Good government, poor marketing

Mon., Aug. 12, 2019

The recent flyer in my mailbox from the Spokane Good Government Alliance, in favor of a particular mayoral candidate, suffers from poor marketing. It tells us that “Spokane is thriving” with a good economy, more jobs, and safety for our kids.

Why, then, would anyone want to change horses in midstream for different leadership? Oh, that’s right: fear. Play to the reptile part of our brains and make us afraid of crime and the homeless. The logic is faulty. “Things are great now, but something might happen, so huddle up in fear of what might be.”

If you exploit fear to make your case - without, oh, I don’t know, facts - then fear is what you’ll get. And history is quite clear that fear makes for lousy governance.

Scott Cooper

Spokane

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