When most politically-minded people hear the city New London mentioned, the infamous Kelo v. City of New London case probably comes to mind.  The Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision decided that it was constitutional for government to claim private residential property for economic development.  New London is my hometown.

Truth be told, I was only marginally aware of the developing situation.  I read about it in the paper and heard some locals discussing it.  Some friends of my parents actually had property in the area and sold it to the developers before Kelo and a few others made national news for holding out.

But there was another situation that happened in New London that was far more personal to my family.  You won’t find it in any newspaper clipping or archived local news broadcast.  It’s a story that, as I got older and did more research on the issue, I found out that we were not alone in an unconstitutional abuse of power.

Just around the turn of the 1990s my father started an Assemblies of God church in the coastal city of New London, CT.  The city is, as most New England cities are, full of rich early American history, intersecting with historical giants like Nathan Hale, George Washington, Benedict Arnold, Marquis de Lafayette, John Winthrop Jr.  Later the city would become one of the major whaling capitols of the world and home to one of America’s most famous playwrights, Eugene O’Neil.  Today, each year you can enjoy a world class Grucci fireworks show the week after July 4^th and every decade or so Opsail brings a parade of tall ships into the harbor.

When my family moved there in the late 1980s it was already well past its prime.  The population stayed fairly stable, around 25,000.  The strength of New London became its cultural diversity where African Americans, Hispanics (mostly Puerto Ricans with strong connections to New York City) and Caucasians lived side-by-side.  I still consider it one of the greatest privileges to have attended a high school where the races were equally divided about one-third, one-third, and one-third.

As with any city, though, there were issues.  Crime was often higher than it should have been.  The education system struggled to employ competent administrators and teachers, from the top down – a problem experienced by many urban schools.  Property taxes were uncharacteristically high.  But worst of all, the city was mostly devoid of competent political leadership that exercised a wide-range of authority.  We found this out the hard way.

My father’s church began in living room of our downstairs apartment.  After gaining a few core families from a weekly Bible study, it was decided to move the church into a real building.  My parents found office space on the second floor of Bank St. and there we began to have regular services.  As you might expect, having a church on the second floor of an office building was a difficult task.  The biggest difficulty was visibility, not to mention that on-street parking was no guarantee.

In the mid 1990s, our church began looking for more visible properties.  After quite a bit of looking, we finally found a place that was suitable for our needs.  The building had been vacant for some time and was on a busy road between New London and neighboring Waterford.  All that was necessary was to get a permit from the Zoning Board.

Easier said than done.

You see, as the city grew further from its heyday, more businesses began to leave.  That meant fewer tax dollars in the local government coffers.  New London became desperate for revenue streams.  One solution to this was prohibiting any new churches in the city.  When our church’s leadership met with the Zoning Board they were told unequivocally “New London has enough churches.”  In short, they would not issue the permit needed to move into more suitable property.

What was a small church of a few dozen members to do?  We weren’t lawyers or experts.  We believed in freedom of religion and wanted a better place to worship.  We didn’t realize that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993 was passed in part to protect us from these kinds of decisions (later the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 – RLUIPA – would further codify the rights of religious assemblies against unconstitutional zoning decisions).

Sadly, despite more legislation protecting religious assemblies, there are many who face just as arbitrary and just as unconstitutional zoning decisions.  RLUIPA.com has a list of major cases pending and resolved where religious assemblies have been denied their fundamental rights.  Yet, there is hope.  Organizations like American Center for Law and Justice and The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty are leading the charge against these abuses of power.  I cannot reverse the harm that was done to our church, but there are organizations out there today that are making sure it doesn’t happen to any others.

If you’ve been reading my posts at all this summer, you know that I cannot stop looking to the past. As a student of history (though by no means an expert), it has been my privilege to blog to such a sizable, open-minded, and appreciative audience as the one here at American Majority. So as my summer internship here at the national headquarters comes to a close, I ask you to indulge me as I recall a few lessons learned, particularly applicable historical ones.

First, consider the American tradition of localized involvement. As I and other contributors have discussed here before, the American colonists were governing their towns and immediate communities in a free and democratic way long before the notion of independence from Britain had even crossed their minds. (For more information, check out the “Days of Revolution” podcast, researched and co-written by AM President Ned Ryun and yours truly). Town hall meetings and local elections predated the American Revolution by centuries in some places, making community government more than just an American legacy. Rather, it is a tried and true embodiment of the timeless pursuit of liberty, a worthwhile, concerted effort to establish and preserve God-given rights that are inextricably linked to our very humanity. Jonah Goldberg, a very astute (and entertaining) pundit once argued that localized policy making is not only traditional, but that it is crucial to the preservation of liberty. “If you win in a democratic fight,” Goldberg said, “and you infringe on the rights or the prerogatives of somebody else in your community, you’ve got to look them in the eye every day.” Imagine, if you will (and if you will permit me to wax Lennon-esque for a moment),  an America in which our elected representatives had to look us in the eye every day. Would politicians truly be able to perpetrate such invasive regulation, irresponsible spending, and unjustifiable intrusion if they had to truly see the effect it has on us, our children, and our grandchildren? Such a system can be established through the vigilance of ordinary citizens and the restoration of locally accountable government.

