The power of the Internet

Is the internet as awesome as it is perceived to be? Do Twitter hashtags make or break your campaign? And why do they make me think of hash fries? Or #hashfries. And what's the magic to get the random scroller to hone in on your message, your campaign? They go  by so fast. It seems to be the luck of the draw; as in who can get to their pistols first, in a metaphorical way of speaking.

Unless you are Obama maybe. Or the royal pooches. Comments on the power of Twitter and best practices fir the nascent campaign. Can we track "hits?"

Then there is the ever popular Facebook; every candidate must have a Facebook Page dedicated to the campaign. Never mind that half the "likes" are from trolls for other candidates, seeking to glean secrets.

Campaigns are gearing up now for the New Year. Last filing for 2013 is Dec. 31. What is the wisdom of waiting to collect those pledges until after the first? Stealth campaigns only go so far. But the surprise element is good. The old mother's milk is just as sweet. Go forth and raise money, you candidates.

Campaigning is not for sissies. All strategies are deployed. The idea is to get the opposition on his/her back, turtle like. Watch out that is not you. It's hard to right a flipped terrapin. Don't let them plop you into the soup. I digress. Campaign is a sport like the Hunger Games. Now there's a good name for a How To campaign book for the millennium

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Happy Festivus! Don't Fall for Deceptive Campaign Practices

Yes, it's the Festivus for the Rest of Us. Dancing around the pole, airing of grievances and feats of strength. I have grievances. Campaigns that lie and cheat; organizations that pretend to be one thing and really another. We are not fooled, Californians Aligned for Patient Protection (CAPP). Really your name should be Corporations Against Patient Protection and that's what you are, an industry group supporting  the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act of 1975 (MICRA), the law that caps pain and suffering damages for patients injured by physicians' malpractice at  $250,000.

Now, I see this nefarious group is congratulating our Assemblymember Marc Levine  for protecting patients. This means he supports CAPP and that's not good for Californians.

Don't fall for deceptive campaign practices, starting early this season.

Happy Festivus everyone!

Inspired by Democrats!

The Campaign Slut has returned from the November Executive Board meeting of the California Democratic Party, a mercifully short drive from the San Francisco airport this time, inspired and hopeful and ready to campaign on.

What could have been two contentious items involving strongly held views by passionate Democrats were averted, one by being pulled, the other by being referred to a thoughtful committee for further consideration by 2015. (Ask me, if you really need to know.)

So the 2014 election cycle is in full swing. We met candidates for Secretary of State, term limits ending the tenure of our beloved Debra Bowen. Three men, State Senators Alex Padilla and Leland Yee and Common Cause's Derek Cressman are vying for that seat. They spoke to the Progressive Caucus last night. Wish more people were there to listen. This is an important seat.

Friday night our Platform Committee took testimony and broke into smaller plank groups. We continue to fine tune the Preamble and got some good work done on my other planks, Death with Dignity and Energy and the Environment. 

The Women's Caucus Saturday featured the Proposition 8 case plaintiffs Kris Perry and Sandy Stier who spoke of the importance in getting involved in issues we care about early, so that we can keep bad propositions like Prop. 8 from happening in the first place and protect our hard-earned but never entirely safe, rights.

Then we got a special Campaign Boot Camp workshop on the 1965 Voting Rights Act which the Supreme Court is busily gutting with newly enacted voter ID laws, meant to disenfranchise old people, students and anyone of color.

Lots of schmoozing in the bar, in the lobby, in between meetings and general sessions.  Jan Black and I met a fascinating Polish gentleman on his first trip to the States, to give  a training for the local office of the large investment firm he works for. We talked politics, American and Polish, including Party make up and health care. His English was excellent. He says people in Poland learn English with a British accent. We exchanged contact info, and Jan on her international travels, already plans to meet up with him and his wife in Chile the first of the year.

The most fun was having political wizard Joe Louis Wildman, who has the most wicked sense of humor in all the good ways, share his strategy for a 1996 supervisorial race comprised entirely of  slogans in weekly ads in the Anderson Valley Advertiser. He lost, but the Campaign Quips live on. A sample printed here, courtesy of designer Sonia Taylor. Enjoy.  They may inspire your own future campaigns!

A Few Words About Endorsements

Everybody wants them. Everybody says you have to have them. The person with the most doesn't necessarily win. What's all the fuss about endorsements anyway?

