Now let us discourse upon SUB-OPTIMIZATION * . . .

The measure of dismay and disappointment

with The Won

is the measure of the GOP's failure.

Blah . . .blah . . .blah.  No excuses are acceptable.  The GOP – from McCain to the precinct captain – failed in 2008 – failed to win and failed to protect the Republic.

Headlines like USA Today’s – ONE YEAR LATER, PUBLIC'S VIEW OF OBAMA HAS CHANGED – are a measure of that failure.  

What the past year has demonstrated is precisely 

what the GOP failed to make real during the election.  

It doesn’t matter that everybody tried.  Everybody failed and has come perilously close to losing The Republic.  How could everybody be so dumb?  Yes, dumb.  Dumb.

Sub-optimization* is a concept of systems analysis where parts of the system may be running optimally but the over-all system could be running better.  In plain language, each department is doing its best but the entire organization could be doing better if each department did things differently.

That’s a best-case characterization.  In the real world, each department is probably screwing up in its own special way without recognizing how detrimental their efforts are to overall success.

For example, McCain honoring his word to use public campaign financing after Obama broke his word to do the same, outspending McCain 2:1.

For example, McCain racing back to the Senate to deal with the financial meltdown, proving to the electorate that he was a tired, old fire-horse who couldn’t learn new tricks.

For example, ACORN doing systematic destruction to the electoral process while a)local folks were screaming and b)nobody in charge took the charges seriously.  Why does the Titanic come to mind?  Why do flight-students not interested in take-offs and landings come to mind?

For example, the “Bob Dole/John McCain Selection Process” that guarantees that the senior old fart in Washington has a clear shot at losing the Presidency.

Next time we have to do better.  

How do we do better?

We focus on over-all maximization.

For example, GOP hacks in Upstate New York put up an Arlen-Specter-wannabe for next week’s special election for Congress in the 23^rd District . . .and everyone from the rank-and-file to 2012 Presidential hopefuls cries “NO!”  Very well done!

And Newt Gingrich threw his lot in with the hacks.

Bye, Newt!

How do we do it?  Here are a few ideas:

1. Stop using XIX^th century communication techniques.  Don’t think that adding a Facebook and a Twitter button makes you cool.  Things aren’t that easy.
2. All politics are local.  Give local GOP politics a combination of education and support.  Al Franken was elected by ACORN.
3. Forget the folks you are never going to convince.  Don’t listen to them and don’t try to convince them.
4. The 2012 campaign has already begun.  What have you done and what has the GOP done for it?  Next week’s election is a skirmish.  The 2010 election is a battle.  The war has already begun.  No excuses for coming late to the war.

Not Swine Flu.

Not “busy with the current election.”

Not “the dog ate my homework.” 

5. Details are very difficult for many voters to grasp.  Think memetics k marketing™.  Think The Witch-Doctor.  Think me.

*This concept from systems theory refers to the extent to which attempts to improve the performance of a sub-system by its own criteria may act to the detriment of the total system which includes that sub-system, and even to the defeat of its objectives.