Second, acknowledge the importance of working within the unchangeable elements of the current system. “Pragmatism” is a word commonly associated with the political Left, but its true meaning is one that is useful for all of us. What is “pragmatic” in politics is that which will ultimately be most useful for achieving victory. There is a strong temptation in the liberty movement today to abandon politically realistic strategy in the name of principle. While this is honorable in the abstract sense, policy is made by politicians who win elections. Unfortunately, a great idea will not win an election without effective marketing, and thus we are constrained, whether we like it or not, to operate within certain limits of our political system. We should by no means abandon principle in the name of achieving victory; indeed, such cutthroat, careless politicking is what created our current condition in the first place. Unaccountable, stagnant, spineless representatives rule our country today because they cared only about winning. However, candidates who scoff at advertising, endorsements, (ethical) connections, or the two-party system in general unnecessarily complicate and almost always shipwreck their campaigns. History shows unequivocally that third parties seldom make a difference, with the exception of splitting what has traditionally been one party’s constituency.

Instead, American Majority’s mission is to make the parties a reflection of the will of the people once again, as has been stated here time and again. Even George Washington, the oft-cited critic of political parties in general, acknowledged that the “spirit of party” was “a fire not to be quenched.” History has certainly proven this to be true. As a result, we can either use the system to our advantage or ignore it at our peril.

Third, we must value most highly a commitment to morality and our Creator. As our Founding Fathers firmly believed, a nation cannot prosper without a reverence for the God who gave us the freedoms and blessings we enjoy. We live in a time when moral degradation and cultural decline go hand in hand, and we cannot bear to ignore an absolute standard of right and wrong. The preservation of our liberty hinges on the involvement of good citizens, and good citizens are produced by good parents. The vast majority of my generation has grown up watching MTV, reality television, gratuitously violent movies, and pornography. We are now preparing to take control of this country. Does that comfort you? Does a generation of leaders flooded with such morally reprehensible content give you hope for the future of the United States? It is imperative to our future prosperity and the preservation of liberty that we reverse the downward spiral by teaching responsibility, moral standards, and integrity to our children NOW.

Finally, I will bookend this summer by restating the thesis of my first post. Liberty, in and of itself, is not our goal. Surely we fight for liberty, but only so that we can DO something with it. In this post, and across the American Majority website, are strategies and tips for restoring liberty, accountability, and integrity to our political system, from the abstract to the nitty-gritty. However, what you will do with that liberty is up to you.

It has been an honor and a privilege to intern here at AM, and I look forward to seeing our (everyone’s) hard work pay off in November and beyond! God bless.

Last week Minnesotans had an opportunity to cast their ballot in our state’s primary.  Local conservative candidates seeking office, including 75 trained by American Majority in Minnesota, advanced in great numbers.  Now onto the general…

Where do I start?  How do I appeal to the general election audience?  These questions often come up, particularly from first-time candidates and those that potentially weren’t in a competitive primary.   A proper response to this question, one I might add that should be asked by every candidate/campaign regardless of their situation, is imperative to a successful result come November.

So where does it all begin?  Well, simply put, every campaign needs to think about laying the foundation for their candidate, and that begins with the campaign message.   Below are a few pointers in making certain that such a message is effective and resonates with your targeted audience.

First of all, does the candidate understand their community?  Have they taken the time to identify three or four simple, not complex, values that resonate with their potential constituency?   The idea here is to develop a conversation with voters.  The values identified by the campaign should be clear, concise and easily articulated in any discussion, whether it be with potential donors or with a neighbor unfamiliar with your candidacy.

Secondly, it is important for the candidate to not get bogged down in policy details.  Developing key policy positions certainly is a part of any campaign and should come from those values you have cemented in the voter’s minds.  However, getting caught in policy minutiae is something you want to avoid at all costs.  Constantly going into great detail about complex policies won’t engage voters and will often leave them disinterested in your campaign.

Lastly, remain disciplined.  Yes, your volunteers and base might have heard your message a hundred times, but most have not, particularly those that you are reaching out to in a general election.  Every time you make a public appearance you will surely be introducing yourself to several voters for the first time.   So stay on message, repeat, repeat and repeat some more.

In the first part of this series, I provided several tips for preparing to go out door knocking.  A successful door-to-door operation depends upon the right people and transportation, quality lists, literature and maps, and a tactfully-branded volunteer.

In this part of this series, I will begin the discussion on maximizing efficiency while on the ground.  In this post, I will highlight the key players involved.  This discussion will assume a team of seven, enough to fill a minivan.

KEY PLAYERS

Let’s take a look at the profile of the key players involved on the ground:

Campaign Staffer – The importance of leadership and direction cannot be understated.  While some volunteers may have some experience going door-to-door, a campaign should never assume.  In addition, some methods or approaches may have changed since the last time a volunteer worked on a campaign.  The campaign staffer’s job is to:

• Explain in detail what the campaign wishes to accomplish.
• Provide instructions for how to go about achieving that goal.
• Overview best practices for door knocking.
• Review the map with the team driver and communicate any important local information that would be useful to the team.
• Provide all literature, maps, lists, gas cards, yard signs, water and food (as applicable).
• Encourage the team to do their best and thank them for their support.
• Be available by phone in case the team gets lost.
• Greet and thank the team when they return, ensure all data is appropriately recorded, and all leftover materials are returned.