Here's a hint: It's the quality, not the quantity of endorsers that can make the difference. Yes, your friends and neighbors are important. It's good to show that people you know, ordinary voters, like you. But that long list of names most people never heard of is only impressive to the few who know them well and respect their opinions. And those few may never see that their neighbor Joe Schmo supports you, if Joe's name is just one in a sea of names occupying valuable real estate on the back of your mailer.

So what endorsements count? There are roughly three categories: Organizations, elected officials and opinion leaders.

Organizations:

Certain organizational endorsements are heavily sought by candidates depending on what issues are important to the electorate. The Sierra Club is key if you want to clue in environmentalists and nature lovers that you are the one who will stand up to conserve wetlands, open space or urban parks.

Nurses imply integrity and compassion.  Teachers show that you care about the next generation and the quality of their education, even if education isn't a top priority in your race.

Business and development organizations say you may be open to new growth and growing the economy.

Firefighters and police show you are trusted to keep your community safe.  

Think about what each organization wants in a candidate and make sure you meet those criteria when seeking the endorsement. Then use the logo of the organization (or newspaper - these also can be important in local as well as larger elections - but caveat - make sure it's ok with the organization to use their logo on your materials. The Sierra Club for instance has a specific logo just for their endorsed candidates to use. Newspapers generally don't let their trademarked materials be used) proudly on your material.  If you can get a quote from a leader of the group stating that you are the one who will carry their priorities forward, that's a  big plus.

Elected officials:

See if your Congressmember, State Senator or local city council person will endorse you. People who are held in high regard because of their positions will count the most.  Those who hold similar positions to the one you are running for are also key. Do the members of the school board you are running for support you? Get a quote from the President of the board on why you would make a good member. Use their photo alongside their testimonial. This will stand out to the voter a lot more than just listing them in a long queue.

Opinion leaders:

These are people whose opinions matter. They may be heads of community organization, homeowners associations,  or  environmental or civic groups. Attractive pictures of these people,  alongside a quote about your superior ability to hold the position you seek will be seen, read and remembered by the voters.

Put a few of these together in a single mailer or precinct handout, and you have a strong testimonial piece.

As for the long list of all the wonderful, yet unknown people who endorse you? That belongs on your website. Make sure there is a reference to it in your mail and a note to see a "complete list of endorsers" there. No one will be insulted that they didn't make your flyer. A true endorser wants you to win, not see their name in print.

You lost, What Now?

Don't despair. You put yourself out there and ran a good race. I've been there myself, many times. It can be demoralizing, but it helps to pick yourself up and think about the next time.

First take a look at some of these contributing factors to losing races. Of course, sometimes you are just outspent or out-campaigned. (Running against an incumbent is especially hard, no matter how accomplished you are.) They may help in your next outing.

1. Did you have a consultant? A good consultant can help you position yourself by identifying key issues for you to distinguish yourself from the field, targeting voters, so you mail only to those most likely to vote in your election and creating a good image and message for you to use throughout the campaign. She can also help you see pitfalls and obstacles that you need to overcome.

2. Did you run against an incumbent and fail to tell the voters what he was doing wrong? It's hard to run against an incumbent. They have name recognition and that all-important "I" beside their name on the ballot. You need to tell the voters why they should fire him and hire you. If there's no problem, it will be that much harder to win, without spending a lot more money and doing some "out of the box" thinking.

In a first time college board race for an unknown in a race with three incumbents, our candidate did just that, she outspent the rest, pointed out the real issues that were keeping the school from being its best and made sure her message was heard, in mail, on TV and on the web. She came in first in a 5 way race.

3. Is your material too wordy? The old saying "A picture is worth a thousand words" works in politics too. Show, don't tell. People will not read your long list of accomplishments in paragraph format, but they will pay attention to eye-grabbing graphics, headlines and bullet points. Of course make sure everything you say is relevant and important enough to hold their attention until they get into the voting booth.

4. Did you spend your money on signs and bumper stickers, instead of another piece of mail or handouts for a few more precincts? Signs and other campaign "swag" are fine if you can afford them, but make sure you have the bases covered first. The voting public must see your name and attach it to your message several times before it sticks. Just having the most signs is not enough. 
What you stand for, what you'll do for them, is what the voters want to know. Tell them, repeatedly, succinctly and graphically.

5. Did you make the most common mistake of all, not raising money? No one likes to ask for money. But remember without it, you will not be able to get your message to the voters. You don't need to have the most money, but you need enough to be viable. Practice with your friends and family, talk to other candidates who've run and won and start early, before the next race gets off the ground.

