I think @JVLast nails it: "Republican voters—a group distinct from Conservatism Inc.—no longer have any concrete outcomes that they want from government. What they have, instead, is a lifestyle brand."

But having worked at @RedBull, I have thoughts... https://thetriad.thebulwark.com/p/red-bull-elon-musk-and-matt-gaetz

The most successful brands (Apple, Nike, Red Bull, Patagonia) are the ones that have the greatest sense of self. They know exactly who they are and are unapologetic about it. When your message is clear, people can easily align their values to yours.

Democrats, in contrast, have no brand. Because they have to be the "party of inclusion," they end up trying to be everything to everyone to avoid alienating anyone. But the numbers are on our side — the majority of Americans share our progressive values. Yet, we pull our punches.

There are lots of reasons to criticize The Lincoln Project, but we can't deny that Democrats (who don't do politics for a living) flocked to them. There's a reason they now have more Twitter followers than the @TheDemocrats and @GOP. It's 100% because they built a legit brand.

In contrast to Dems, "Republicans" are clear-eyed about who they are and what they stand for. Sadly, to @JVLast's point, they've given up on caring about legislative accomplishments or winning majorities. The Republican brand has devolved to just "owning the libs" now.

And in a country where 2/3 of Americans can't correctly name the 3 branches of government, "owning the libs" sounds like a pretty good time. It feels like civic engagement. I mean, who cares about the wall or COVID when you get to make snowflakes cry, amirite?

However, there's a shelf life to your brand if you don't also deliver on your promises. Contrary to what @JVLast asserts, people do care about what's in a can of @RedBull. If it didn't actually get you through finals or save you on your midnight shift, Red Bull would be nothing.

The content, the soccer teams, the F1 teams, Felix jumping from the edge of space... people only care about that now because it comes from a brand they've come to trust. We used to have to pay Fox Sports to air Red Bull content. Now, there's a Red Bull TV app on every smart TV.

Same with Nike (where I also worked). Sure, they sell a lot of stuff to people who won't ever run a mile, but if their shoes didn't also propel @EliudKipchoge to a sub 2-hour marathon or @KingJames to a 'chip, Nike would fall off. Remember @Zionwilliamson's shoe? Not a good look.

And the stronger the brand is, the more forgiving your customers will be. The build quality of Teslas are actually awful (bad paint, large panel gaps), but the Teslarati are so enamored with Elon, they don't care. As @JVLast points out, Matt Gaetz won't be hurt by this "scandal."

If Dems continue to believe that they are only judged by voters on actual policy outcomes and Republicans continue investing in the attention economy with no regard for outcomes, I don't know which will win out, but to build something enduring, you need both form and function.