Driver – The driver plays an integral role in door-to-door operations.  Minimum suggested qualifications are as follows:

• Be at least 21 years of age (25, preferred) and have a valid Driver’s License and proper insurance documentation. (Note: Most rental car companies require that drivers be at least 21 years of age and at least 25 to drive without an additional fee.  There are no age requirements for personal vehicles).
• Possess a level of maturity to ensure the safety of all team members and who is willing to help the campaign meet its stated goals.
• Be in good enough physical health to drive.  (Note: The role of the driver can be given to someone who is not able to walk long distances, but all drivers should be physically able to endure several hours of residential driving with frequent stops and movement in and out of the vehicle.)

The driver has many key responsibilities.  Specifically, the driver should:

• Continually monitor the progress of the team including whether they are achieving goals and the overall attitude and health of the team.
• Encourage the team to keep their energy up and praise them for their progress.
• Plan out the route of the operation in the most efficient means possible.
• Monitor gas consumption and refill during scheduled breaks.
• Shuttle the door knockers from their last location to the start of the next, helping them cover ground when possible.
• Promote the safety of all team members.

Door Knockers (List Keepers) – Each group of two door knockers should designate a list keeper, three in total.  This individual is responsible for recording the necessary response information for the campaign.  The campaign may wish, for example, to record information such as which addresses received literature, houses that contained supporters of their candidate, supporters of their opponent, or undecided voters, houses with yard signs, etc.  Responsibilities include:

• Recording accurate and legible data from their own knocking efforts and that of their partner’s.
• Directing their partner what doors to knock on if the partner does not have a copy of the list.
• Staying in communication with the driver as to the progress of the team.
• Ensuring that the team has enough literature each time exiting the van.
• Keeping themselves and their team member hydrated.
• Practicing safe door knocking techniques.
• Encouraging the entire team in their efforts.

Door Knockers (Team Members) – Last, but certainly not least, there will be three individuals leftover to help carry out the operation.  Responsibilities include:

• Communicating accurate response data to the list keeper.
• Ensuring the team has enough literature each time exiting the van.
• Keeping themselves and their team member hydrated.
• Practicing safe door knocking techniques.
• Encouraging the entire team in their efforts.

Part III of this series will provide tips and tricks for hitting the door-to-door ground running to ensure maximum result.

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!

Hello activists,

My name is Corie Whalen, and I’m American Majority Texas’ newest Field Representative, based out of Houston. I’m glad to be on board, and have quickly delved into the exciting world of conservative Texas activism.

The Threat We Face

Harris County, the area of the state I’m focusing on primarily, is truly ground zero in the fight for liberty both state, and nationwide. The left knows that if it can “turn Texas”, their stranglehold on the nation will grow stronger. They also realize that if Texas, one of the states actively engaged in the fight against the federal leviathan, elects a far-left Governor this November, that Texas, an independent-minded state known for conducting itself with fiscal restraint, will be held fully hostage to the demands of an ever growing yet beyond broke federal government.

As a result, leftist organizations are targeting and pouring money into the most populous part of the state; Houston. That’s why it’s extremely important, in the months leading up to both this November’s election and various municipal ones, that conservative activists are as engaged, active and united as possible. The threat we face demands it.

This past Saturday, at an American Majority training after a Cypress Tea Party meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting a local activist, Precinct Chairman and candidate for Cy-Fair School Board, Ms. Kay Smith. A motivated woman concerned about the future of her grandkids and community, Ms. Smith stands out as an example of a woman who understands the importance of taking back our communities as a first step toward improving our nation overall.

I was impressed when Ms. Smith explained to me how it came to pass that she became a candidate for School Board; a non-partisan, but certainly ideologically charged race. She told me about how a group of like-minded citizens got together to discuss the issues facing the Cy-Fair school district, and explained how everyone present was angry over years of severe mismanagement that had adversely affected the community. Fed up with being hostage to a school board that didn’t have the best interests of the community in mind, the group decided that they’d pick three of the people among them to run for the positions up for a vote this cycle. Ultimately, the people present decided to ask Ms. Kay Smith, former Judge Bill Henderson, and Mr. Scott Adams to be the candidates.

This example of a group of average citizens concerned about the welfare of their community coming together and uniting behind three local candidates that they all agree with on the issues is a great prototype for activists around the nation to follow. Instead of potentially splitting the vote amongst various candidates and risking losses, like-minded activists united at the local level are poised to make a big change within their community.

Can They Do It?

I spoke with Ms. Smith after we met at the training, and we further discussed what motivated her to accept the challenge to run. She said, “What’s going on in Washington (DC) today is adversely affecting Texas schools. Federal bureaucrats are threatening to cut Texas education dollars they’ve forced us to become dependent on if we won’t switch over to a national curriculum”.

