Larry D. Lauer

Strategic communication professionals have some real lessons to learn from current political discourse. There was a time when most of us thought that those in the limelight who say simplistic and silly things would be readily recognized as inexperienced, lacking in needed expertise, suffering from insufficient intelligence, and unprepared for serious problem-solving responsibility.

In fact, I believe that serious journalists thought essentially the same thing.  Just report what they are saying, and the people out there will see how unprepared and thoughtless they really are. There was a fundamental belief in the intelligence of the average person, and well thought out  ideas to triumph over weak ones.

It seems that in today’s politics each candidate assumes that if he or she plays to the lowest common denominator of their support, and finds the most simple of words to cure complex ills, that this base of followers will just feel better and fall into line.  And if those simple words are repeated often enough, they will actually begin to sound like truth to even more people.  And if one’s inclination is to not question what is being preached, it becomes easier and easier for people to accept a simplistic solution that makes them “feel” better.

The simple solution this week is the flat tax.  It strikes a positive nerve with large groups of people who experience frustration every year dealing with their income tax forms.  And so each candidate has come up with a different, simplistic flat tax with no explanation about implementation and consequences. Pick the one that is easiest to understand, and “feels” the best, and then repeat it over and over again until it takes on an “air of truth!”

In today’s competitive world of 24-7, breaking news journalism, it is more attention-getting to focus mostly on the excitement of the “horse race.” Colorful, extreme people make great news copy, and keeping them in the race makes  dramatic daily headlines.  It’s just too boring to write in-depth about the feasibility of solutions. Why would you want to weed out the most colorful of the players in your drama?

For the strategic communicator the only response to this reality seems to be aggressive counter-argument.  And when high dollar advertising is involved, the one that can spend the most, and repeat the most, will generally win the day.

In the end, the unintended consequence is social and political polarization, with extremes fighting extremes. But we know that the most complex problems also have complicated solutions.  They require experienced, talented leadership. Most politicians will get elected on simple “feel good” ideas, and then face the reality of day-to-day problem solving.  They will have to muster the courage every day to try fresh new ways forward, take risks, and adjust their solutions with experience. And, sadly, this reality is a long way from the frightening simplicity of today’s political communication.