Boy, I got a lot of interest in my Denise Juneau post the other day.
I figure that was mostly interest in Juneau, not in Tim Fox or any of the other candidates I mentioned.
I could be wrong in that, however.
Overall, the post is up to 240 views since I put it up on Wednesday.
Is that good?
That’s pretty good for me. Still, can’t beat them Montana celebrities.
I’m not sure what’s going on, but everyone is suddenly interested in “Tom Brokaw’s ranch” and my article on him has shot up to 740 views already this month.
Go figure.
And go figure that people would be interested more in Juneau’s personal life than any kinds of policies she might push.
I know this because of the article I put up on Saturday about Montana food stamps.
Wow, that would be a great issue for Juneau to get on, don’t you think?
Here’s something that Zinke is against but she can be for. I mean, it helps poor people!
Isn’t that what being a progressive is all about, helping poor people?
Alas, we won’t find any mention of that issue or much else on Juneau’s website.
You have to blame Juneau for this, and perhaps Emily Saunders as well. It should be the job of those two to craft their message while at the same time informing the public.
That’s what I did on Saturday with food stamps in Montana.
Know how many people cared? About 60.
Yeah, I got about 60 views on that article.
In February I’ve gotten 11.
People do not care about issues, they care about people and personalities and stories.
That’s why the Denise Juneau article I put up on Wednesday did so well – it talked about her, not the issues.
People want to be entertained, they don’t want to be informed.
They will put up with being informed, however, if it is entertaining.
So that’s what Denise Juneau and other candidates like her – those with serious, uphill battles – have to figure out how to do.
Entertain me, damn it!
Yeah, you can do that on the TV with your ads, but seeing the same ad over and over will eventually make me sick, and write-off whatever entertainment I might have originally received.
The point is, what’s the point writing about issues when most people will not read them and do not care?
In that regard, maybe the Democratic strategy to just attack your opponent is the right approach.
We saw how much news time Bullock’s economic report got last week – next to nothing.
Again, people do not care about that stuff.
Why?
Because it’s boring.
If you’re boring, no one will give a shit about you. They’ve got enough boring stuff to deal with – it’s called their life.
What they want is an escape from that, just a little time to forget it all.
They sure as shit don’t want their problems brought up. Aren’t they worrying about those all day already…while sitting in traffic, standing in line, working that shit job?
Do not inform people of their problems.
Hell, don’t even tell them the solutions, as that just makes them realize the problem.
No, you have to entertain them. That often means bashing your opponent.
Ryan Zinke’s campaign staff knows what good entertainment will look like, and Heather Swift made that quite clear.
“It’s important to have somebody strong and loving by your side during a campaign,” she said on Wednesday to the Flathead Beacon.
I had a good chuckle at that one.
While I’m sure having Juneau’s partner by her side wouldn’t be a bad thing here in Missoula or maybe in Bozeman or Butte…I just don’t see it going over too well in Roundup or Forsyth or Wolf Point.
I guess from the chatter I’ve been hearing, however, Juneau feels she can write those areas off.
It’s the turnout that matters, and the less there is in the rural areas, the better. On the flip side, the more there is in the urban areas, the better.
Alas, I’m not sure the urban areas alone will be able to deliver the numbers, and in a year when the GOP will likely be pumped-up and ready to go.
I can’t honestly say the same about young, poor, or generally Democratic voters.
Sure, they might like Juneau’s message – whenever it actually comes into being and is delivered to them – but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually vote.
Here in Missoula County we know that 60% of registered voters actually stayed home in 2014.
While I’m sure the 2012 numbers are much better to look at, the sad fact for Juneau is that no one has won that seat since the early-90s that doesn’t call themselves Republican.
How is Juneau going to beat that?
We don’t know, we don’t know.
I figure that was mostly interest in Juneau, not in Tim Fox or any of the other candidates I mentioned.
I could be wrong in that, however.
Overall, the post is up to 240 views since I put it up on Wednesday.
Is that good?
That’s pretty good for me. Still, can’t beat them Montana celebrities.
I’m not sure what’s going on, but everyone is suddenly interested in “Tom Brokaw’s ranch” and my article on him has shot up to 740 views already this month.
Go figure.
And go figure that people would be interested more in Juneau’s personal life than any kinds of policies she might push.
I know this because of the article I put up on Saturday about Montana food stamps.
Wow, that would be a great issue for Juneau to get on, don’t you think?
Here’s something that Zinke is against but she can be for. I mean, it helps poor people!
Isn’t that what being a progressive is all about, helping poor people?
Alas, we won’t find any mention of that issue or much else on Juneau’s website.
You have to blame Juneau for this, and perhaps Emily Saunders as well. It should be the job of those two to craft their message while at the same time informing the public.
That’s what I did on Saturday with food stamps in Montana.
Know how many people cared? About 60.
Yeah, I got about 60 views on that article.
In February I’ve gotten 11.
People do not care about issues, they care about people and personalities and stories.
That’s why the Denise Juneau article I put up on Wednesday did so well – it talked about her, not the issues.
People want to be entertained, they don’t want to be informed.
They will put up with being informed, however, if it is entertaining.
So that’s what Denise Juneau and other candidates like her – those with serious, uphill battles – have to figure out how to do.
Entertain me, damn it!
Yeah, you can do that on the TV with your ads, but seeing the same ad over and over will eventually make me sick, and write-off whatever entertainment I might have originally received.
The point is, what’s the point writing about issues when most people will not read them and do not care?
In that regard, maybe the Democratic strategy to just attack your opponent is the right approach.
We saw how much news time Bullock’s economic report got last week – next to nothing.
Again, people do not care about that stuff.
Why?
Because it’s boring.
If you’re boring, no one will give a shit about you. They’ve got enough boring stuff to deal with – it’s called their life.
What they want is an escape from that, just a little time to forget it all.
They sure as shit don’t want their problems brought up. Aren’t they worrying about those all day already…while sitting in traffic, standing in line, working that shit job?
Do not inform people of their problems.
Hell, don’t even tell them the solutions, as that just makes them realize the problem.
No, you have to entertain them. That often means bashing your opponent.
Ryan Zinke’s campaign staff knows what good entertainment will look like, and Heather Swift made that quite clear.
“It’s important to have somebody strong and loving by your side during a campaign,” she said on Wednesday to the Flathead Beacon.
I had a good chuckle at that one.
While I’m sure having Juneau’s partner by her side wouldn’t be a bad thing here in Missoula or maybe in Bozeman or Butte…I just don’t see it going over too well in Roundup or Forsyth or Wolf Point.
I guess from the chatter I’ve been hearing, however, Juneau feels she can write those areas off.
It’s the turnout that matters, and the less there is in the rural areas, the better. On the flip side, the more there is in the urban areas, the better.
Alas, I’m not sure the urban areas alone will be able to deliver the numbers, and in a year when the GOP will likely be pumped-up and ready to go.
I can’t honestly say the same about young, poor, or generally Democratic voters.
Sure, they might like Juneau’s message – whenever it actually comes into being and is delivered to them – but that doesn’t mean they’ll actually vote.
Here in Missoula County we know that 60% of registered voters actually stayed home in 2014.
While I’m sure the 2012 numbers are much better to look at, the sad fact for Juneau is that no one has won that seat since the early-90s that doesn’t call themselves Republican.
How is Juneau going to beat that?
We don’t know, we don’t know.
