that the Bevin campaign made good use of these proclivities, wittingly or unwittingly.  What does this mean for political campaigning?  To me it means that we must be proactive in interfering with those processes that influence voting patterns naturally.  We must step into those social and cultural associations and alter the reward/loss dynamic.  It will be difficult.  Negative advertising is all that it will take to reinforce those patterns but positive advertising will never be enough to change them.  What that will take is physically intruding into those groups and forming new cultural and social affinities.

The Appalachian coalfields used to be solidly Democratic because of the struggles of the party to unionize the mines.  With the diminishing coal related jobs that influence has waned and the increasing focus on cultural issues by the opposition has formed new bonds.  To once again alter those bonds will require more than charts and television ads.  It will require personal relationships.  There are still people there that understand the rationale of voting one's economic interest and it will be necessary to empower them by giving them resources to begin to change those bonds and it is not likely to happen anytime soon barring a cataclysmic event.

If we wish to change the vote then we must change the dynamic.  Return to organizing at the precinct level and win local offices.  Jack Conway, the worst political campaigner I have ever seen, said that campaigns are not won that way any more.  Thanks for that.


 http://video.pbs.org/program/brain-david-eagleman/




http://video.pbs.org/video/2365564819/