This last week, the conservative movement remembered Ronald Reagan’s 100^th birthday.  Countless documentaries aired, new (and controversial) books were released, and hundreds of quotes were copied and pasted on twitter, Facebook, and countless forwarded emails.  Now, I am not going to expound upon his politics, philosophy, personal life, marriages or children.  What I will tell you, is a little known story in my little family circle.

I can’t count the amount of times I have been asked the question, “Kerry, how did you get into politics?” Typically, I go into the short version of my resume and leave it at that.  However, the story goes back to 1984 and I was a 9 year old little girl.  My first vivid memory of President Reagan was when he was making his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas.  All I clearly remember is asking my Mom if she was going to vote for this tall handsome man who clearly had a lot of folks cheering for him.  She quickly told me, “Kerry, that’s none of your business, and you shouldn’t ask adults that.”

Well, my little sister didn’t take that to heart, because she soon after decided that she and the President could become friends and pen pals.  My adorable sister wrote him letters with her sharpened Care Bear pencils on her very own personalized stationary (Mom was a stickler for thank you notes).  Throughout his second term, Tracy diligently sent him Christmas cards, birthday invitations and sweet little notes to let him know he was doing a good job being our President.  She regularly asked him about his dog and kept an open invitation for him to come and visit us in south Arkansas any time he liked.  One of her letters I especially remember because of what the President said in his response.  It went something like “My dear friend Tracy, thank you so much for inviting me to your 7^th birthday party.  The clown sounds like fun and I know you will have a nice time.  Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend because of some important meetings, but I do appreciate you offering your back yard for me to land Marine One.”  He literally sent Tracy a letter for each one she sent him, along with pictures of Rex, the presidential pooch, complete with inked paw prints.

It also turns out that Tracy was quite determined and industrious at a very young age and refused to take NO for an answer, even at the ripe old age of seven.  Not happy with the President’s perfectly acceptable written RSVP for her birthday, she decided to take matters in her own hands by picking up the phone.  Tracy actually called the White House numerous times (successfully I might add) to try and convince her hero that he could postpone those meetings and come to her party.  After all, she offered the backyard as a landing platform for his helicopter.  Mom and Dad were unaware of their youngest daughter stalking the President of the United States until the phone bill arrived.  Mom was torn between being angry at Tracy for the long distance phone calls (and potential Secret Service visit) or being proud of her pint sized daughter’s determination and ingenuity.  Somewhere in the depths of moving boxes, is a picture of Tracy grasping the hand of a life-sized cardboard cut-out of the Gipper.  I am not sure which is most humorous, the fact that she is holding the hand of a cardboard president, or the 1980’s bubble dress she is sporting.

In order to come full circle with Tracy’s fondness for President Reagan, this final tidbit must be shared.  After President Reagan departed this life and he was brought to Washington DC for his state funeral, who do you think watched the procession in front of the White House, complete with a riderless horse and his very own boots in reverse?  That little girl, who adored her President, was actually working for the current President at the time of Reagan’s death.  I can only imagine the emotion she was feeling when she watched “her President” ,  depart in Air Force One from Andrews Air Force Base for the final time, taking him home to California.

This “love” for President Reagan truly changed our immediate family’s view of politics.  I never again had to ask Mom who she was voting for because it was quite apparent in our conversations.  Political events were discussed openly and with vigor.  Immediately after college, Tracy got her foot in the door by working on a national campaign, hence our family learned from then on that we were to regularly attend phone banks and go door-to-door.

So, when I am asked how I got involved in politics, I will now only answer, “blame Dutch & Tracy.”

Our nation was founded by ordinary citizen activists desiring a government that was accountable to the people.  Today, ordinary citizens across our nation are tired of the status quo and ready to engage for the betterment of their communities. American Majority’s political training addresses these passions by providing education and resources to help you meet your goals.

American Majority is pleased to announce an Activist Training will be conducted on Saturday, March 5th to provide citizens with the tools necessary to become effective activists.

The political training will take place at the McGee Center in Conway, located at 3800 College Avenue.  Registration opens at 8:30AM, with training from 9:00AM-1:00PM.  The cost is $5 if you pre-register online by March 1st.

