Run Unopposed, or Run Scared!
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It’s been said that there are only two ways to run a political campaign: unopposed or scared. But just what exactly does that mean? It means that before you get in race (or as soon as you do) you do everything that you can to freeze out any potential competition in the campaign, or if you do have competition, you go 110% all-out, all the time and do anything and everything that you need to do in order to win and leave no stones unturned. Run Unopposed Having competition can be expensive, and it makes winning more problematic. It’s better to invest time and effort early on in order to avoid it rather than having to spend the extra time and money it will cost later. It’s why so many candidates and elected officials will focus so much on fundraising and putting as much money in the bank as possible, as early as possible, in order to scare off potential competition. It means working to pick off as many critical allies and resources as early as possible and to leave nothing (or no one) that might encourage a potential competitor, (from major donors to big name endorsements or critical volunteers). Anything that could help their ability to successfully organize or raise money. Leave them discouraged from even thinking about running. Run Scared If you can’t avoid competition, then commit to running all-out like you’re being chased by a pack of wild dogs. Leave nothing undone and no resource unutilized. Be as fast and overwhelming as possible. It doesn’t mean that you’re fearful of others, it just means that you’re flat out doing everything that YOU have control over. That you’re NOT going to let anyone outwork you. That you’re going to leave it all on the field. That kind of commitment attracts others. Whether it’s volunteers or donors, people like to be with someone who looks like a winner. Whichever way it works out, the larger point is that if you’re going to run, RUN! Anything less invites defeat.
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Politics is Spelled P.E.O.P.L.E.
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Politics is all about people. People agreeing, disagreeing and how they do it. Successful politics is about identifying MORE people that agree with you and working together to get something done on the things that you care about. Without people, you have no organization. Without organization, you have no campaign. Without a campaign, you have no victory. Without victory, you have no ability to change policy. You just have more stuff to complain about. More people means more opportunities to get stuff done. It means more man-hours (time) and more skill-sets. More people means more relationships to grow the network (and bring in even more people). In short, more people can mean a bigger, better, more productive organization and greater chances for success. Work to bring in more people, then empower them to “do”, and watch the results. Put out the “buffet table” of activity and let them find what they like, (and they’ll keep coming back). Are your meetings the type that more people would want to come to, or run away from? Do you have social opportunities that might attract more people? There are a lot of other important things to know and do to be successful in politics, but PEOPLE are the most important element. What are you, your organization or campaign doing to bring more people in the door? This should be your top priority. If you do it well, you’ll be successful!
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Informing Conservatives for Action
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It is one thing to identify other people who care about the same things as you do, but an uninformed group of people, no matter what the size, isn’t well equipped to have much of an impact on anything. They’ve got to be informed. Here are some basic steps you can take to informing conservatives so that they’re better prepared for effective action. Set up a Database It doesn’t help your cause to have a large group of people who agree with you but that you can’t easily get in touch with. That’s why the most important element of any group of identified fellow malcontents is the actual LIST. Who are they? Where are they? How can you get in touch with them? Make things easy on yourself from the start by settings things up in a simple database program. If nothing else, a simple Excel spreadsheet will do. Identify names, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. You could even throw in links to Facebook or Twitter profiles. Good contact information is critical. Start it off right and keep it up to date. Communicate Regularly Once you’ve identified people who have common concerns you need a way to communicate and keep them up to date with what’s going on with the issue at hand. Make sure they have access to basic information, talking points, key dates or meetings they need to be aware of or attend, what happened, and action alerts when specific critical action is needed. Email is the cheapest format to use. But the larger your list becomes, the more you may want to set things up on a professional email service, (such as, Constant Contact , Mail Chimp , etc.). Many of these offer free service to lists with fewer than 2,000 contacts. It will make your communications look more professional and will be easier for you to manage in the long-run. Also, settle on a regular schedule , so people know what to expect and when, (such as a monthly update…excluding any action alerts you may need to distribute). You could also take the next step and set up a simple place online where you can put more extensive information that you can link to in newsletters. Don’t let this intimidate you, as you can use any number of free services to create a “home base”, (from Facebook pages, to Google Groups to WordPress ). It’s so simple a caveman could do it. Have Regular Meetings No one likes long, boring meetings. So don’t have any. But it does make a difference when like-minded people get together, so have a regular meeting for your “core” group to review priorities and make plans. You can always hold “informational” meetings for larger groups when it makes sense. It’s important that people feel like they’re a part of the process. If they do, they “buy in” to the plan and are more likely to help out. An informed group is a group that can have more of an impact. So take some basic steps to make sure you’re all on the same page.
