Branding

A brand sets expectations. You come to anticipate certain things based upon a company's or product's branding. If I mention "Waffle House," an experience comes to your mind. It's a diner, it's good but not fancy, and it's friendly.

I talked previously about the importance of setting expectations in the minds of others in a post I titled "Political Velocity."

Later, I wrote about the release of the Epstein Files in a post I titled "What Do You Expect?" In it, I said this:

The crazy thing about this new government accountability stuff... if you say you're going to do something, then people actually expect you're going to do it.

In the absence of knowing, people make stuff up, and it's almost always negative. So, in the absence of knowing where the list is that we were promised went, we get a ton of conjecture. Nobody trusts Pam Bondi today, Kash's reputation is in tatters, and the man we trust the most, Dan Bongino, is getting bruised pretty well.

Back in September of 2024, Kash said this in an interview:

"I'd shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen it the next day as a museum of the 'deep state.' Then, I'd take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals. Go be cops. You're cops - go be cops."

The Republican Party, in general, is really bad at messaging. Terrible at setting expectations. We don't need more people who over-promise and under-deliver. But that's becoming the branding for the current Republican Party.

Branding begins in the hands of those who want to promote the brand, but then experience with the company or product turn management of the brand over to the public. At that point, perception steps in, and when it comes to brand, perception is reality. Bud Light is the best example of that. The beer hasn't changed, but public perception about the beer has changed, and it will never recover.

I wrote yesterday about the potential for a third party. This purported admission from the Trump administration about the Epstein List doesn't help smooth that over. It makes it worse.

The midterms need to keep Republicans in office. I pray they do. Better management of their branding by setting and meeting expectations would help. And Republicans are terrible at that.

2 Comments

Mark Beny (Jul 7, 2025 2:51 PM):

It only looks good compared to what we were dealing with.

Sarah Stewart (Oct 19, 2025 7:48 AM):

"In the absence of knowing, people make stuff up, and it's almost always negative." This is the practical understanding of human nature that makes your message so effective and relavent. Common sense is a rare commodity.