If you do these few simple things, you will be in a much better position the next time you run.

                                                             Candidate practicing her "Stump" speech

Post-Election Day Euphoria and Letdown

It's the day after election. You may have won; you may have lost. You may be kicking yourself for not sending out one last mailer or taking out one last ad, or doing one last precinct walk. Or you may be congratulating yourself for that late robo call, phone bank, GOTV effort and honk and wave at some prominent intersections.

will you ever know what exactly it was that made the difference? Proably not. But I bet the guy who got the City he was running in wrong is kicking himself up one side and down the other.

I bet the woman who decided she didn't need a consultant because she had experience volunteering on other people's campaigns is thinking twice. I bet the guy who thought more words and fewer graphics on his mail would do the trick is still pondering why the voters failed to get his message, and I'm sure the woman who felt fundraising was not necessary because "everyone knows me in my town," is wishing she'd listened to her advisers a little more.

All may not be lost in some races, however.  I know of two recent instances where a candidate, down on election night, made up the difference and then some to win when the last late absentee ballots were counted.

If less than a percentage point separates you and you did well among the voters on election day, and you campaigned up until the last minute, there is still hope. The numbers of people who turn their absentee ballots in at the polls are increasing every year.  Wait until the last vote is counted (usually about two weeks after Election Day), and you may still be a winner.

Vote like your Rights Depend on it - They do!

We take a break from the Campaign Tip of the Day series to bring you something from the "You can't make this stuff up" department.

90 year old former House Speaker Jim Wright was told "No vote for you!" because, even though he had voted in every election since 1944, he was turned away for a Texas ID card, which is now required by draconian voters suppression laws in that state. Why? His driver's license had expired in 2010 and he failed to bring a birth certificate to the agency issuing IDs.

If this can happen to someone with credentials like Wright's, think of all the people lacking sufficient proof of their existence, like elders in nursing homes and people whose births may have been unrecorded due to being born at home, our of wedlock, in poverty, or those who lack the wherewithal to procure the necessary paperwork.

Wright plans to return with the necessary documentation in time to vote in the upcoming election. Not everyone is so savvy or so lucky. Bad portent for the future.

Read the article here.

Campaign Tip of the Day - Proof your Mailings!

In a strange twist for someone who ought to know better, a candidate for a local Town Council seat sent out a mailer with a headline reading that he was running for a seat on a different Council altogether in another town!

How does this happen? He claimed the error was the fault of the printer. He wanted the mail to get out fast as election day was near and did not have time to proof it.

Really? I always proof my mail before it goes to the printer, then again, before it is printed. Yes, typos and misspellings have been known to occur, but this is the first time I've heard of a mailer going out for a completely different seat in a different town.  If he didn't have enough time, he should have designated a trusted staff or volunteer to do the proofing. Printers don't generally create the mail, they just print what is sent to them by the campaign.

Well, live and learn, as they say. Here's the story with the erroneous mailer on display:

Right race, wrong town: Marin council hopeful sends botched mailer

By Richard Halstead
Marin Independent Journal

Posted:   11/01/2013 06:31:25 PM PDT

A campaign mailer for Steve Burdo mentions the Larkspur City Council on one side, San Anselmo city council on the other, as seen in San Rafael, Calif. on Friday, Nov. 1, 2013. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal) Alan Dep

Click photo to enlarge

A campaign mailer for Steve Burdo mentions the Larkspur City Council on one side, San Anselmo...

A candidate for San Anselmo Town Council who works as a campaign consultant sent out a mailer last week that accidentally read: "Please join us in supporting Steve Burdo for Larkspur City Council."

Burdo, who works as a public affairs consultant with Kathleen Russell Consulting, is one of three candidates competing in Tuesday's election to fill the two-year opening on the San Anselmo Town Council. The other two candidates are Doug Kelly, who sells computerized point-of-sale systems, and Matt Brown, owner of Meridian Commercial, a real estate brokerage.

Burdo said the mailer error occurred because the printer neglected to send him a proof of the design before printing and mailing it.

"The protocol for printing is that they put it in on the press, they develop a proof and then they email you the proof for approval, and you say thumbs up or thumbs down," Burdo said. "That never happened in this case."

Burdo said he wanted the mailer to go out as soon as possible so the printer was rushing to finish the job. Burdo, who worked on the campaign of San Anselmo Councilman Ford Greene, said he has never had a mistake like this occur with a client.

