Robert Altman: A Shaper of The Boomer Brand

LOS ANGELES – The passing of Robert Altman will be mourned by many media professionals, particularly those whose interest in film imbued them with a taste for satire and careers with a political cant.

Altman was one of the few film directors whose work consistently crossed the intersection between popular and political culture.

Robert Altman's work chronicled the transformation of a generation – and built the foundation for a new cinematic language. Altman's films may not have been fully accessible for mass audiences, but his influence still reverberates across a spectrum of media ranging from network television to YouTube. He will be missed.

Bush's Blues: 'The Horror. The Horror.'

HANOI – It's been a rough couple of weeks for the President. So, who can blame Mr. Bush, if the latest in traditional Vietnamese silkwear doesn't strike his personal fancy – especially during a week in which his job approval numbers dropped back into the low 30s; his part-time advisor, Henry Kissinger, now claims that victory in Iraq is no longer possible; and Democrats are speaking about America's Iraq policy through the lexicon of welfare reform. The Brandwagon is wondering if April 1st came early. "The horror. The horror."

Could Jeff Flake Be The Key to The New GOP?

WASHINGTON – In corporate America, mere rumors of a tough quarter usually lead to negative analyst reports and, often, a small wave of short-selling. A few poor quarters and, either heads start to roll, or the RFPs for consultants start zipping through cyberspace. Some Republicans have taken the Blue Wave of 2006 in stride and accepted that they are party in desperate need of a re-brand.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) seems to be leading the charge of soul-searching, readily admitting that the Republican brand is in need of some serious re-thinking. Flake, a telegenic Arizona pragmatist, has long argued that the GOP has strayed from its fiscally-conservative moorings by bringing home too much bacon -- and left the public asking, "Where's the beef?" And Flake's 60 Minutes appearance certainly rankled some feathers inside the Republican caucus, charging that the GOP took the art of earmarking to a new level during their 12 years as the House majority.

Clearly, Flake is a savvy politician. In publicly sensing the winds of voter discontent in the months prior to the election, Flake cast himself as a crusading outsider, ready, willing, and able to take on a moribund Washington power structure, regardless of party affiliation. This is a message that works. Flake won reelection with over 74 percent of the vote – a higher margin than any Arizona incumbent. Could Flake be positioning himself as the next McCain? Could Flake be helping to frame the Republicans in 2008 as the party of "Reason and Responsibility" rather than 1999-2006's "Faith and Strength"?

Blue November: Bush Rebrands as 'The Uniter,' Dons French Blue in Oval Office Tête à Tête with Dems

The Big Blue Wave

WASHINGTON – Who would have thunk it? A Big Blue wave finally came crashing over Capitol Hill November 8th with the Democrats sweeping into the House with by margin of at least 30 seats and capturing the Senate with pick-ups in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Missouri, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Montana (?)! As predicted, many Democratic pick-ups in both houses came from surprisingly conservative candidates. Slate's calling 'em them the "Lou Dobbs Democrats;" CNN's John King brands them "Conservatives;" and The New York Times' Carl Hulse calls the Dems' 110th Freshman class a "challenge". Even Rush Limbaugh is citing crew-cutted Democratic icon, Senator-elect Jon Tester (D-MT) as an exemplar of conservatism's triumphal march.

At The Brandwagon, we've got a different take. Americans got tired of the war, the rancor of partisan puffery, the exportation of jobs to faraway shores, and the ugliness of $2 billion in 15-second smear spots.

The new faces of the Democratic Party bring something to both the Democratic brand – and Washington itself – dignity. Certainly, no one can accuse incoming senators Tester, McCaskill, Casey, Webb, or Brown as "liberal." Neither can we label incoming representatives Shuler, Hill, or Ellsworth as overly "progressive." But, we believe they bring much more to Washington than their nominally-conservative roots. They bring something far more important – a sense of calm, reserve, and good old-fashioned middle-American humanity, an element sorely lacking from both political brands for longer than we care to remember.

Election 2006: Realignment or Not, The Parties Need a Re-Brand

NEW YORK – Two weeks ago, we vaulted past the conventional wisdom and predicted a 46-seat-high Blue wave would flood Capitol Hill. In the interim, we've probably revised our numbers to somewhere between 33 and 40.

But, overall, we're standing pretty firm, although we've got serious concerns about balloting snafus ranging from registration problems to electronic "glitches" in precincts nationwide, especially in Missouri, Florida, Indiana, and Ohio. And reports of late-night robocalls, push polls, and other forms of telephonic skulduggery might depress turn-out in tight races from CA-11 and AZ-8 to PA-6.

If the votes are counted, this could be a realigning election – and, in the aftermath, both parties will be due for a serious rebrand.

Democrats will need to demonstrate that they are as much the party of Conservative Blue Dogs as they are the home for Blue State progressives. This requires fully taking into account the political realities facing the centrist-to-conservative rural, Red State, and suburban Dems who will likely provide the largest portion of the incoming class.

The Republicans, regardless of outcome, are in need of "Brand Triage." With many Republican moderates joining the ranks of America's unemployed, the national party will lurch even further to the Right. To many conservative intellectuals, this would create the ideological purity necessary to formulate a more succinct political vision – and effect more lasting political change. An admirable spin to be sure, but ineffectual politics under the American electoral system. While we consider the ways in which the Republicans can successfully hone a more conservative brand, we suggest that the GOP looks deeply at which type of conservatism it prefers – social or fiscal. From the looks of things, it might be difficult for the two to coexist outside of the precincts painted with the brightest possible shade of Red.