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How to Cut through the Clutter and Communicate a Clear Message
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When you’re trying to have an impact on pretty much anything in politics it usually involves a need to communicate a clear message, whether to a group of people or to the media – or sometimes both. But in order to cut through the clutter of competing stories and messages and communicate a clear message that will make a difference, you need to do a few basic things. Package Your Message Make sure that you spend time early on developing your overall message, summarizing it and creating fact sheets and additional information to supplement it. If you don’t know your own message, then you’re not going to be able to communicate it very well – which means you’ll be wasting your time in trying. Make sure that it’s easily available and digestible. Don’t write a treatise – cover the basic facts. Add some bullet points. Add some quotes that the media can use, either from you or other people supporting the effort. Then add the more in-depth details (or links to them) at the end, or in an additional document. Make it easy to share with others, (such as with a PDF that’s easy to link to, download, email, print, etc.). The point is to make it easy for anyone – whether a supporter, potential supporter, or the media – to know what you’re doing and why it’s important. Push Your Message Be proactive in pushing your message. When a story breaks and the media needs information, you can help make sure that they’re not looking elsewhere if you’re actively working to make yourself available to them. Contact whoever is covering the story, tell them how you’re involved with the issue and ask if they would like a quote. Follow it up with a press release and/or a fact sheet. The ideal situation is to get “into” the story, not just react to it after it has been run. The result is that you can get a free ride on a story that the media was already going to do anyway. Focus on Your Message Once you’re confident with what you want to say, remember to stay ON message. That means STAY FOCUSED. What good does it do for you to prepare a message and then get distracted from delivering it? No matter what the question is, or whatever the subject, either find a way to relate it back to your issue/message, or answer it quickly and then move back to what you want to talk about. Or just ignore it entirely, (“That’s an interesting question, but it’s not as important as XYZ…”) The easier that you make it for people (and the media) to get information, the more likely they are to use it. As a result, it increases the odds that your opinions can be shared with others and possibly help shape media coverage…or at least be represented. Information or opinions that aren’t packaged, pushed and focused on are not likely to be represented – especially for conservatives. So be sure to make the effort.
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How to Target Your Grassroots Lobbying Efforts
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One of the most important questions to answer before starting any grassroots lobbying campaign is “who” are you going to lobby? In pretty much every campaign there is a limited amount of time and resources available, and you want to get the most out them both. That means targeting them where they can make the most difference. It all starts with a list. And that means some research, organization and coordination with your allies. Use the following guidelines: Start a Target List Make a list of every elected official who has any bearing on the success of your effort. Such as every member of a committee that is dealing with your issue, or every member of a full legislative body (or council) if you’re preparing for a final vote on something. Make note of whatever you know about their position on the issue. If necessary, find past votes on similar issues that can help predict their behavior. Add in any general impressions from lobbyists or legislative allies you may be working with. Lastly, depending on whether legislators are up for reelection, the narrowness of their former election victories may be a factor in how they are likely to vote as well, (they all want to get re-elected!). Make note of it. Organize the List Next up, you need to organize the list according to the initial information that you have on each official. Some elected officials will definitely be with you, and some will definitely be against you, and – depending on your vote count – it’s not worth spending a lot of time on either group. Rate them a scale of 1 to 5: (1 = absolutely with you, 2 = leaning with you, 3 = undecided/unknown, 4 = leaning against you, 5 definitely against you). Add the numbers up to gauge how you are doing, (the lower the total the