Name Recognition Vs. Knowledge: Popularity and The Political Process

There are two subjects that I almost always shy away from debating…Religion and Politics. There is rarely a winner in such debates and the discussions are often fueled by fiery emotions.

Recently I attended a luncheon for an advisory board that I sit on where the topic of discussion became Detroit politics. I was the only Detroit resident in the room and I simply sat by quietly and took notes.

Sadly, it seemed that the rest of the non-Detroit residents were far more versed than I on the subject. This leads directly to the point of this blog…Do we tend to vote based on name recognition and popularity or the knowledge and experience of the candidates?

I’ve heard more than two people say that if Kwame Kilpatrick ran for Mayor again tomorrow..He would probably still win or at least get a ton of votes.

There are many factors that contribute to the success of campaigns that have little to do with the experience and knowledge of the candidate. These factors include the message, the money and the mindset.

The message is how the candidate and the press package and sell their product. It’s those things that they promise, their platform and what often determines their popularity.

Before we, the people, can even get the message, there must be money. Where there is more money, there is a better chance of that candidate not only making sure that their message is heard loud and clear, but I’m sure that campaigns who raise the most money have a direct correlation to candidates that win.

Even beyond the message and the money is the mindset of the people. The voters often lack the knowledge of not only the track record and experience of the candidates, but also the political process in general. We are finally beginning to get out and do what our ancestors fought and died to get the rights for, but we still have more work to do. We not must only make sure that we are educated but we must hold ourselves accountable for educating others.

These are just my thoughts….you take it from here.