Space is limited.  Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.

*Topics to be covered during the training include:

•       The System (an in-depth look at the system we’re in, how we got there, and what we can do about it)

•       Grassroots Action (ideas and practical steps to engage our communities and organize a coalition of volunteers, and using the Freedom of Information Act)

•       Precinct Power (changing your community one precinct at a time with specific micro-targeting and focused action)

Full training materials, samples and supplements will be provided to help you apply what you learn to your organization, candidate, cause or community.

If you have any questions or would like additional information, contact Kerry Baldwin at Kerry@AmericanMajority.org,  or call 501-801-1030.

American Majority is a non-profit and non-partisan political training organization whose mission is to train and equip a national network of leaders committed to individual freedom through limited government and the free market.

*Topics subject to change

Every once in a while, I receive emails from well- meaning friends that tell of all sorts of treacherous and nefarious things going on right under our noses.  “Events” that are mind numbing to imagine yet happen and no one will pay attention because the media are part of the “global conspiracy”.

You have probably received a few of these yourself.  Do you recall the email describing President George W. Bush’s lamentable IQ score, labeling him as the most obtuse president in American history?  Or, how every US Presidential election since 1936 can be accurately pre-determined based upon the outcome of the Washington Redskins home games.  Or how about the one that says: If we all ban getting our gas from a certain distributor on Wednesdays, then our prices will lower.

Without double checking and even triple checking our facts, we risk the possibility of being perceived as people that are just not living in reality.  When someone is branded as wearing a tin foil hat, they often are never taken seriously again.

This goes beyond just forwarded emails.  With all of the social technology that is available at our fingertips, verbal miscues can be made at break-neck speed and they last on the internet for virtually ever.  False information can be forwarded by accident with incredible ease.  Status updates that border on the crazy can follow you all the way to your next job interview.  Opposition research will have a field day searching Facebook statuses for years to come.  Immature college antics coming back to haunt you could become the “better than Christmas” gift your political opponent will use for 10,000 get out the vote mailers.

Here are a few tips to consider before you hit the reply, forward and update buttons:

1. Do your due diligence
2. If something sounds particularly dramatic, it deserves extra special attention and research.
3. Perception is reality.  If readers perceive you to react irrationally to everything, you will quickly lose all credibility.

Your Mom always told you to think before you speak.  Now you must google before you tweet.  The vernacular may have changed, but the concept has not.  For more information on American Majority’s trainings, check out our resources page at http://americanmajority.org/resources/ and learn additional tricks of the trade when it comes to effective activism and campaigning.

So, the elections are over and the legislative sessions have begun. Everyone is waiting with bated breath to see what those freshmen legislators are going to do, and tea partiers are hanging on every quote and vote to hold them accountable. If you don’t think times are changing, think again. The Pulaski County Quorum Court now has their budget available online here http://www.co.pulaski.ar.us/comptroller.shtml and Arkansas legislators from the last session are having their reimbursements scrutinized with a fine tooth comb here http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/jan/30/expense-tabs-8-10-top-50000-20110130/ It’s never good news for a lawmaker when their expense reimbursements are listed in the state’s largest newspaper. And of course, the newspaper is blamed for doing “a very detrimental thing to the people of Arkansas in the way that you constantly hound elected officials and make them look bad,” Laverty said. “You all do it more than anyone else.”

Transparency….shining the light on the good, bad and ugly. It is one thing that all activists – conservatives, liberals, and just about everybody in between can agree upon.

That time of year has come where everyone is vowing to do this or that.  Probably the most popular is to lose weight and get in shape or maybe quit some unhealthy vice or habit.  Other old standard resolutions are to de-clutter the house, clean out the closets, and reorganize the kitchen pantry.  All are quite logical resolutions to have and a couple just might last through January for those daring to make the pledge.

