Does Policy Matter? Yes — Just Not How You Think

One question I get asked all the time is how much policy matters in politics.

People look at Donald Trump's success, the vacuous nature of political coverage, and the fact that tens of millions of Americans vote for politicians with policies diametrically opposed to their own interests, and they wonder if any of it matters. Do voters care about policy?

Well, the answer is yes — but not in the way most Democrats think.

Policy absolutely matters, but the voters who decide elections don't have the time or interest to go to a candidate's website and click on the issues section, or even ask an AI chatbot what candidate X thinks about Y issue. They certainly don't sit down at the dinner table with a stack of policy papers and decide which candidate best represents their interests.

This is always a tough pill to swallow for the candidates I've worked with. Most of them are policy wonks. They got into politics to help people, and they're keenly interested in the nuts and bolts of achieving that goal. Most politicians would rather attend a policy meeting than do almost anything else — especially call time.

This passion for policy makes them well-suited for public service, but very detached from the median swing voter.

Most members of this community are either candidates or people working for candidates, so you want to know how to think and talk about policy.

The best way to think about policy on the campaign trail is that the policies you promote need to tell a story about your values: who you'll fight for, and who you'll fight against.

Look, candidates should have ideas about what they want to do if they win. They're going to meet with groups and stakeholders who have specific questions about their specific issues. Veterans groups will want to know your veterans' health care policy. The local chamber of commerce will ask how you plan to help businesses in the community, and so on.