better). Your job is to focus on the votes in the middle – the potential “swing” votes. That means focusing your lobbying time and resources on the 2’s, 3’s and 4’s. Update and Work the List Successful grassroots lobbying on most any issue is a constantly evolving process right up until the final vote is cast. It’s not a one-time thing where you speak up and then go home. It requires consistent follow up. As you and your allies lobby the same target list, information will be coming from every direction if everyone is doing their job. Of course some legislators have been known to tell one thing to one group of people and something different to others, (imagine!), so targets will move up and down the scale depending on the most up-to-date intelligence. You have to keep things straight in order to gauge where you stand – and whether you might need to consider compromising if you think you will lose, or change direction and fight another day. Consider using a notebook (or even a spreadsheet if you want to get sophisticated) with one page to keep track of each targeted official. Key Information for Tracking Officials: Who made each contact with them When it was made What the official said about their position How it rated on the scale of 1 to 5 This will help you keep up with each official’s “evolving” position over time, and if someone needs shoring up. It will also help you get a feel for which arguments are working and which ones aren’t – and what objections need to be overcome. Remember, the argument that you might think is the most persuasive may not be the same one that actually works, (and it may be different for every elected official). Pay attention to what they say actually moves them and adjust accordingly. Since maintaining multiple lists will only breed confusion, one person should be designated as the “List Coordinator”. All information should then be passed through them, and they should be touching base with allies on a regular basis to keep it up to date, as well as send out updates and let allies know who needs to be targeted and when. Since everyone can’t be at city hall or the state capitol all the time, it’s better to pick a list coordinator who is close to the action and who has the time, (even a lobbyist, legislative staffer or friendly legislator if they’re on your team). As General George Patton once put it, “Information is like eggs; the fresher the better” . When it comes to lobbying, the information you gather is only as “fresh” as the degree everyone works to keep it up to date; and it’s only as useful as the degree that you actually put it to use. Make sure that your grassroots lobbying strategy and tactics revolve around it.
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The Four Rules to Winning an Election
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Do. Not. Get. Sidetracked. When it comes to winning an election or organizing for grassroots success, it’s not complicated. It’s not some secret formula that you need to figure out or pay a lot of money for. It’s pretty simple and straightforward. In fact, the rules haven’t changed since this country first started holding elections. The “rules” were spelled out best by someone who (at the time) was a little known congressman from Illinois who went on to get himself elected President, (shortly before hiring a general who burned my hometown to the ground, but I’ll let it go…). The four rules to winning an election are: Obtain a complete list of voters Determine how they will vote Contact the favorable voters Get your voters to the polls In other words, start with the outer rings of the target and work your way down towards the bulls-eye. When it comes to summarizing the basics of a get-out-the-vote strategy, you can’t do much better than that. Of course there are a number of other elements to campaigning, but they don’t really matter very much if you don’t do the basics. No matter how much modern technology may change “how” things are done, the fundamentals still apply. These rules don’t just apply to campaigns, but they also apply to successful grassroots political organization in general. You start with those who are registered to vote, identify those who agree with you, provide them with the information they need, and get them to take action when it’s necessary. Successful campaigns and organizations adopt and apply these rules to effectively mobilize supporters at the local level. No matter what kind of election or issue-based campaign you’re working on, don’t let yourself get sidetracked. Do the basics. You’ll be glad you did. Get more useful grassroots tips in the “ Grassroots 101 Training Series “
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Three Fundamentals of Political Campaigns
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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.
