GOP 2006-08 = New Coke
Jul 22, 2009 Politics
Robin Ray brought us last weekend, writing for Rebuild The Party, an interesting comparison between the current goings-on of the Republican Party and the disaster that was New Coke:
I figured I was not the first person to come up with this comparison, & I wasn’t.
Most of us know the “New Coke” story;
Coca Cola was losing market share to Pepsi. In taste tests, people preferred the first taste of Pepsi to Coke. In order to get market share back, Coca-Cola came out with “New Coke,” which tasted much like Pepsi. The lost more market share & took a beating from their loyal customers for changing the formula. Coke drinkers drank more than just the first taste – the sweetness of Pepsi was not satisfying & the “bite” of Coke combined with just enough sweetness was satisfying & what they wanted. Coca-Cola heeded what their customers were saying, came out with Coca-Cola Classic & roared back, increasing market share & their lead on the competition.
The lessons from this for the Republican party, imho, are several & clear.
Click through for her comparison points. Cola-wise, I actually prefer Pepsi, but the Republicans aren’t going to get anywhere by trying to be just as good at being Democrats as the actual Democrats. Considering what the GOP has been doing the last few election cycles, and what it’s got them, methinks the party would be wise to serious consider this comparison and its implications.
Penn Jillette: Why I’m a Libertarian Nut
Jul 15, 2009 Politics
Back in May, Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller fame) wrote an article on why he believes in libertarianism for Glenn Beck’s magazine, Fusion. I may not be a member of the Libertarian Party, but the reasoning is very similar to my own. A snip:
There are historical reasons and pragmatic reasons to be a Libertarian, but there are historic and pragmatic reasons to be a Democrat, a Republican or a Socialist. I don’t know if everyone would be better off under a Libertarian government. I don’t know what would be best for anyone. I don’t even know what’s best for me. What makes me Libertarian is I don’t think anyone else really knows what’s best for anyone. My argument for Libertarianism is simple – personal morality.
Go read his entire column. I’m not sure a completely libertarian government is the best way to go, either, but the principle is solid: the government rarely knows what’s best for me better than I do, and is almost never the most efficient at anything it does. Better to let people be themselves and for government to stick to the few things it’s required to do, and as little else as possible.
