Mike Biundo: Trust & Authenticity in Politics
So this week, I am at the gym doing some miles on the treadmill, and I am listening to two gentlemen behind me, who are about my age, discussing the state of the world and our government. They traveled easily between the mess that is Congress, Biden’s mental lapses, Mitch’s rebooting on camera, Ukraine, the price of eggs, and the Middle East. Let’s be honest, by the end, they may as well have been yelling at the clouds as they were very animated and sure of their positions.
Their take, in summation, is they can’t trust anyone in government. They can’t trust the news media, and they don’t know who or what to believe anymore. They both agreed they would take advantage of the New Hampshire primary and go see one of the many candidates tripping over each other here to see if they could “grill them” into giving straight answers.
The problem is that these conversations are not unique. They are quite common. They are much of the reason that someone with Trump’s profile rose to prominence. It is much of the reason the Halls of Congress have seen the rise of the AOCs and the likes of MTG and Matt Gaetz. As political insiders, as most of you are on our newsletter list, we need to understand that.
It’s less about the exact views of your candidate, as much as it is about whether you can trust them. The electorate is thirsty for truthtellers. They are dehydrated by the lack of authenticity. They have little trust for the media and even less for the political advertising we are feeding them. Gone are the days of writing a killer ad or mail piece that single-handedly wins the race. The path needs to be built on trust, and that starts with a candidate being the best version of their authentic selves.
Our team at Ascent Strategic prides itself on helping candidates find that authentic messaging. We love working with candidates and on efforts that have a defined vision of “why” the issue or their candidacy matters in this crazy political process. If we can help you and your team, let us know. Whether it’s consulting or magnifying your message through direct mail, digital advertising, text messaging, live calls, robocalls and IVRs, or tele town halls, our team can help.
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