This year, the winners and losers all come down to two things: the importance of Target Market and the importance of brand.

Bottom line, no company and no individual will ever be all things to all people. What matters is that the company or individual is the right things to the right people.

Winners

Sarah Palin – Folks, she may not be your cup of tea but that's only because you're not in her Target Market. 2010 has been the former governor of Alaska's big year.

She has established herself as a national brand and weathered criticism that would have sunk most others. Her reality program on TLC earned the highest-ever ratings for that network and her daughter went far on "Dancing With the Stars" because of a grass-roots call-in campaign that reflects just how many people like this woman.

Does this mean she's a shoe-in for president in 2012? No.

But what it does mean is that, you can't count her out just because she's not someone who pleases Eastern establishment political pundits. Her Target Market
forgives her for leaving the governor's office early. Fact is, they like her… a lot. And in politics, this counts more than pundits want to acknowledge. Is she our Andrew Jackson? Stay tuned.

Losers

The Democrats – The Democrats have managed to forget that they are here to do what the people want. Once again, they've made the classic mistake of thinking that they got the messaging wrong not the policies.

Bottom line, until the Democrats understand that the majority of Americans do not believe that government is the permanent answer to their problems, the Democratic brand is going to weaken.

Keep an out for Evan Bayh and other Democrats who understand that the party's future is about listening to the people.