I know it's not a popular take, but I don't like Poe or Hawthorne. I always felt like their shallow exploration of death/edgy topics really only appealed to the immature or unintelligent reader.
I can see their work on a shelf between The Nightmare Before Christmas and a Dashboard Confessional CD- maybe a Jr High textbook as well.
I wouldn't use them as an example.
I still can't believe they needed a candidate that would win over moderate rightwing conservatives and disillusioned neocons and they ran her. She was also part of an unpopular administration with voters, barely ran and was a prosecutor.
It's so unlikely that they lack an understanding of not only their opposition as a demographic, but their own voter base as well. Best case scenario is gross negligence and poor leadership.