Spotlight on the Candidates: Countdown to election night in Nashvegas

 

This morning I noticed that in Sunday’s Tennessean Issues section that Dean provided more specifics and more policy proposals compared to Clement’s identification of problem areas and discussion in vaguer generalities. Especially on education and business, Dean honed in on specific proposals and constituencies (small business, African American business). Even Clement’s consistent rhetorical mantra that “We will move Nashville from good to great” seems to resonate this call. (Although, for all I know, Dean may have just had a better interview than Clement or may be better at succinctly articulating his views to the press) I talked about this shift from policy wonkery to principles in an attempt to better understand the psychology of the Political Brain.

 

At the end of the day voters probably do vote with their gut (perhaps the Blink theory of gut based decision making. See Malcomb Gladwell). It certainly is in line with the ethos, pathos, and logos (credibility appeals, emotional appeals, and logical appeals) model of communication outlined by Aristotle (so many years ago and in what seems like a galaxy far, far away).

 

Personally, I want to know both what policies the politician will actually espouse in office and a statement of vision. Not one at the expense of the other.

 

What do you think? What happens to the policy discussion in such a world? For folks that are more concerned about actually changes in public policy, how can we compare candidates?

 

Is this policy vs. principle divide true? Do voters care more about principles over policy? Is this divide occurring on some level in the Nashville’s race for our next mayor? Will this continue in the upcoming debates? Will this be a larger national trend?

 

If you didn’t get a chance to read them earlier and want to check out the Tennessean’s articles yourself:

Bob Clement tells why he’s the right man to be mayor. In direct response, Karl Dean tells why he’s the right man to be mayor. The difference between the candidates may be very nuanced on the policy vs. principles split.

 

Looking forward to covering this evenings debates and seeing if the trend continues. Check them out! September 11th is coming up quickly.(thanks to C.Wage for the nice photo)