The last few months have included televised newscasts, radio call-in shows, internet chats, bulletin boards and blogs, newspaper articles, and various pundits sharing views on the eventual outcome of the upcoming election for President of the United States. Through much of the discussion and coverage there has been precious little time devoted to a very important demographic and slice of the voting public - the small business owner or entrepreneur. While there has been plenty of discussion of terrorism and which candidate is best suited to address that issue militaristically, the theme of helping those who help themselves has been absent from much of the rhetoric of the debates, candidate positions, and stump speeches.

Default Assumptions

When comparing Democratic party policy to Republican party policy, it has usually been safe to assume that the Republican candidate will be pro-business and the Democratic candidate will be more aligned with the worker/employees' plight. However, that view is clearly way too much of an over-generalization and may not even pass the sniff test when applied to any particular election and candidates.

Further, it is commonly assumed that a Democrat will seek to raise taxes to fund social programs and will do so at the expense of the business owner whenever possible. Additionally, it is accepted wisdom that Republican candidates will pursue the opportunity to lower taxes, reduce governmental intervention, and act to balance

Advertisement
the budget. So - with that thinking, it would seem that a vote for the Republican candidate would always be in the best interests of the entrepreneur.

A Closer Look

However, before going to vote for one candidate or the other, a more detailed look at the issues should be undertaken to ensure that one's interests are best represented.

1. Terrorism - the attacks of 9/11 proved that we were not immune on our shores from war, being attacked, or having to react to enemies that have managed to reach our coasts, cities, schools, and neighborhoods. Regardless of one's feelings about the proper actions to take in response to the threat of terrorism, it is an issue that does impact small businesses. For some, it represents opportunity in new markets, products, customers, etc. that did not exist or were not as evolved prior to the attacks. For others, it means different regulations to be met or costs to be incurred to sell products locally or abroad. When looking at candidates, it is should be recognized that their stance on terrorism be weighed as it impacts the business owner.

2. Healthcare - another big issue dominating much of the political discussion centers around whether or not business should be responsible for providing healthcare insurance for employees, the individual is to assume the cost directly, or if the government needs to assume the responsibility for providing healthcare to citizens. Among the costs that have been escalating quickly and forcing many businesses to reassess their ability to become or remain profitable, health insurance is clearly top of mind for many business owners.

3. Immigration - the other issue getting lots of attention is the illegal alien question and how to best address that in a civil and compassionate, yet law-abiding way. On the one side of the debate are those that maintain that if not for the illegal aliens' willingness to do work that others refuse to do; much of the economy would flounder. On the other side of the debate are those that view illegal aliens as a drain on the already overworked social services that do not contribute their fair share back to the country in taxes.

Without choosing sides in the above issues, is to ignore their relevance to the business community and very likely to the future prospects of many individual entrepreneurs is to fail to see the obvious. This upcoming election will help decide the above issues and many others that will directly impact how small, medium, and even large businesses navigate through the challenges we as a nation confront

So, Why Aren't We Courted?

The question occurs, if the above issues facing the nation are so entwined with business and have led to such passionate debate and discussion, why has no candidate solicited the entrepreneur for support? The answer may reside in the following:

The entrepreneurial demographic, while large and growing, is still much smaller than the employee demographic. For every business owner one can find, there will be far more employees to go around. Given the sheer size of the two groups, it is more efficient and effective to pursue the vote of the employees.

By proclivity, the entrepreneur tends not to follow crowds and is likely to be more independent than not. Therefore, while one of George H. W. Bush's more famous quotes commented on America being illuminated by a thousand points of light, it at times seems that none of those lights are controlled by the same light switch.

The public relations aspect of supporting the "rich" is hard to overcome when stumping and speaking before the complete continuum of voters. As inaccurate as it may be, the inference is that if one supports business, they are not aligned with "regular folk."

In this upcoming election, there is also no candidate that has ever run a business as an entrepreneur. There is no commonality or feeling of inclusion that is engendered by any of the candidates. McCain has the chance to parlay his "maverick" and "hero" status into something that entrepreneurs can relate to; but has not achieved that to date. Clinton has a Board of Directorship with Wal*Mart on her resume, but that is seen as more of a negative by Main Street business owners than a positive. Obama represents change and a break from how things were previously done in Washington, but that is not always comforting to the business owner as well.

Something Else Afoot

While viewing the upcoming election through the prism of being a business owner can provide preferences that will benefit the bottomline on a profit and loss statement, there is something that seems to be even stronger driving the voting decisions. For all of the talk of being influenced by margins, return on investments, and cash flow; at our core we are still a country that cares deeply about one another.

Terrorism, healthcare, and illegal immigration are issues that transcend the ledger sheet and speak to what we are about as a nation and as a people. And perhaps, that above all else is why business owners do not form a cogent voting bloc, because the voting perspectives of business owners are fundamentally their own personally. They do not vote as one because they are influenced more strongly by what they think and believe is right for the country and not merely what is right for the businesses they operate. As the candidates prepare for their respective conventions this summer, and the country prepares to elect the next President, it is feasible that business owners will be the difference maker in choosing who resides in the White House, but that it will be a decision made on more than just their own wallets.

David Zahn is a serial entrepreneur and consultant to Fortune 100 businesses (www.zahnconsulting.com) as well as entrepreneurial startups (www.startupbuilder.com).

The opinions expressed are the author's and not necessarily those of connpost.com. Please direct comments to cdauber@ctpost.com.