A bunch of us political junkies were discussing campaigns the other day and the the conversation eventually became a laundry list of “things a candidate MUST do in order to win an election”. Naturally everyone was firmly convinced that they knew exactly the most critically important, never to be ignored, always to be done, campaign tactics, particularly for the low-budget, local races.
Just like the King of Siam, sometimes I’m confused about conclusions I concluded long ago.
So… here’s the deal: You tell me – as a voter – what works for you. Which of the following things do you find helpful? (You can pick more than one!) What did we leave off the list? As long as you’re at it – leave a comment about the things that annoy you too. This could be really interesting. I wonder if what we absolutely know is so????
Billboards are least effective UNLESS there is a good picture and a catchy message. Otherwise a waste of money. A BIG waste of money.
Annie –
Is your answer coming from you as a voter – or as a campaign advisor? My point…
When YOU go down the street and see a campaign billboard (think back to last season’s primary campaigns for District Judge) what is your reaction? When you bring the mail in, do you like to read the slick postcards or do you look to see the name of the candidate and then throw it in the trash? When you get a letter from a candidate do you always, sometimes, never open it and read it? Do you listen to radio ads or are they background noise? Do you, personally, really like having a candidate come to your door? Does it make a difference if it is someone you know and/or support or a candidate you don’t support?
What about campaign phone calls? Do you enjoy talking to the caller or do you consider them interruptions?
Think back to the last election when you didn’t know a candidate – what caused you to vote for one candidate over another?
The whole point of a campaign is to get in the door with your message. It’s only too easy to discard most brochures, but having the candidate at your door makes it harder. Can’t do it for a statewide race, but for MT legislative races, it’s a must do.
I did not mark candidate coming to the door because I often do not open the door to strangers for security reasons. But I think venues for meeting people personally are critical. Our grassroots candidates locally are going to various meetings hosted by the local GOP or organizations that are inviting candidates in to speak. It takes a lot of time and effort, but nothing beats actually meeting someone.
Also, I think humor is important. Let the Left be the party for anger. We can tackle serious issues with passion and dedication without meeting anger with anger.
Here’s what I think – the candidate I’m currently volunteering for has jumped in the polls due to his unique ad campaign. Lotsa money there, so what can you learn from him without spending big money? Get a non-political angle and run with it.
Two, I worked the phones for a mayoral campaign, and rather than TELLING THEM what I was calling for, I asked the people what THEY would like me to carry back to my candidate. ME? a very white voice calling a very black community. And I was VERY successful. People like to think they’re being heard. And you know what? The people I called WERE being heard, because my phone bank sheets were the topic of discussion in the weekly staff meetings.
Three, get creative in the community parades. Everyone loves the briefcase brigades… what can you do like this for your candidate? Does he have a ladder for success? Make a routine using step ladders. Does he have a blueprint for success? Building blocks? Seems corny now, but what are people gonna remember when they go into the polls?
I always question the use of ;yard signs, but if I had to make a recommendation, it would be to use the local university colors. Here in southeast Michigan, I have to believe the blue and maize signs are colored that way on purpose!
For me, there are two lists on how I choose which candidate to support. One is issue driven, one relates more to advertising/getting the message out.
For me to vote for a candidate, I have to beleive that the candidate is better representing my personal ideals than the other candidate. I could care less what party affiliation the candidate has because I don’t see a real difference in the parties anymore “We have seen the enemy and he is us”. I have believe that the candidate is honest (at least to some extent) and I certainly will not vote for a candidate that appears to be “dirty” like Conman Burns – I don’t care how many entitlements he brought to Montana.
The second list is easier –
1) Direct Contact – This is a must for me and will seriously influence my vote. Whether it is door to door, public meetings with the community or public appearences, I want to look the candidate in the eye and see what is inside. I want to hear, for myself, what the candidate stands for – not what the media or blogs have to say about thier message. In short, I want to make up my own mind.
2) Issue debates – as I said above, I support the candidate that can demonstrate to me that he will represent my ideals, issues and concerns more effectively. Issue debates – the more unscripted the better – is a good indication to me whether a candidate can do that. I would rather see a candidate effectively discuss an issue I disagree with than one that fumbles and shows wishy washy support for an issue I agree with – the more effective candidate will be more likely to actually accomplish something.
3) Television/radio discussions and time – mailers are next to useless in getting the message out to me and phone solicition is a complete “no go” as I screen calls. I prefer to see with my own eyes (hear with my own ears) what the candidate has to say.
4) Commitment to voters vs career politicians – We have established a “noble” class in the US – the entertainers and politicians. We treat them like royalty and it disgusts me. The idea behind our political system was suppose to be “citizen legislators” – meaning that the people representing us were suppose to come from us. Instead what we see is career politicians – many that have never had to do an honest day’s work in thier life – that have absolutely no idea what it means to juggle paychecks, kids, health care costs and taxes. Most have never had to live paycheck to paycheck and most have never dealt with the issues facing the vast majority of use lowly voters. I would like to see – just once – a person get elected that is really “one of us”.
Anyway, that is the basics on how I choose who to give my vote to. I want an honest person with a basic understanding of the issues that I face everyday. I want to see this person with my own eyes and actually hear what that person stands for.
Moorcat