Targeting means to zero in on and focus on a specific group with a specific message. You can't target three ideologically distinct groups (conservatives, progressives, and libertarians) with the same message. And trying to promote multiple messages at the same time severely dilutes your brand. This is Marketing 201. It may sound good, but it never works - it just wastes a lot of money.

One of the reasons the Democrats have done so well in the past 50 years is because they have focused on the specific message of Progressivism. They took this up a notch when they ditched all the Blue Dog Democrats after Reagan. Their core supporters are hard-core. Then they add in some hand-outs to attract a few more. They don't try to cater to libertarians or attract Republicans at all. No mixed messages. That's a lesson the Republicans should learn, because it's (IMO) one of the primary reasons they fail in so many big elections. They try to appeal to everyone the Democrats don't. And as a result, they turn off a lot of people. It's also the reason why you don't see infighting in the Democratic Party that you see amongst Republicans. There's a huge difference between a Texas Republican and a Massachusetts Republican. Among the Democrats, there really isn't that much difference.

Look at this years election results. Trump won, yes, but he did so with a voter turnout that was decidedly down from the 2012 election despite population growth. Yes, Democrats turned out far less than Republicans, but both groups were down in comparison to 2012. Trump wasn't winning over Democrats - they were disgusted with the shenanigans in the Democratic Party and with Hillary as the nominee so they just stayed home or voted third party. Trump attracted independents, but a lot of core conservatives who normally vote Republican voted third party instead. If the same voter demographics as 2012 had voted this year, we'd be staring at President-Elect Hillary Clinton.