Just make sure they spell your name right

By Dale Cooper

When reporting on the various state Republican Party nominating results, the “main stream media” tells us how each insulting thrust and parry of the dueling candidates fatally weakens them, and how it spells doom for their forthcoming showdown with the president.

According to the small coterie of elite NYC and DC journalists, whose opinions are echoed throughout the rest of the main-stream herd, no matter which GOP candidate emerges from the mud-wrestling pit, he’ll lose. His brand, the story goes, will be fatally impaired by all the negative ads and bad-mouthing before the national campaign even begins (which seems like a conclusion these media celebrities would dearly like to see … but that’s another story).

However, just as brand recognition is important in the marketing of everything from toothpaste to international charities, so, too, is it in politics. It’s called “name recognition.” So wouldn’t it be ironic, an irony of epic proportions, if all of the attention paid Mr. Romney during the “drawn-out” primaries created, in an instant, a national brand that would cost a billion or so dollars to do any other way?

And as for the name-calling of the candidates and their SuperPACs? Will that have decisive effect on the outcome of the looming Romney/Obama showdown? Seriously, do you really think the American’s attention span can be held for that long?

I think not. After all, by then we’ll be assaulted by all the mud-slinging and name-calling of the general election campaign, as well as the 24/7 noise from the other Democrat and Republican contests, such as those for congress, the governors’ offices, the state houses; and, of course, the various tax measures, voter initiatives.

Add to this the SuperPAC distortions; the “we’re going broke faster than a Harleys burning nitro” warnings; all the junk mail; the dubious investigative reporting from partisan news organizations; columnists with axes to grind; talk radio stars hyperventilating on-air; Sunday morning talking-heads discussing the obvious; and highly paid political pundits distorting events like endlessly spinning tops!

In other words, we’ll be living in the echo chamber from hell!

Oh! And don’t forget other issues that might grab our attention, such as a fragile economy; the price of gasoline; Iran, Israel, Afghanistan, and Pakistan; Putin’s Russia; Spain, Italy and the Euro; the construction industry’s continued devastation; homes under-water; the new Fall TV programs; college football; the NFL; and … well, who knows? But, you can bet there’s always something!

And during all of this we’re going to remember what Gingrich said of Paul, who said of Santorum, who said of Romney, and on and on and on? Seriously? Hogwash!

We’ll be worrying about our pocketbooks; our job prospects; our family’s welfare; the sound of distant war drums; and which candidate is the least dishonest.

We’ll be making our buying decision on which brand we figure will give us the most value for our vote. And the name we select just might be that of “Mitt Romney,” which only goes to show the wisdom of that Hollywood hack who once said, “Don’t worry what they write about you, just make sure they spell your name right.”