It’s a fundamental truth of politics that if you don’t win, you can’t govern.
You can’t implement policy if you aren’t elected to a position that allows you to do so, or if you don’t have sympathetic elected officials that are willing to help.
With that being the case, it’s critical that conservatives know the basics of effective campaigning if we expect to see our ideas implemented in government.
The good news is that the fundamentals of a successful campaign of any type is the same today as it was thousands of years ago.
Julius Caesar once said that the only thing needed to conquer the world was “men and money”. Modify that idea slightly by adding “message” and you’ve got a good thumbnail sketch of what political campaigns are all about.
They’re known as “the Three M’s”:
- Manpower: Do you have the supporters that can build a successful campaign organization?
- Money: Do you have the resources to run a campaign that identifies, informs and mobilizes your supporters – and gets your message out?
- Message: What are you saying? And does it motivate people to get involved?
These three elements are universal to all campaigns. They don’t change. That means that you should arrange your campaign accordingly (time, staff, etc.) around those areas of responsibility.
Regardless of whether a campaign is national, state or local in scope, the objective is the same. To win.
Having the most devoted and numerous volunteers, the most money (or enough) and the most compelling message goes a long way towards that goal.
Social tagging: campaigns