As I read an interview with Queen Latifah yesterday morning, I came to agree with her 2011 resolution – NO RESOLUTIONS!  Her reasoning made sense to me.  Why set yourself up to fail by making a list of so many things you want to change about yourself?  Her outlook made me think of the way I address the Lenten season, not by taking something away, but trying to do something that you don’t normally do often enough.  Anyway, Queen (We are on a first name basis now) had a great solution to the resolution problem.  She suggests to start earlier in the year to gradually make improvements upon yourself by the time your birthday rolls around.  This makes the pressure of quitting something or starting something new cold turkey on one specific day (along with the rest of the folks in your world) a thing of the past.  I think we all are familiar with the success rate of trying anything cold turkey…the statistics are not in your favor.  So instead, take it one day at a time and make every effort to be a better person without putting additional pressure on yourself. 

So, I have a few ideas for self-improvement up my sleeve for 2011 – and yes, some of these are the stereotypical resolutions previously mentioned.   However, one thing I pledge to do is to help these elected officials that are new to the political scene.  You see, we have a legislative session starting next Monday.  Plus, there are countless new justices of the peace and city council members that are trying this whole new accountability thing out.  Therefore, I am going to do my part to help them out in a friendly, got your back sort of way.  Personal phone calls, hand written letters (like thank you notes when they do something really great) and invitations for a quick cup of coffee are just a few of the ways I can encourage my new elected officials to stay on track.

In the same weekly periodical I found Queen Latifah’s article, I read an interview with Joe Scarborough, host of the Morning Joe on MSNBC.  He was asked what advice he would give the incoming elected officials who professed to be members of the Tea Party.  He mentioned that to keep conservatives from overreaching like they did in 1996, they should “focus but make sure they don’t scare little kids and pets.”  Which got me thinking.  I know, scary.  I need to help our local leaders focus.  Concentrate on what they can improve and not set themselves up for failure.  Let’s make those resolutions and do our very best to improve those things that we care about – one item at a time.  Here’s a novel idea, let’s start with the spending and go from there.

In a story that has been playing out for a few days, outgoing Pulaski Circuit/County Clerk, Pat Obrien is wanting to shred court documents. In an article from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette “O’Brien said the records needed to be shredded to help avert a storage crisis. The files had been electronically duplicated, and made easily and reliably accessible by computer to the judges”

It was also reported that over 50,000 files from cases dating from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s by Obrien’s predecessor. So why the brouhaha now? Maybe someone in Pulaski county could let me know.

This morning, my husband and I were perusing the newspaper over our usual cup of coffee – I was reading the Arkansas section and he was glancing through the National portion.  I tend to scan the obituaries first (I know, I have become my grandmother) and Clay typically hits the sideline with all the short articles of the goings on around the world.  It didn’t take long for him to sigh in frustration over what he was reading, so of course, I had to take a look over his shoulder.

The article told the unfortunate tale of a short-sighted 20 year old hunter who couldn’t restrain himself from bragging about his latest “kills” which included 1 too many deer and 3 too many geese.  Not only did he boast about his hunting skills, but he posted pictures of his trophies, that were noticed by law abiding Facebook “friends”, who then notified the authorities.

Immediately, I think what an idiot!  Kind of reminds me of the stupid criminal videos you see every once in a while on TV.  You know what I am talking about, the goof ball who decides to rob a convenient store of their lottery tickets while wearing his name tag from work proudly displayed on his uniform.  Not that I am heralding criminal behavior, but it just goes to show you how stupid people can be….not just for breaking the law, but for doing it so poorly!  (tongue in cheek of course)

The point of this is to remind people that while we all enjoy Facebook for a variety of reasons, it isn’t necessary to reveal to the World Wide Web every single thing you are doing!  Just like it wasn’t terribly brilliant to boast about illegal hunting practices with picture evidence, it wouldn’t make sense to post on Facebook your holiday plans and where all you will be travelling.  For obvious reasons, that would only let your “friends” know exactly how much time they have to ransack your house and play reverse-Santa.  Besides, do you REALLY think that everyone cares about how you spend every single moment of every day?  Let’s try and keep our postings to informative tidbits, interesting historical facts or even uplifting quotes from Gandhi or Mother Teresa.

Oh, and by the way….my husband was most frustrated about the hunter getting in trouble for his over the limit Geese picture.  Why? Well, do the math.  There were 3 friends in the photo and 12 Canada geese pictures with them, and the limit was 3 geese per person.  Immediately, one might think each hunter shot one extra than they were supposed to.  But wait, who took the picture?  Looks like the braggadocios Facebook hunter might get out of that one.

