LET'S MAKE IT GREAT TO BE BACK AGAIN: THE ART OF THE POLITICAL SLOGAN

Slogans. They've always been a part of politics. Especially campaigns and generally, they really don't mean very much. They are catch phrases, identifiers, mnemonic triggers really. Pavlovian in nature. You hear this phrase you think of this party, this candidate

In our sound bite, tweet driven world, slogans have taken on new meaning by having even less meaning than ever before

Doesn't it seem that the more tools that we have to facilitate communication the less actual communication we seem to do. We tweet, we like we share but are we communicating any more than before we had all this technology

For political and marketing strategies instant messaging in all it's formats is just another way to keep slapping that brand our our skin. Here's another sound bite, another slogan, there is no thought behind it, there is no substance but it is imprinting on your brain or so is the hope

Here in North America there are two slogans, or catchphrases, being pounded out by politicians that really are consulate doublespeak

Down in the US they are campaigning, actively campaigning, so certainly not at all surprising that slogans are being slung like the g strings around the hips of a tired stripper

The Donald may be the master of saying a lot without ever saying everything. There is no substance in anything that he says. It amazes me he gets away with saying "you have no idea" As in the media is terrible, "you have no idea" Hillary is corrupt "you have no idea" Um, ok, I have no idea Donald .. do you?

But it's his slogan I want to focus on. "We'll make America great again" It's hardly innovative. But when combined with his total lack of a platform, there's a lot to pick apart here. Firstly, OK, when was America great. You're going to make it great again, so when was it great, pin point that for me. And you should probably tell me why it was great, so I have some idea how you're going to get us back to that point. Isolationism is nothing new in American politics and what with The Donald's wall and wanting to deport muslims, is that what he is referring to, when the US stood alone .. Yeh, before it had much money or power. When the "walls" went down around the US and immigrants began to flood into the country, isn't that when it began to be great, when it entered one of its greatest building phrases. As a builder, you'd think The Donald would know that

I also want to know when the US ceased to be great. Was it when the last Republican president bankrupted the planet and, through a profit inspired invasion of foreign countries, inspired the current wave of terrorism. Or did the US cease to be great when a black man became president, a man Trump spent millions of dollars trying to prove was not even American

Up here in Canada the campaign for PM is officially over but our PM still seems hot on the campaign trail. Not a photo op this lad will ever avoid. And he is smiling for those cameras with his own slogan "Canada's back"

Um, Justin, where did it go? And to what are coming back?

It's very much like make America great again, isn't it. Scarily like that. There seems to be quantifiers needed here but there are none to be found

Is Canada back because a dude name Trudeau is once again PM? Is it back because we have a PM who instead of hiding in his office loves having his face everywhere? The Boy King likes to think of himself and his policies as innovative and forward thinking, if that's so, Justin, then you shouldn't be using the word "back" so much

In the long run I don't pay much attention to slogans. As I've said, they've always been there. But in both the case of Combover Boy and Captain Arrogance, we're not getting much else. Whether you are running a campaign or running a country, there must come a point where the slogan gives way to some substance.

In this age of plausible deniability politicians rarely commit to anything. Even campaign promises are seen to be ephemeral. Disposable. Say many words, mean nothing. It's all just to capture your attention without requiring a decision.

Did politicians ever say what they mean? Not really sure. But if they did, it would be great to get back to that