Certainly, conservative activists in Texas and nationwide have a reason to be concerned. The federal government often ties policy demands to aid; aid, of course, that they’ve already spent decades forcing upon states. Now, with Texas and other states dependent on this money ($97 million in Texas, as Ms. Smith recalls), the federal government uses aid as a threat. Conform or else. Educate your children by our standards, whether or not you agree with our agenda, or else.

Coercion, threats, and using the money of taxpayer’s against them; typical dirty politics from a federal government that loves to strong arm the states and the people into falling in line with its agenda (constitutional limits on federal action being of no concern, of course).

Can Ms. Smith, Judge Henderson, and Mr. Adams chip away at the federal leviathan through local level action? I certainly think so, and time will tell us for sure. Nevertheless, their example stands out as a tool for effective local grassroots conservative organizing. The more united we are, the greater an overall effect we’ll have. After all, it was “community organizing” that won the Presidency.

Among the seven candidates in the recent Republican primary for Oklahoma’s Fifth District Congressional seat were a current state House member (“Candidate A”), a former state House member who previously ran for this seat 4 years ago (“Candidate B”), and the former director of the largest Baptist church camp in the country (“Candidate C”).

Here is what happened on Election Day: “Candidate A” received 18% of the vote while “Candidate B” received 32% of the vote.

And in a stunning and surprising win, “Candidate C” (the former church camp director) received 34% of the vote.

But those results only tell half the story…

Who Are These Guys?

As my buddies Trait and Brett have previously and masterfully documented here and here, Oklahoma’s primary season was quite entertaining and many lessons should be learned from many of the races.

But this Fifth District race was especially interesting because of the unlikely result.

In reality, this primary was supposed to be a two-horse race between “Candidate A” (who had the backing of much of the business community) and “Candidate B” (who had been actively campaigning for the office for the past 2 years).

But something funny happened on the way to the voting booth.

As the campaign really began heating up, it became apparent that there were three candidates who were going to battle for the nomination and not two as previously believed.

“Candidate A” had raised A LOT of cash and had some decent TV ads.  He had also gotten some good press over the last couple of years in the state House and had viable name ID.

Unfortunately, apart from that he was a very bland candidate with no real narrative to set him apart from “Candidate B” and “Candidate C”.  It was almost as if he was a “zombie candidate” in that he ran a decent, well funded campaign but did not do nearly enough to set himself apart and motivate enough voters to cast their ballots for him.

On the flip side, “Candidate B” had been campaigning for two years, had also raised a ton of money, was very active among the grassroots, and had spent big money on TV ads that highlighted (over and over) his military service.  He constantly communicated how he had helped “prosecute” the War in Iraq and how he had won a bronze star for his service.

That was his narrative, and he pushed it and pushed it and pushed it.

That leaves “Candidate C”.  A political newcomer, “Candidate C” quietly built a massive volunteer army, went to every political and civic event on the calendar, and used his church connections to build name ID and raise a substantial amount of money little by little around the district.

Moreover, the narrative he pushed could be encapsulated in his campaign slogan: “We’ll never change the status quo in Washington BY SENDING THE STATUS QUO TO WASHINGTON” (emphasis mine).

Armed with this message and narrative as the ultimate political outsider, not only did “Candidate C” force his way into a runoff, but his win in the primary caught many people off guard and even had “Washington Republicans scratching their heads”.

In the end, “Candidate C” came out of nowhere and “Candidate B” finished strong partly because of the narratives they pushed and how they stood apart from their fellow competitors.

Unfortunately “Candidate A” somehow forgot the age old phrase that “People don’t buy the steak, they buy the sizzle” and lost out on reaching the runoff with a disappointing result.

What Can Potential Candidates Learn?

There is a great lesson to be learned from this race and others from around Oklahoma in regards to how candidates can differentiate themselves from their opponents.  These lessons are especially important before primaries when candidates actually agree on many issues.

So how do candidates stand apart from the crowd when running for public office and avoid becoming “zombie candidates” with no real flair or sizzle?

1. Push a Distinct Narrative/Identity: The example from the Fifth District race captures perfectly the role a narrative/identity plays in picking up votes.

2. Push a Different and Distinct Message: While this may be easy during a general election, the Democratic primary for governor in Oklahoma is a great example of how one candidate stood apart from her competitor before the primary by pushing an entirely different message.

In what ended as a surprise win, the message of the current Lieutenant Governor during her gubernatorial campaign has been one of social issues such as equal pay for women, children’s issues, and education reform.  She has pushed these issues in a very calm, cool, and personal way and in a consistent manner.

However, her competitor, the current Attorney General, focused his message mainly on jobs and the economy.  While his message was definitely timely and adequate, it did not convey the same type of emotional response or passion of his opponent’s message.  While some say the Attorney General was also outworked and out campaigned, the difference in message was also very obvious.

Subsequently, though he was heavily favored to win, the Attorney General narrowly lost to the Lieutenant Governor in the gubernatorial primary by 1,493 votes.

3. Campaign Differently than Your Competition: Lastly, a great lesson can be learned from taking the high road and avoiding the type of negative campaign tactics the electorate at large does not appreciate.

