Political branding

I have really noticed in this last election that there is a real need for the worlds of politics and branding to meet. Of course the most obvious connection is with the branding of their names as they relate to their infamous yard signs but I am more concerned with the mass amount of information that one most have to gather to make an informed choice. As a designer I feel this is an areas that directly relates to a design way of thinking. Taking alot of info and condensing it to it's essence to understand the true message is what we do all the time. Why has this theory not been adopted to the political arena. Aside from smear campaigns on tv spots or the rhetoric we get from biased "news" channels where can one get the true facts in a concise format. I would like to see a platform where you can compare one candidate with all their opponents and see where they sit on the important issues based on how they vote. I would also like to see more candidates incorporate smart designers to effectively get their message out. A little design could go along way. Ask our president about affective branding.