Getting started in political blogging
AG Bill Schuette using his office as a right wing political tool
Wisconsin Democrats submit more than 1,000,000 signatures to recall Gov Walker
Asking for democracy is democracy in action
‘Choose Life’ plates would fund Right to Life through the Secretary of State  |
5 Ways To Lose An Election (If You’re A Democrat) |
| Ignore the rural areas – Democrats haven’t won Shiawassee County since we stopped going door to door in the rural areas. (Yes, we have some non-rural areas out here) Buying media and door knocking in the cities is not enough for a Democrat to win. It’s enough for a Republican, because Republicans have two great advantages: Farm Bureau, and organized religion. Farm Bureau has convinced everyone who owns land that they are Republicans, and most of the churches out here lean conservative. The only way to neutralize this effect is to knock on doors. Media doesn’t matter; face to face conversations are more powerful than any advertisement. Get out there and meet the people. They may be few and far between, but they gather on a regular basis, and they’ll talk about the one candidate who cared enough to drive a mile down the dirt road just to knock on one man’s door. |  |
Don’t stand for anything – Although it is useful to not be the other guy, that alone can’t be the basis of your entire platform. People want to know who you are, and they are attracted to vision and leadership.
You want to know what comes next, don’t you?
These statements draw attention. People will tune out your talk about the other guy, but they will listen to you talk about yourself. Your primary message should always define yourself; your secondary message should define your opponent.
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Talk too much – There is such a thing as too much information. If you are running for county commissioner, do not bring up the war in Iraq. You risk alienating voters by talking about an issue that has nothing to do with your election. Talk about zoning, local projects, economic development, and county infrastructure. Don’t use your valuable campaign time talking about your indignation with President Bush. |
Use the language of NOT –
As long as you are denying something, you are repeating the accusation. More importantly, you are off your message. You do not have enough time in front of people to stray from what you want them to remember … “I will lead, I will stand up to corporations, I will fight for our jobs …â€
If you have to answer an accusation, use the “pivot principle”. That is, during your answer, you “pivot” back to your message. For example, if your message is that you will stand up to big corporations …
“Mr. Candidate, did you lie about your involvement in Amway?”
“Those accusations are the lies of a desperate opponent, because he knows that I will stand up to big corporations and fight for the people.”
You’ve seen it in action hundreds of times, and it probably drives you nuts. Because of your own personal feelings, you may be tempted to cut through the political “spin” and directly answer the question by saying “No, I did NOT lie.” The fact is, most effective way to neutralize negative attacks is to use the pivot principle and avoid repeating “I’m NOT…”.
Do not plan your campaign – One of the worst mistakes you can make is failing to plan your campaign.
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These are all questions you need to think about before you hit the road. Remember: a campaign is just like a day at the office … plan your work, and work your plan. |
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I think you made a solid point about campaigning in rural areas. One of the reasons that republicans win across the country is their exceptional ability to organize at the local level. They get involved in the churches and such and can influence a lot of people that way.
Unfortunately I believe that so many people in the county have drank the Republican Kool-Aid for so long that they won’t switch to anything else anytime soon.
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Hi SCbbb, welcome to the site!
I agree, Republicans have done a great job organizing, which really is beating Dems at our own game. What they did well in the rural areas was infiltrate the places where people gather, which are the churches.
However, Dems have been out of power for so long and Republicans have screwed up so bad that people are becoming more open to an alternative. I think the elections will be tough but really there’s no excuse for us to lose.
(shameless plug ahead)
Although, we do need to fund our candidates who are not in targeted races … so if anyone has some $$ to offer, please consider sending a donation to people like Judy Ford, Donna Anderson, Mike Huckleberry, or our county candidates — Jack Johnson, Henrietta Sparkes, Dan Stewart.
(end shameless plug)
So “Swedish Chef borkborkbork”, is that from Muppets fame? borkborkbork is what he said eh?
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I loved the Swedish Chef on the Muppet Show!!! I also loved that creepy looking guy with the floating whiskers that was prominent in the Vincent Price episode… sheesh… I watched way too much Muppet Show.
tmj
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Another great post, Christine! I think you’re absolutely right — face-to-face interaction is the best way a candidate can change someone’s mind. TV ads aren’t dead yet, but they’re definitely not as effective as they used to be. People power can trump a well-funded campaign, provided a candidate avoids some of the common mistakes you point out.
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Yes that’s a good point too. But we have to make sure we are giving people a real choice with quality candidates. As James Carville says, don’t just oppose the republicans, propose something better as well. If the Dems lose it will be because voters don’t think we have a plan to make things better. I’d recommend reading his books for inspiration, my favorite is Had Enough?.
And indeed, my name is a nod to the Muppets. Check out some classic skits at youtube
– you’ll need flash to see them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY_Yf4zz-yo
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Yes I agree we need to offer real alternatives. I just meant the ground is more fertile for us, considering how much they’ve screwed up.
I loved the Muppets, just forgot about the Swedish Chef. I really liked those guys in the balcony of the theater.
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