An example of this occurred during the Republican primary for Attorney General in Oklahoma.  With both candidates working hard with much the same message, one candidate decided to go negative in a TV spot.  The strategy apparently backfired as this local blog points to the fact that the candidate who was attacked saw his poll numbers and fundraising efforts increase mightily in the weeks after the ad aired.

It must be pointed out that the candidate who was attacked never fired back at his opponent but rather stayed on message and stayed above the fray.  In the end he won the primary handily by 12 points even though he did not raise nearly as much money as his opponent.

In summary, these few examples show how candidates must run their campaigns in such a way that allows them to stand out in the crowd.  If you are a candidate, whether through your narrative, your message, or by the way you campaign, differentiating yourself in any way from your fellow candidates is vitally important if you truly want to win your election.

And if you do these things, you can and will avoid becoming the dreaded “zombie candidate” in your race.

Being proactive on the countless issues that one will face on the campaign trail is a key component of any successful overall strategy. Time is a precious commodity on any campaign and taking advantage of opportunities to do your homework now to properly confront issues surely awaiting your campaign is a necessity if you want to win in November.

One of the ways in which taking a proactive approach will certainly pay off revolves around candidate and issue research.  Below is a list of six questions that you, as the candidate, or as a staffer should ask of your campaign if you haven’t already:

1.)  If a current office-holder, does the campaign have a well-documented list of votes that the candidate has taken?

2.)  Of those votes, which ones could our opponent potentially target?

3.)  Does our overall campaign message conflict with the candidate’s voting record or previous experiences (both professionally or personally)?

4.)  Do we have a proper response for those areas?

5.)  Has our opponent taken controversial stands on issues and if so which ones?

6.)  Should they exist, does bringing attention to these issues gel well with the campaign’s overall message or serve as a detractor?

As one can see, most of these questions revolve around the candidate.  While opposition research certainly is an important element of any campaign, campaigns often face obstacles because they haven’t done enough research on their own candidate.

Just think about all of the news stories surrounding a candidate’s background that get campaigns off-message, forcing them to talk about items that play into their opponent’s hands.  Focusing your time and energy on researching yourself or your candidate will go a long way toward alleviating this problem, one that impacts every campaign no matter what office they are seeking.

I am sure that many people who have heard about the government employee salary fiasco taking place in Bell, California had the same initial reaction that I did; it’s California, the left-coast, bankrupt state government- of course something like that would happen there. Having been born in California, I can say those things. So, when I heard the scaled-back Virginia version of the same story, I was somewhat surprised.

Christiansburg, VA is a city with a recent history of controversy and conflict, especially regarding government transparency. This summer the town council opted not to offer their town manager Lance Terpenny a contract renewal. Instead, he was given a severance package and sent on his merry way. As it turns out, a town manager in Christiansburg can make more money by getting fired than by working.

Now, I was under the impression that paychecks are tied to jobs- not according to the Christiansburg town council. The unsuspecting taxpayers there recently found out that their money is going to pay Mr. Terpenny up to $290,000 for NOT doing his job. This amount includes 1-year’s salary, un-used vacation time, $126,000 worth of un-used sick time, and a service merit award. At the same time, Mr. Terpenny took a position as the town manager in nearby Floyd, VA, making $50,000 a year, less than half his former salary- such a pay cut is very affordable when you are being paid by the taxpayers for being fired. Residents in Floyd are understandably concerned about his hiring.

So, how does something like this happen? Like this: “ [a Christiansburg resident] said she does not attend the town’s public meetings because “I feel like a lot of times, it’s just talk. They’re going to end up doing what they want anyway.’” When residents don’t attend meetings or educate themselves about what their public servants are doing, there is no accountability and no one to say “Stop wasting my money!” You know the saying- “If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

How do you stop something like this from happening in your town? If you are a member of a tea party, 912 or other community group, have fellow members commit to attending local government meetings regularly, on a rotating basis if necessary. Report back to your group what was discussed, and what actions were taken, and what you think about it. Better yet, create a blog for your local government, with regular updates about what is going on, and spread the link throughout your community. Communicate regularly with council members and make sure they know your opinions and expectations. If you don’t like what is going on, work hard to elect someone who is committed to fiscal conservatism. If there is no one, become that someone yourself and run for office. The best way to make sure that your elected officials are responsible is to make sure they know that they are being watched, and can be replaced.

For tips and tools on holding your elected officials accountable or running for office yourself, visit American Majority’s resources page and a training near you.

Traveling across the state of Arkansas we have come across some truly EFFECTIVE organizations and some that are really struggling. One of the most effective groups in the state is  the Faulkner Co TEA Party with well over 400 members and a monthly general meeting attendance of over 200, they are fast becoming a change agent in their region.

One of the most exceptional aspects of this group is that they realized almost immediately the balance they would need to pull off their goals and found that – if they built it – people really would come. They began one year ago this month with just a handful of people in a restaurant and their determination to make a difference.

They now have members of the school board, city council and quorum court calling to ask for their input. They are building amazing credibility in their region and making a definite impact towards their goals.

