“One thing the cruzlims are actually right on is that Trump supporters have no particular loyalty or even use for the gop.”
The GOP has become a dead brand. It inspires no loyalty. Why?
1) It has no core philosophy. Its politicians identify as “conservatives” yet once in office demonstrate no consistency in working or individual liberty and small government.
2) Its leaders have no respect for the electoral base.
3) Since the election of George W. Bush it has completely abandoned any pretense toward being fiscally responsible.
4) The loyalties of its leaders are to wealthy individuals, international corporations, and Wall Street banks.
5) It has no integrity. There are no core principles for which every GOP politician or leader will fight.
In the private sector when brands betray loyal customers, the customer samples alternatives and begins to migrate away. The standard response of the brand is to then promote its products to new customers through discounts and other marketing activity directed toward new customers. This behavior signals to the established loyal customers they are no longer valued, which results in even more defections and lower sales. Even deep discounting rarely attracts enough new customers to offset the old because when a transaction is based only on price (not quality, service, and value), there is no loyalty established with the new customer. Furthermore, the deep discounting tarnishes the brand with old customers. Ultimately the bonds of loyalty to the old reliable customer are broken and new customers are fickle. Profit margins decline, sales decline, stores reduce shelf space, marketing budgets decline, new product development ceases and a vicious downward spiral takes place. In the end the brand disappears.
We are seeing the same thing play out with the Republican brand. The brand has lost its integrity. The managers of its brand value the new consumer they are targeting more than the conservative middle class voter base. The managers of the GOP brand are downplaying or walking away from the core principles that cemented the party’s loyalty to its voter base in order to attract the new target customer. It has convinced itself the old customer has no where else to go and the new customer will eventually become loyal if it compromises (i.e. discounts) the conservative principles that once ensured the loyalty of its base.
The Trump revolution has accomplished two things. First it has shattered the illusion of some of the most steadfast loyalists that the party represented them. For a business analogy think Cadillac when it introduced the Cimarron, a rebadged Chevy Cavalier, in a failed effort to attract upscale young consumers. The Trump phenomena has also shattered the carefully constructed meme that conservatives have no where to go on election day other than the GOP. Conservatives voting for Trump are sending a clear message to the leadership - we will no longer vote for an establishment candidate because he or she is the “least worst” of the choices. In reality that refusal to buy the “least worst” choice started in 2014 when 8 million conservatives stayed home instead of voting for the Massachusetts progressive Mitt Romney.
Whatever happens in 2016 the GOP as a brand is dead. It has no meaning. Ask 100 voters what the Democrat Party truly stands for — i.e. the core principles and positions every Democrat politician will fight for and you will get a list that includes: civil rights, racial equality, social safety net, gender equality, fairness, human rights, social justice, environmental protection, . . . Ask the same thing about Republicans and you are likely to get one word: “conservatism”. If you probe and ask what “conservatism” means, if the respondent is a democrat you will get a list of negatives - anti gay, anti women, anti-black, anti-Muslim, . . . If you probe someone who is thoughtful you will likely find the respondent has trouble responding, particularly if you strongly qualify the response by asking for values or positions every GOP politician will fight for.
People don’t have to think to describe well defined brands eliciting strong loyalty. Brands inspiring loyalty have integrity with respect to those who are loyal to the brand. Brands with weak or no loyalty have no integrity. They sell on price alone and will continue to lower their price (i.e. compromise on principles) until they find a buyer.
Loyalty requires integrity. Steadfast integrity inspires trust which results in loyalty. When integrity is not preserved, the buyer loses trust. Once trust is violated repeatedly, loyalty disappears.
We have reached the point in American politics where both Democrat and Republican voters trust Democrat politicians to do what they say they will do for their voters. Conversely we know Republicans will compromise as soon as they are elected.
When the bonds of loyalty are broken, the brand is dead. It is long past time to create a new party dedicated to the nurturing of individual liberty, the principles of the founding fathers, and the preservation of western civilization. Dead brands rarely revive. However loyal customers survive and find new brands that will serve them well.