Our nation was founded by ordinary citizen activists desiring a government that was accountable to the people. Today, ordinary citizens across our nation are tired of the status quo and ready to engage for the betterment of their communities. American Majority’s political training addresses these passions by providing education and resources to help you meet your goals.

American Majority is pleased to announce an Activist Training will be conducted on Monday, January 10th to provide citizens with the tools necessary to become effective activists.

The political training will take place at 300 West Main Street in Cabot, beginning at 6:00pm. Registration opens at 5:30pm. The cost is $5 if you pre-register online by February 7th. Space is limited. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.

*Topics to be covered during the training include:
The System (an in-depth look at the system we’re in, how we got there, and what we can do about it)
Grassroots Action (ideas and practical steps to engage our communities and organize a coalition of volunteers, using the Freedom of Information Act)
Precinct Power (changing your community one precinct at a time with specific micro-targeting and focused action)

Full training materials, samples and supplements will be provided to help you apply what you learn to your organization, candidate, cause or community.

Political Training Registration

If you have any questions or would like additional information, contact Kerry Baldwin at Kerry@AmericanMajority.org or Laurie Masterson at Laurie@AmericanMajority.org
or call 501-801-1030

American Majority is a non-profit and non-partisan political training organization whose mission is to train and equip a national network of leaders committed to individual freedom through limited government and the free market.

* Topics are subject to change.

My colleague told me about this interesting turn of events in Benton County regarding one of the election commissioners chartering a flight to pick up an election machine part.  Sure, it was necessary, but couldn’t folks in charge planned a little better?  You be the judge. 

http://www.nwaonline.com/news/2010/oct/15/charter-flight-raises-questions/

This election cycle has definitely been quite unique. Candidates carefully omit any party affiliation on their yard signs and push cards, hoping to avoid “that” question when going door to door. Political ads paid for by DC insiders try to hit all of the candidates on one side of the political aisle, telling me that money is in short supply. Every candidate claims to be a conservative regardless of their philosophical views, banking that their constituents will remain as apathetic as they have in the past and just take them at their word without taking the time to research their record.

But there is one word that I keep hearing this cycle, not just from the candidates but also from our local and state media. That buzz word, if you will, is accountability. One of our most popular television stations has a new campaign playing over the airwaves touting their ability to keep individuals accountable. It goes something like, “We ask the tough questions, and keep those in power accountable to you….”.

For me, this was a pleasant surprise! Do you think that maybe, just maybe, the efforts made by the conservative movement to change the conversation and provide a spotlight on government affairs has actually had an effect on our local news reporters? At the very least, the media seems to have made an effort to listen to their viewers and to start speaking their language.

This points to something that we at American Majority encourage all of our trainees, and that is to know the facts and speak always with kindness. Over the last 20 something months, conservative tea partiers and 9-12 members and liberty groups have been battling the stereo-typical views of conservatives being uneducated hate-mongers. The conservative movement in Arkansas has been leading by example using positive and negative reinforcement when communicating with elected officials at city council, school board and town hall meetings. Now, after countless rallies, press releases, letters to the editor, and facebook postings, one of the state’s favorite television stations has embraced the conservative movements rallying cry! Coincidence? I think not…..now, let’s see if it resonates on November 2nd and most importantly, November 3rd.

Our nation was founded by ordinary citizen activists desiring a government that was accountable to the people.  Today, ordinary citizens across our nation are tired of the status quo and ready to engage for the betterment of their communities. American Majority’s political training addresses these passions by providing education and resources to help you meet your goals.

American Majority is pleased to announce an Activist Training will be conducted on Monday, October 4th in Hattiesburg, MS to provide citizens with the tools necessary to become effective activists.

The political training will take place at the Breland Community Center located at 79 Jackson Road in Hattiesburg from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.  Registration opens at 5:30pm.  The cost is $25 if you pre-register online by October 2nd and $30 at the door.  Space is limited.  Pre-registration is strongly encouraged.