"It's very ironic that it happens during mine," he said.

Read more by clicking on the headline above.

Campaign Tip of the Day - Start Early

It's not too early to be thinking of your 2014 race. Will you run for City Council, School Board, County Supervisor or something higher the food chain? Filing for the June primary will be here soon, especially if you are thinking of collecting signatures in lieu of the fee. Even if your race isn't until November, think about the budget, the issues and how you think you will present yourself to voters.

Start raising money. Especially for the big-ticket races, Assembly, Senate, Congress. If it's an open seat you won't be the only one eying the race. So start locking up those endorsers - and donors - soon.

Campaign Tip of the Day - Plan Ahead

So you're down to the wire, one week left to go. You've spent all your money on mailing that last beautiful mailer, and you notice that your competitors all have banner ads on the local press web sites. Wait! you say, I want that. I need some last minute flash for the finish. You call your consultant, the designer, the ad people. You can get in, but just barely. You didn't budget for this, but what the hey, you'll just make yourself another loan.  You're hoping for a big win. At least some kind of win.

You can do this and sweat it, or you can plan ahead. Budget for last minute needs you may not anticipate. Will the other side send late mail, maybe even a hit piece? You want to be ready, not scrambling for a quickie mail piece to hit back.

Budget wisely, plan ahead; but don't horde the cash - it won't do any good in the bank on the day after the election; and you'll be in good shape for the dash to the finish line.

Campaign Tip of the Day - A Good Graphic is better than Lots of Lousy Language

I wish I were artistic. I have good ideas all the time that could be expressed, if only I could draw or collage or montage or whatever it takes to express them graphically. Sigh.. But I can't, so I work with a very good graphic designer. One who is well versed in political campaigns and understands the difference between commercial and campaign art.

A good campaign mail piece should contain few words and lots of pictures. A good photo of the candicate is a must. A head and shoulders shot and not one that is from your high-school yearbook.

Pictures of the district, of key supporters (especially if they go with short testimonials) and pictures that depict your issues, standing up for better schools, saving open space, even transparency in government all can be graphically illustrated.

A lot of words explaining your ten point program in detail will not be read. But a few short bullet points with the key issues, your relevant skills and background and how you will move things forward accompanied by sharp interesting graphics will get the voter to take the mail out of the box.

Think about your logo, your font, whether to use a border and what colors best reflect you and your campaign? A good graphic designer with experience in  the political world can make all the difference between blah, unread mail and an eye-popping vote getting message that not only grabs the voter's eye but answers that all important question on every voters' mind: What can you do for me?

Campaign Tip of the Day/Guest Post - Yard signs revisited

This post is from Ben Donahower with a slightly different spin on the yard sign issue. Ben has a yard sign service and this post is from Down Ticket Dems:

3 Political Lawn Sign Philosophies that Work by Ben Donahower

If there is one part of political campaigns that you hear differing opinions on, it’s campaign lawn signs. You can’t get around the debate where one person proclaims “yard signs’ don’t vote” and another is demanding yard signs in triplicate for every home.

How should your campaign handle signs? Well, it’s important to put campaign signs in context with the rest of the campaign. Determine where your campaign is going to excel and where you are going to take shortcuts. Your campaign might be focused on direct mail and radio while another campaign is heavy on canvassing and phone banks. Likewise, figure out where yard signs will fit into this mix. There are a number of methods that work.

Political Lawn Signs for Polling Places and Requests

The minimalist order means ordering enough signs for polling places and for people who request them directly. Determining how many signs to order is more art than science except for the number of polling places. I’d consider ordering somewhere between ten and twenty five signs per precinct depending upon the candidate.

Campaigns that have a strong field and direct mail campaign can successfully use this sign strategy.

Polling Places, Requests, and Strategic Locations

This builds upon the last strategy adding strategic locations. Strategic locations are more often than not on private property. They include people who just have a great location at a busy intersection and also community and political leaders whose public display of support will carry weight with other voters in the area.

Political Signs for Supporters

This is a big jump from the previous strategy, but this can be incredibly effective. This is best for local campaigns. Here is a case study. I’m using fake names. Bob Smith was part of the minority party running for a local office. He was known in the community but still opted for a strong use of yard signs. Essentially, if they were a supporter he pushed hard for them to put a sign in their yard.

Other than yard signs his only expense in the campaign was photocopying a homemade literature piece that he took door to door accruing more supporters and putting signs on their lawn. He reached a tipping point where there were so many signs in the community that people knew who he was when he reached the door.

