Defined by Negation

Quality management principles are noticeably lacking in election campaigns

Tue, 10/26/2010 - 05:30

Election time is once again upon us. And, like a bumper crop of kudzu run amok, campaign ads have besieged local broadcasts with the tenacity of an unrelenting pestilence. My mailbox is equally stuffed with innuendo-laden campaign fliers. A horrific waste of paper.

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The malicious tone of the ads is particularly troublesome. Not only are they offensive and confrontational, they’re also devoid of meaningful content. I might pay more attention to the political commercials if they actually provided information that would help me to decide how I will cast my ballot. But they don’t. They’re nothing more than vitriolic tirades that wouldn’t be tolerated in any legitimate business environment.

What is especially disconcerting is that the rampant use of negative media spots has crept unchallenged into accepted campaign practices. There has been no outcry from the citizenry, no demand that individuals who aspire to represent us in the halls of Congress or at the helm of the gubernatorial branch of governance conduct themselves with some modicum of restraint—or rein in the independent organizations who purport to advocate on their behalf.

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Comments

Submitted by shrikale on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 09:22

I truly enjoyed Denise's application of the QMPs to the electoral process in play this year. The 'company' is pushing out 'product' without any significant input from its 'customers' -- forget about actually addressing the customer's needs. She makes a wise argument for applying quality principles to the manner in which people are elected to office.
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Just as in the consumer product marketplace, the political marketplace has opportunities to provide value added products in many different forms - Lexus & BMW are both value adding luxuries in different forms. Instead, as Denise points out in her piece, the focus is not on how a candidate adds value but on how their opponent takes value away -- defined by negation & perpetuating an atmosphere of fear. An utterly ridiculous, but for an incomprehensible reason, a long lasting and even thriving mode of conducting business.
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The citizens never have an opportunity to compare the value propositions of the product they are being asked to choose between. Sadly, we all lose the opportunity to leap ahead of the rest of the world & keep them in the game instead of blowing them out!

Excellent article. Is there any way we can get the politicians from both sides to sit down & go through the "5 Whys" or any problem-solving method using real data to determine the true root causes of our current problems? Perhaps that's wishfull thinking.

While everyone seems to decry the negative campaigning, there is a very good reason it contunues: IT WORKS!!!! If it didn't work, the candidates wouldn't be doing it. People are motivated by consequences. Politicians are no different. WE, the voters, are ultimately the ones to blame for the mess in Washington. We re-elect (the consequences the politicians are looking for) the very people we have little confidence in. We reward public figures for BAD BEHAVIOR. Therefore, they keep doing it. Just look at Charlie Sheen, Tiger Woods, "Snookie", Paris Hilton, Marion Barry, Joy Behar, etc., ad nauseum.

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