It would be nice to have that kind of straight forward approach in politics.

Using an automobile analogy, understand that there are people who know what is under the hood of a typical Ford Mustang. And taking it further, I'll go back to 1979 to a Mustang II that I owned, so its easy for me.  The lines are sleek, and the sporty bucket seats with a 4 speed on the floor call it out as a speedy ride.  Heck, even the entire interior was RED hot. ..sizzle..

I bought the car used.. It was a dog.  Mechanics, and others who knew cars, understood this "plastic surgery job on a Pinto" right down to its faulty cam shaft design was not long for the road.  But it sure was pretty.  And it held such promise. Sigh..

We have all too often seen Pintos in Mustang garb in our political leaders.  They pretty up for events, charizmatize us, (if that is a word) and sell us on their promises.  Typically, we know they cannot deliver, but gosh when they say it THAT way.. its hard to resist.  And advertising budgets the likes of ones controlled by Stabenow and Levin hardly limit them to a single coat spray job of the Earl Scheib $49 specials of the past.

In fact, our current President is a perfect example of oversold.  His paint job is one of those really cool prismatic schemes where looking from one light angle reveals a different scene than another.  So depending on where we are standing, we all perceive a different tint, or hue.  He was many things to many people, but as people are beginning to experience the look and feel of "rich corinthian leather," on their maiden voyage of the Barack 2008 speedster, they are beginning to realize it has a steering problem that pulls to the left, and the brakes are shot.

As it is in politics, Michigan's future governor will surely be oversold as well, but it shouldn't take much to entice folks off the "Granholm Motors" Used car lot with a John Cherry Pick, to come over to the shiny new Conservaratti lot next door. (we need to get Ted Nugent to put that in a song too)  The Republican message need not be the selling of repackaged liberal solutions, as right now the public doesn't want shiny new, but rather a trusted, and useful institution of government.

Next time around, how many will buy the promise of improved performance of a larger and more benevolent bureaucracy? Sadly perhaps, too many. As often, even a great idea or idealistically spawned plan sets off the alarms when people first hear of them, but before the first questions come out, the "salesmen" are already plying their trade.

"Everybody wants one!"  is essentially the message used to move you.

You are the "mark," and you are being sold.  You may not realize it, but over time your tolerances for the progressive moves of the politicians have increased.  You have been SOLD many products you didn't know you bought.  Your capitulation to the furtherance of expanded government is evidenced by the flea market of legislation never before imaginable by your representatives.

Nothing like keeping up with the Joneses, Smiths, or Rodriguez's for that matter. "When a politico says "We can all agree, that..." He is suggesting that you, the "mark," must be one of the few to disagree, if you don't like what he is saying.  It is a challenge that essentially says "you want to be so different from your peers?  You must have trouble adjusting in society."

And typically it targets the decency of the nominal dissenter, the fence sitter, the person with no better answer.  Because what is being sold, all too often, is an entitlement which rewards a particular constituency of that politician's.  In fact, some of the more talented politicians are able to convince even reasonably educated and smarter folks to go against initial negative reactions and common sense, to support entitlement legislation based on their own guilt of success in the face of perpetual failure of society which has been encouraged by such measures.

In business, the supporting feature for the salesman is a financial profit.  Though sometimes oversold, the purpose of selling a product is to generate a profit that allows that business to continue on.  Some sellers will overstate their product and some will present a more accurate sales attempt.  The latter may lose a few sales to the former, but will be more highly respected, and trusted.

In politics, the profit is power. And each politico has in some form the capability to use a part of that empowerment to reward supporters or punish dissenters.  Promises made, are often beyond the ability of the politician to deliver, yet when they are successful, there are unintended consequences.  In politics, it is very rare indeed, to actually take home what you thought you thought you had bought.