Electionomics
by Dr. Doug Cardell
Viewing elections from an economic perspective is necessary for understanding outcomes. Whether we like it or not, elections are about selling a product: a candidate and their policies. Marketing 101 is knowing your customer. The electorate is the customer, and in the 2024 elections, the Democrats proved they didn't know them. I'm not taking a political side in this article; I'm analyzing the 2024 election results from an economist's perspective. Imagine a company introducing a new kind of T-shirt with a five-pound, rigid solar panel built into the back to charge your cell phone. The concept has something to recommend it, but consumers didn't like the weight, the stiffness, the fact that sitting down in it required care not to break it, and the fact that it only produces enough power in bright sunlight. The company goes ahead and markets it and spends millions on an advertising campaign, but the customers don't buy, and the company goes bust. The company reacts by blaming the stupid consumers for not seeing the benefit of their product. The Democrats have done precisely that; they have blamed the customer for not loving their product. Going back to then-candidate Obama's remarks in October of 2008, he said: "They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." Eight years later, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said, "You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic—you name it." Eight years later, President Biden said of Trump, "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters." After the election in 2024, journalist Sunny Hostin asked on her TV show: "What is wrong with America?... What is wrong with this country that it would choose a message of divisiveness, of xenophobia, of racism, of misogyny over a message of inclusiveness?" Laura Helmuth, editor-in-chief of Scientific American magazine, in a series of expletive-filled now-deleted posts on Bluesky, called Trump voters the "meanest, dumbest, most bigoted" group and "fascists" following the former President's reelection in 2024. Columnist Zoe Williams wrote an article in the Guardian titled, "Getting fit is great – but it could turn you into a rightwing jerk." She goes on to say, without evidence, "The more self-actualised you become, the higher you are on self-righteousness, blaming other people's problems on their failure to be as healthy as you." Psychologists use self-actualization to mean the quest to achieve one's full potential. In what reality is trying to be the best you can be a negative trait? Do you think most voters believe that trying to improve themselves is wrong or will turn them into 'jerks'? The National Organization for Women said, "Kamala Harris' campaign didn't fail; voters failed Harris. This result was not a reflection of her ability to lead but of voters' ability to trust women." They also said, "Racism, Sexism, Misogyny and Hate Won This Election." 2008 to 2024, sixteen years of blaming the customer because they don't like what you're selling. According to the Mayo Clinic, these are some of the symptoms of narcissism. Narcissists are critical of, look down on people they feel are unimportant, and expect others to do what they want without questioning them. They have an inability or unwillingness to recognize the needs and feelings of others. Another symptom Mayo cites is narcissists' belief that they are superior to others and can only spend time with or be understood by equally special people. A Yale-affiliated psychiatrist, Dr. Amanda Calhoun, said on MSNBC that it was "completely fine to not be around" family who supported Trump. Narcissists typically fail in marketing because the customer is always right. The customers know what they want, and that's what they buy. This election proved that having more money and more media support only matters if you are selling something potential buyers, the voters, want. It reminds me of the Kenny Rogers song, Lucille. Lucille leaves her husband because she's tired of living on dreams and promises. Instead of trying to find a way to make Lucille happy, her husband blames her for leaving. I'm with Lucille. A loving husband wouldn't say, "You picked a fine to leave me Lucille," but something more like, "I'll do whatever I have to make a place you want to stay." No more promises but immediate action. The Democrats could have spent the nine months preceding the election working with the Republican House of Representatives to create policies the voters prioritize. Still, they continued to pursue their unpopular agenda. Even now that the election is over, the administration plans to push through as many of their unpopular priorities as possible in the next two months. What makes the voters happy? A better life. My article, 'Election Economics', clearly shows that the Trump economy was better for most, particularly minorities, than the Biden economy. The Democrats spent a lot of time and money on things voters don't like or don't care about. They criticized Trump for being a populist as though appealing to voters was wrong. They ignored the fact that only about fifteen percent of voters are not proud to be Americans and tried to guilt the remaining eighty-five percent into believing America was an inherently evil place. Many Democrats said that they would leave if they lost the election. Of course, they won't leave because they know life will be worse elsewhere. If you've read some of my articles on value, you already know that value only exists in the actions of the consumers. The Democrats have consistently tried to make the case that their values are the only correct values. While it is desirable for politicians to try to win voters to their point of view, they should only enact those policies after convincing substantial majorities. Enacting unpopular policies is economically unsound. It will always fail because a free economy lets the consumer be the boss. I would suggest that the problem the Democrats have is far worse than it appears in the election results. Trump won the election because of his policies, not his personality. He likely would have won by a far more considerable margin if he had been more Reaganesque in his manner. If the Democrats don't wise up, they may soon face Republican candidates with Trump-like policies and without his baggage and lose by increasing margins. You can only sell products (or candidates) by pleasing the customer.
If you found this article stimulating, please share it with other folks who might enjoy it. And please share your thoughts below. Dr. Cardell would love to hear from you.
Responses