What makes them so effective?

First and foremost, they had to decide what “purpose” had brought them together. Like any organization that forms, it is a common cause or interest. In this case it was simple: “To promote constitutional government, fiscal responsibility, and conservative principles and values.”
They identified a mission, became passionate about defending their liberties, recognizing that the most effective way was keeping it as local as possible  because that’s where they can bring the largest influence to bear.

Each person at their first meeting talked to their friends, neighbors and relatives within their sphere of influence. Because they believed in what they were doing, the people they contacted become interested, too.

Right off the bat the leaders of this organization realized that if they were going to implement change they were going to need friends and acquaintances to join their cause and to get organized.

The big focus wasn’t on special events and holding protests, or making speeches and “rallying” people to death. It was simply to really get engaged together with common purposes and goals. (THE PROTESTS ARE DONE: TIME TO IMPLEMENT )
How did they do it?

It certainly didn’t happen overnight, or without effort. Members of the Faulkner County Tea Party became vigilant. Throughout, they knew the pulse of what was going on nationally but they did not allow those events to co-op their vision of impacting change at home – in their community. Here is what they did that hopefully will help you in your efforts to bring people together.

Decide on specific goals.  This will help you stay focused. Limit it to 2 or 3 broad goals and make them realistic. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Have representation at all public meetings such as city and county government meetings and school boards.

• Identify and help 3-4 local individuals who wish to run for local offices

• Meet, and begin to build relationships with, all local representatives regardless of party ideology.

• Grow membership- set goals that are realistic yet challenge your organization.

Building membership and credibility go hand in hand. People want to be a part of something that is not easily marginalized as a bunch of fruitcakes. This is avoidable if you stick to facts, be willing to work with others that don’t necessarily agree with you on every detail and stay away from fringy (and easily marginalized and misrepresented) topics like: 3rd party candidates and birthers and truthers

Stand-by for some other helpful hints in our next post~

On Wednesday, a particular CNN article caught my attention.  The article was about Gowalla (a social networking site based on location) releasing what they are calling a “campaign tool kit.” Gowalla has now made it easier for campaigns to engage their supporters, let them know what the campaign is doing, and allow supporters to reach out to their friends and other prospective supporters.

What is it?

Gowalla is a mobile application that allows users to check-in to their current location and then post it to their Facebook, Twitter, or both (much like Foursquare). I know what you are thinking, we are already live in a world where everyone has a Facebook, people “tweet” what they are doing in 140 characters or less, and now people feel it necessary to update their friends on their current location every time they go someplace new? If you are new to social networking, you can check out American Majority’s guides to Facebook and Twitter here.

Personally, I do not have a Gowalla or Foursquare (its competitor) account, but that is mostly because I do not think I go anywhere interesting enough to let other people know about. However, I think the opportunities that these social networking accounts give campaigns and candidates are definitely something that need to be taken advantage of on every level.

How can your campaign implement Gowalla?

With the new Gowalla campaign tool kit, campaigns can now create events on Gowalla, so that supporters can check in and receive a campaign stamp (with the candidate’s logo) to show their support. This is a new, specialized feature, because usually when you check into Gowalla, you are given some generic stamp for your virtual passport. This new feature is a great way to engage your supporters and get them excited about your campaign rally, fundraiser, or other event. It is also a way to identity supporters (kind of like Facebook advertising and Google ads) and to further develop/mainstream your brand and logo. If your campaign is wondering how to set up a successful event to post on Gowalla, check out this article about creating successful events.

Another feature of the new Gowalla campaign tool kit is the ability for constituents, volunteers, or supporters to check-in on Gowalla, then tweet or post their locationto Facebook or Twitter, encouraging their followers and friends to join them in participating in the event. This is important, because, even if someone isn’t supporting you on Facebook or following you on Twitter, maybe they are friends or are following someone who is. They will be able to see this update and then go get plugged in with you or your candidate’s campaign.

What if your candidate can’t make it to a campaign event, but your supporters still want to have one and get the word out? Gowalla allows for your supporters to register their own campaign events, without the candidate’s participation, and spread the word through Facebook and Twitter. Depending on the size of your campaign, you, or the candidate, aren’t going to be able to physically be at every event. You are going to have to rely on your volunteers to host events and get the word out. When your supporters check in, they will receive a stamp showing whether they are at a rally, town hall, or fundraiser – depending on the event. There is even a ballot box stamp ready for Election Day, when your supporters go to the ballot box and vote for you!

Don’t think that Gowalla’s campaign tool kit is for you? That’s fine, but be sure not to write-off Gowalla, Foursquare, or any other social networking website and the usefulness it will have for your campaign. We live in a world where just about everyone is getting a Facebook, more and more people are on Twitter, and having a smartphone is becoming a social norm.  The time for campaigns to adapt the ways they reach voters is now.

I posted this earlier in the week on RedState.

The ability to gain that competitive advantage over your opponent is present on the campaign trail every day.  One of these opportunities, that surprising goes unnoticed more frequently than it should, revolves around campaign events.  Folks come to these events to gain more information about the candidate, yet campaigns often fail to realize that this is also provides an equally important opportunity to learn more about the individuals present in the room.