Topics* to be covered during the Training include:

• Grassroots Organizing- Learn how to effectively organize your group or coalition, keep volunteers motivated and mobilized, hold government accountable through contacting elected officials, using the Freedom of Information Act, testifying at meetings or in committees and more.
• Precinct Power- In this important election year, this presentation teaches you how to break down districts into individual precincts, target voters within those precincts, persuade them of your candidate’s merit, mobilize them and turn them out at the polls, and how to implement a strong get out the vote drive
• Patriot 2.0- The liberty movement has fallen behind in the online world and it’s time to catch up! Learn how to use blogs, wiki projects, Facebook, Twitter and more to effectively advance your cause, advocate for your candidate, and spread the important message of liberty

Full training materials, samples and supplements will be provided to help you apply what you learn to your organization, candidate, cause or community.

Political Training Registration

If you have any questions or would like additional information, contact Kerry Baldwin at Kerry@AmericanMajority.org or Beka Romm at Rebekah@AmericanMajority.org or 913-940-7369.

American Majority is a non-profit and non-partisan political training organization whose mission is to train and equip a national network of leaders committed to individual freedom through limited government and the free market.

* Topics are subject to change.

In the age that we find ourselves in, there are so many campaigns and organizations vying for our attention.  If your calendar is anything like mine, it is hard to discern where you are supposed to be from day to day or even hour to hour.  Multiple meetings, breakfasts, forums & debates continue to crowd each little designated box on my old-fashioned devotional flip calendar.  Not to mention, squeezing in those dentist appointments, trips to the drycleaners, mad dashes to the airport, and waiting on the AC repairman at the house….our days are quickly turning into sometimes controlled, often not, chaos!

Here are some things to consider when your hectic, freedom-loving life starts to resemble a  very controlled, rigid, monotonous series of appointments and duties. 

1.  Work SMART! Don’t just work hard. 
2. Prioritize – set aside time for the things that are most important.  Decide how much time you can spend defending freedom without neglecting your family.  Sure, we all are sacrificing time, but don’t let your family actually suffer.  Your kids can eat take-out or frozen dinners a few nights a week, but don’t make Sonic your nightly stop….unless you like those jalapeño poppers like I do!
3. Instead of sitting at the computer forwarding countless conspiracy emails, write a letter to the editor or volunteer a few hours a week for your favorite local candidate.  Walking door to door is great exercise and helps you get truly engaged.  Also, it is one of the best kept secrets for winning elections.
4. If walking door to door isn’t your thing, volunteer at a campaign headquarters by making identification phone calls.  You see, campaigns are big on working smart and identifying their voters is one of their top priorities and volunteers are needed to do this effectively! (see #1 above)
5. Request an absentee ballot!  Voting early is one of the smartest things you can do to help balance your time.  As busy as we all are, if you vote early, you have managed to hit several birds with one stone.  You have checked one major accomplishment off your list (VOTE), you made available additional time to help get out the vote all the way up to Election Day, and you helped out all the candidates you are supporting by putting a vote in their “bank” early so they don’t have to spend valuable time, chasing you down, and reminding you to vote!

One last thing, devote time to groups that are putting their boots on the ground.  Don’t bother with attending organized gripe sessions; you can do that at home watching the nightly news.  In the words of a 9-11 hero who found himself on the doomed flight to Shanksville, Pennsylvania…..DO SOMETHING!

You are Invited to Learn how YOU Can Make a Difference in Your Community!

American Majority Arkansas is pleased to announce its Activist Training Program is coming to Little Rock, AR on Tuesday, September 14th from 6:00pm until 9:00pm.

The event will feature general sessions for individuals interested in those looking to become more effective activists and running for public office.

The event will be located at the Holiday Inn Presidential, located at 600 Interstate 30 Little Rock.  Information and pricing for each track is as follows:

Admission is $10 per person and online registration is requested.  If you are unable to register online, please call our office to secure admission.

Attendees will receive three hours of specialized training on subjects such as:

Hold Government Accountable

• Learn the most effective ways to contact elected officials
• What is FOIA and how to use it
• Share tactics with fellow activists
• Hear from former campaign staffers

Volunteer in Campaigns

• Learn how to be of the most value to a campaign
• Tips and hints on how to benefit your candidate
• Discuss expectations with former campaign staffers
• Learn to write and manage call lists

Included in the training materials will be samples and supplements to help you apply what you learn in the training to your organization, candidate, cause or community.

