Esquire's Tim Heffernan nails it, I think:
There’s a scene in Boogie Man, the terrific Lee Atwater documentary, where Robert Novak says that the difference between Democrats and Republicans is that Democrats truly believe in governing, and Republicans just want power. Two things to say about this. One, he’s right… And two, that this distinction encapsulates perfectly the political dynamic that has ruled elections for the past two decades and is about to result in yet another Republican wave.
This is not new and it’s not an accident. Lee Atwater realized that it’s the message, not the actions, that Americans vote for — and so finding the winning message is all that matters…
And I think we know what that message was: LOUD NOISES!