So what are you doing about this?  Below are some quick pointers to make certain that you take full advantage of these events.

For example, have you sent out a “call to action” email to your current volunteers before an upcoming event listing activities available for them to engage potential supporters?  What are those specific activities?

Well, for one, you will need volunteers to man a table at the entrance of the event for everyone to sign in at.  Make certain that you emphasize the need to collect as many cell phone numbers and email addresses as possible.  You want to follow-up with these potential volunteers or contributors within the next 48 hours of an event.

Better yet, make a request for a few of your supporters to bring their laptop to the event and enter the information collected into an excel spreadsheet.  That way it can be downloaded into a flash drive and given to the campaign manager as they leave.

Secondly, how about a bumper-sticker team?  Make a request for volunteers to team up in groups of two or three in the parking lot as the event is ending with stickers some paper towels and glass cleaner.  These teams will then slap stickers onto supporter’s cars as they leave.   Just think, if you only have a stack of stickers on the table at the event, who knows if they will ever make it on a vehicle?

Finally, do you have any current supporters willing to take a few photographs of those in attendance with the candidate?  Getting folks to bring their camera and take a few pictures while collecting email addresses to send the photos to will certainly go a long ways toward engaging potential volunteers.

All in all, I’m hopeful that you will consider implementing a few of these ideas at your next event.  Yeah, it’s nice to have a large group show up at an event but if you aren’t doing anything besides counting heads, it should be viewed as a lost opportunity.

In politics there are several sayings that are tossed around as good advice.  Whether it is, “always stay on message” or “don’t be the first to go negative” (the former is sound, the latter may be up for debate) there are few that are essential to political success.  One of them is:

If it isn’t in a database, it doesn’t exist.

Working in politics, either as a campaign operative or grassroots organizer, soon becomes all about lists, lists, and yet more lists… being able to manage all this information becomes an essential part of the operation as your list/network/database is the primary means of contacting, understanding, messaging to, and mobilizing your assets.

Therefore, simple and effective information management is a skill quickly developed… or you fail and die.

Whether you’re running a campaign or are engaged in the type of grassroots electioneering discussed by my colleague from Kansas, I always tell people, “Your two greatest sources of political capital are 1) your reputation and 2) your network.”  Put these together and you come to the conclusion that even if you have the most expansive and involved network of people and assets connected to you, but no way to effectively access them, your network becomes useless.

Your ability to access your network is key, so in the most simple of terms:  you must keep good records.  In an effort to discuss the basics of political information management without writing an exhaustive manual, here are a few simple, common sense tips I’ve picked up along the way as I’ve built and managed lists:

• Define your list’s purpose – Like anything else, set goals.  When setting up a new list, have a clear understanding of what you want it to do (and build it to suit your needs).  Is it a donor list?  Is it a volunteer list?  Is it a precinct voter turnout list? Is it a master list?

• Determine what the key data points are at the beginning – After laying out your list’s purpose, be sure to identify the most important fields of information you want to keep track of.  Ideally you want to set this thing up and run with it.  You don’t want to have to go back later to add or change data fields, complicating and possibly compromising the full potential of your list.  Decide what information you absolutely need for the list, determine what info would be nice to have, and then prioritize and develop the data fields.  Think ahead and think strategically.

• Make it work for you – Build your database/spreadsheet/list to fit the Data, not the other way around.  Keep it user friendly.  Use a program or software that isn’t overly complex.  If this is a political list, chances are you won’t be the only person editing or adding to the list, so use something that lots of folks are comfortable with (like Excel).

• Use common sense – Properly name fields and have a standard procedure for updating data.  One of the most common list mishaps is making ambiguous data fields that are populated incorrectly or inconsistently.  A simple example would be using the “Address” field to capture all location data: street, city, state, and zip.  By doing this you not only limit your ability to segment and sort your list by specific data like ‘state’, but you also set yourself up for mail-merge nightmares when you find the “Address” data is inconsistent and looks bad or you can’t target specific areas for specific messages.

• Structure it so that it’s searchable – Following on the last point… You want a list that you are able to search, segment, target, compartmentalize, slice, dice, and serve on a sushi platter by different data points.  Maybe that last part is a little too much, but you get the idea: the value and ability of your list is greatly increased by the ability to target specific points of interest.

• Keep it clean – As with anything else, you want to keep your list organized.  Keep an eye out for redundancies and regularly tidy up/scrub your list.  Also, if you ever have a request to be taken off a certain list, make sure you follow up with the request… nothing worse for building a positive relationship than for the other party to feel bombarded.

Remember, in politics, your lists are some of your most potent and effective tools.  You’d be wise to keep those tools in working order.   You’re only as influential as your network, so you want to ensure your ability to properly access, utilize, and leverage it for your purposes.

“Is this Poplar Avenue or Poplar Street?”

“Wait, when did we cross Main Street?!”

“Fine, I’m pulling over at this gas station to ask directions!”

If this blog was about marital counseling, you’d probably already know where I’m going with this, but this is a political blog that talks about political subjects.  Anyone who has ever done a significant amount of door-to-door campaigning has probably, in exasperation, made similar comments.