Political Training Registration

If you have any questions, please contact Kerry Baldwin at Kerry@americanmajority.org or Laurie Masterson at Laurie@americanmajority.org or call (501)-801-1030

Recently, I was visiting with a county quorum court candidate between sessions during one of our trainings here in Arkansas.  He had recently been victorious during a tough primary battle against an opponent from a well known family in the county.  After months of strictly out-working his competitor, he was telling me about the challenge he has in winning the general election against yet another, well known individual in the area with strong family ties in the local political arena.

Work hard, but work SMART!

This neophyte candidate was SO excited about reaching every single solitary person in his district.  Since it is a local election, his district is only about 4,000 registered voters strong.  He initially thought that the size would be easy to manage and that with a few months of hard work, he would have reached every single voter.  Therefore, he spent every waking hour when he wasn’t at work running his business, knocking on doors, blanketing neighborhoods with homemade flyers and being sure to place his yard sign wherever his opponent had one staked in the ground. 

As you can guess, he completely wore himself out hitting every house on every block, not knowing who was a regular voter or even if there was a registered voter behind the door he was knocking.  Here are some things you should do to help you work smart!

1.  Get a list of registered voters from your county clerk’s office, that way you know exactly who the voters are in your district
2. Sort them by address and party affiliation so you can easily determine whose house you need to stop by as you are in their neighborhood
3. Remember, no need to encourage folks to vote that aren’t going to be voting for you! If they have your opponents sign in their yard….KEEP WALKING!
4. Deploy those supporters of yours that want to help your campaign! Have them knock on doors in their neighborhood as well.  Volunteers are KEY to success!
5. Arm your volunteers with absentee request forms in case folks are interested in having a ballot mailed to their home.  Be sure to keep a tally of those individuals who were given request forms.  This will be helpful during the last couple weeks of the campaign.

Chase those votes down!

What does it take to win an election?  Well, that is quite simple…all it takes is one more vote than your opponent.  Here are a few tasks to make it all that much easier.

1.  Take a look at the last election cycle’s voter history.  That will give you a decent place to start when determining how many votes you need to be victorious.  Now, once that goal number is decided, you should devise a plan to chase those votes down to the finish line. 
2. Assign someone the task of picking up the voter list for your district every day during early voting.  That way, you can keep track of your voters and determine if they have made it to the polls yet.  This will help you “scrub” your list and keep you from wasting time reminding folks to vote that have already cast their ballot. 

 Election Veterans Provide Useful Information

As we were visiting, I immediately thought about another American Majority candidate alum that has been quite successful.  This particular candidate was baptized by fire a couple of years ago while running for office and has taken our training tips and adapted them quite nicely to work for him for the long term.  Here is one of my favorites that can work like magic when employed correctly.

Mamma’s love those who love their kids…..

We have a local newspaper that reports everything in the county, and I mean everything.  From the Bible Study group that meets at Mrs. Smith’s bakery to the local spelling bee winners to the announcement of the new elementary school principal; everything is in this periodical.  So, why not send a little note congratulating that young couple on the arrival of their new bouncing baby boy? Maybe include a clipping of the article in your correspondence so the proud parents can add that to their scrapbook, memorializing their growing family.  Or the young high school graduate who recently received an academic scholarship to a prestigious college?  Don’t you think she and her parents will be appreciative of someone from her community recognizing her hard work with a handwritten note of commendation?  Of course they will!  In fact, if you send out enough of these small gestures of kindness, every grandmother and parent in the tri-county area will recall your name with praise to every person they know. 

Here’s a suggestion, purchase some nice note cards with your name across the top and a roll of stamps, and you are ready to spread your words of encouragement to your possible constituents at a moment’s notice.

Stay tuned for a few more tips from election veterans in the future.  We all realize that politics is a contact sport and to win, you have to play hard.  However, true campaigners understand the importance of playing smart. 

Check out recent American Majority blogs such as Winning: The Art of Getting It Right and For Candidates, Effort is Everything.  Put all of this together and you will have one heck of a strategy!