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HOW to Create Your Own Endorsement List
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How many times has someone asked who you plan to vote for in any given election? Better yet, how many times have you been asked “who should I vote for?” Probably more than once. Of course you’re not the only one. People who are truly paying attention to politics tend to get more than just one vote in any given election, since they influence the votes of others around them. Many people put VERY little thought into which candidates they will vote for when (or if) they go to the polls. Many will vote for the candidates with the highest name recognition, or the last yard sign they saw on the way to the polls. Some vote for the candidate who sent them the slickest mail pieces, or who called them on the phone or maybe even knocked on their door. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they know anything about those candidates that really matters. They just don’t have much else to go on. That’s where your endorsement comes in. It’s the political equivalent of “word of mouth” advertising. If you don’t believe it works, just look at the business world. Think about the products you buy, or don’t buy, or the movies you do or don’t see simply because of what someone told you. Or the books or other products you did or didn’t buy because of the reviews that they got on the internet. It’s the same thing with elections. So why not take things to the next level and anticipate the question? Create an endorsement list and make it easy for people to know exactly who you recommend. Creating an endorsement list is as simple as 1-2-3. 1) List each position that will be on the ballot and which candidates you support. If you want, you could even get into “why” you support them with a brief sentence or two about each candidate, or just an overall statement at the beginning of the list about what you look for in candidates and that you feel that these candidates meet that standard. 2) Give it a title and personalize it. Something like: “Suggested Conservative Candidates for (election year or name of the election)”, or just “Jim’s Campaign Endorsements” (if your name is Jim). You can add your name and a way to reach you if people have any questions and want to get involved in any way. 3) Share it! Email it to everyone in your address book (that the election applies to). Post if on Facebook. Share a link to it on Twitter. Encourage others to share it. Even better, encourage other solid conservatives that you know to create and share a list of their own. The point is that YOU have more influence on the people that you know than campaigns do – and many people will vote for a candidate simply because you suggested that they should. Keep in mind that most people put little thought into their votes beyond the candidates that are at the top of the ticket, (who are probably running the most TV and radio ads). This means that your suggestions carry even more weight in “down ballot” races, (such as state senate and house campaigns, county or city council and school board campaigns). Even more so during special and/or local elections that are held at different times that federal elections. Don’t make it easy for people to cast an uninformed ballot. Your recommendations can make a difference. Share them!
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Fight Downhill
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In terms of political messaging, fighting uphill is when you’re trying to make people care about issues and be motivated to vote on the basis of issues that they don’t currently care about, aren’t motivated by, or maybe that they aren’t even aware of. The smarter move is to try and convince people to vote on the basis of the issues that they already care about. The ones that hit them in the face every day. They already know why they’re important, and they already have strong feelings about them. The goal then is to communicate a message showing how your position is relevant to what they care about and to get them to vote on that basis. In other words, fight downhill. In messaging, repetition equals impact. But if your message needs more repetition than you have in terms of time and money, then you’ve got a problem. The more limited the time-frame to communicate, the more expensive it is and the less likely you are to succeed. You’re fighting uphill. The solution? Don’t try to fight an uphill battle. Fight downhill!
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Issues Win Campaigns
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Whether you’re running a grassroots organization, a lobbying campaign or an election campaign, issues matter. As legendary South Carolina political consultant Lee Atwater used to say “Issues win campaigns”, and he was exactly right. Issues win campaigns because campaigns are about people…and people are moved by issues. Issues can be used to unite voters behind a cause or candidate, or divide them away from a cause or candidate that they may currently support. They can also be used to compliment a candidate or group’s image, if they’re consistent with the image that you want to portray. Choose the Right Issues Most people hate politics. They don’t typically get involved because they’ve got too much spare time on their hands. Something motivates them. They care about something. Find out what that is. Find issues that are relevant to the people whose support you need and that are important enough to move them to take action. The kind that not only motivate people, but that sometimes may even divide your supporters from your opponents – passionately. In many cases it can even work to your advantage to make an election, a vote you’re lobbying, or even a PR campaign, into a “referendum” on a specific issue or group of issues. In other words, you can piggy-back on public support for an issue that people care about by equating support for your cause or campaign with support for that issue. Highlight Your Issues Don’t try to talk about every issue under the sun. It’s one thing to have a lot of issue positions as part of a platform, but that doesn’t mean that you spend all of your time and resources talking about all of them. Focus on YOUR issues. Remember that in order for issues to have an impact, people must be aware of the differences between you and the opposition. They have to be highlighted aggressively and repeatedly. Zoom in on the few issues that will do your cause or campaign the most good…and then wear them out like a rented mule.
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