One of the most important (if not the most important) components of any grassroots campaign is an effective door-to-door operation.  In the beginning of a campaign, door-to-door efforts are critical for raising name identification.  In the middle of the campaign, hitting doors is crucial for sustaining the momentum and identifying key supporters for the campaign.  At the end of the campaign, door-to-door operations can be what makes or breaks voter turnout.

In my decade or so of working in politics, I have never been employed by a campaign, but I have led hundreds volunteers who together have knocked on tens of thousands of doors across the country.  I have worked both under the direction of highly organized campaign operations and the not so highly organized campaigns.  Most importantly, I’ve seen first-hand how an effective door-to-door operation is essential for success at the polls.  This is part one of the strategies I’ve learned along the way:

WHAT YOU NEED BEFORE YOU GO OUT

The Right People

A grassroots campaign is not a grassroots campaign unless it has committed volunteers.  Before engaging in any door-to-door effort a campaign needs to build up its volunteer database.  A campaign can never have too many volunteers, so at every public event, speaking engagement, campaign staff should constantly be inviting others to join their campaign.

When it comes to door-to-door operations, tapping the right volunteers is key.  While it is true that nearly anyone can hit doors, levels of enthusiasm, age and physical condition are all factors for a campaign to take into account before assembling teams of door knockers.  People with low stamina, heart or respiratory conditions, bad knees or feet are generally not going to be as effective as those with higher stamina and healthier bodies.  In my experience, teenagers and young adults make the best door knockers because their enthusiasm is high, their bodies are stronger, and their stamina is higher.  Those who are not physically able to handle the rigors of door-to-door campaigning can be assigned to other tasks like team drivers, phone banking and mailing operations.

Campaigns should assemble their volunteers in teams of seven (7).  See more on this in the transportation section.

Lists, Literature and Maps

Every team of door knockers needs accurate lists.  The less time a team has to spend interpreting the list, the more time they can spend knocking on doors.  Sometimes this means that a campaign may need to edit their lists to remove extraneous data or households that the campaign is not interested in reaching.  Every team should have multiple clipboards and pens (preferably, one for each group of two) so that the information can be easily distributed and recorded.

Campaigns should provide teams with more doors than they expect them to get to in a given time.  This ensures that the time of volunteers is being maximized.  If a team finishes a precinct earlier than expected, they can start on the next precinct rather than needing to return to campaign headquarters to pick up a new list.

Toward this end, campaigns should supply teams of volunteers with more literature than the precinct(s) requires.  The type of literature is also important.  Door hangers are the easiest to leave at a door if no one answers and are the least intrusive.  Other types of literature must be creatively placed inside storm/screen doors, under mats and other places, which wastes valuable time.  Personal notes like “Sorry I missed you!” should be written on the door hangers in advance by campaign staff or other volunteers to maximize efficiency.

Perhaps most crucial of all are local maps.  Some voter software automatically produces maps and walking directions from house to house, but it never hurts for each team to have a local map at their disposal.  Highlighting the streets that will be hit on the map in advance can save valuable time as a team plots its strategy.  GPS and other electronic devices can sometimes be helpful, however, team members should evaluate whether the team is spending more time inputting information the GPS than using a road map to navigate to the next street.

The Right Transportation

It may not be manly to drive one, but seven-passenger minivans are the key to a successful door-to-door operation.  Minivans can hold three teams of two door knockers plus a driver and allow quick and easy access out of both side doors.  In addition, literature can be stored in the trunk or near the front seats.

What about 12 or 15 passenger vans?  Some campaigns think they are maximizing efficiency by renting or using larger vehicles.  The reality is, these vehicles hinder operations because they hold more teams of two than one driver can handle, waste more gas, and are more difficult to get in and out of.

Five-passenger sedans are acceptable for smaller operations (one driver and two teams), but they are not as effective as minivans.

If campaigns have agreed to pay for gas, they should provide gas cards or offer to reimburse volunteers with receipts instead of having teams wait for a staffer with a campaign credit card to come and fill up their tanks.

Apparel

Team members should be encouraged to wear clothing that suits the activity they are about to undertake: a lot of walking.  They should also prepare for the elements in case the weather becomes windy or rainy, or hotter or colder than they expect.  All door knockers should wear sneakers (no open-toed shoes) and clothing that reflects well on the candidate (i.e. no camo, mini skirts, beat-up baseball caps, etc.).

The last thing a campaign can do to equip their door knockers for success is to effectively brand them.  Campaign tee-shirts or polos are a great way not only to represent the candidate to the public, but to create team camaraderie.  If a campaign cannot afford to provide tee-shirts, then they should ask their volunteers to wear one of the candidate’s colors and provide them with a nice visible sticker to wear on their shirt.

Campaigns can also cover campaign vehicles with bumper stickers (preferably magnetic) so that the  people in neighborhoods and in the towns that a team is working in can clearly identify what the volunteers are doing and who they are working for.

Stay tuned for Part II of this series where I will provide tips for maximizing the number of doors knocked after the team has been dispatched.