Despite being outnumbered by more than 4:1 by the majority party he won his election to local office.

Plan a Yard Sign Strategy

The moral of the story is to plan a strategy. Don’t haphazardly order a handful only to decide later on that you should have ordered thousands or vice versa. When you are planning out your TV, radio, direct mail, and direct voter contact incorporate yard signs into the planning process and choose a strategy that’s going to work best for your campaign.

Ben Donahower is the founder of Campaign Trail Yard Signs, which cuts through the campaign yard sign confusion. What do lawn signs do well? When are they more trouble than they are worth? Just honest answers, so that you order useful political yard signs in the quantity your campaign needs. Ben is an authority on marketing for political organizations and has worked on campaigns from borough council to President

Follow Ben on Twitter  @iapprovethismsg

Campaign Tip of the Day: No Surprises for the Spouse

Dude, don't let your spouse (or significant other for that matter) find out that you have big plans to run for office on Facebook, or by an email announcement of your fundraiser. Yes, this happens and here's an example from the local news.

Hot off the Press, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Big whoops for this candidate.

What happened was a wanna be Assessor-Recorder-Clerk sent out an email announcement about his candidacy and a big fundraiser he was having. His wife was one of the recipients and went ballistic. She took it to Facebook, his Facebook page, complaining that she wasn't even told about the run. And that this was not cool.

                                                        Picture shown here is a re-creation of the event.

Now he has suspended his campaign while he tries to make things right on the home front. If he just told her up front, discussed the pros and cons, she'd probably have been totally supportive.

She says she supports his run and just wanted to be consulted. Did she over-react? Maybe, but not conferring with the family is a major no no, you can bet the public, and his opponent, won't forget this episode anytime soon.

Tip of the Day - The Robot on your Phone

Yes, we all hate them. We hang up on them. They always call during dinner. They are annoying. And yet, guess what, they work. If done correctly.

If you are in a down ticket race, and don't have enough money for that second mailer, don't have the volunteers to blanket the District with precinct walking, there aren't enough hours in the day for personal phone calls, and your race is looking close, the robo call may be for you.

If you find yourself in need of a last minute low cost option for getting your message to voters, here are some tips to do it right.

1. Keep it short. No more than 30 seconds. People will not listen beyond that point and after the first 30, you pay by the second.

2. Unless you have a well known and well respected celebrity supporting you, make the call in your own voice.

3. Introduce yourself, your office and one or two key issues. Repeat your name and your web site. Give them a personal phone number where they can call you themselves, even if it's just to vent.

4. You might start by apologizing for doing waht everyone hates, but you have important information to impart.

5. Don't call during a major football game or the prime dinner hour. Don't call too late or too early.

6. I try to time calls for when the fewest people are likley to actually be home. Yes, that's right. I aim for answering machines. That's why its' so important to get the key information out in the first few seconds. Most hangups will occur early. If they lsiten all the way through that's a bonus.

7. Don't use this method unless you fall into most, if not all, of the categories listed in the introduction.

There are many companies that do these calls. Use a reputable one, who will respect your instructions for how and when to deliver the call, let you edit your message as many times as you like, make the call from a local area code, to maximize people's answering it. And above all, keep your voice confident and calm.

Caveat: In many states, you are supposed to have a live person introduce the calls, which kind of defeats the purpose of keeping it inexpensive. Know the laws in your state and what the local custom is. Many of the rules are honored more in their breach than their observance. And no, putting your name on the Do Not Call registry does not apply to political calls.

Tip of the Day: Short and sweet

Doing some phonebanking to identify your voters?  Make sure you keep the script short and sweet.  Give the basics, ask for support and offer more information if the voter needs it. 

Don't argue with them. If they say yes, mark your call sheet. They haven't made up their mind (or have no idea that there is even an election coming up), offer to send them information in the mail. Then do it. Of course, always give them your website to go to themselves. If they say a decisive no, thank them and move on.

Make sure you have a good targeted list and practice your calls. The responses you get here and at the door will become the basis of your GOTV effort.  Don't waste calls by being wishy washy or failing to distinguish yourself from the opponent.

If you get voice mail, have a separate script for that, a shorter one, that gets out your name, what you're running for, one or two main points and your website.

Many people set up websites where  volunteers can download numbers and scripts to call from home.  While that's fine, it's always a good rallying opportunity to get a bunch of volunteers together in one room with a number of lines or cell phones. Have some snacks and drinks. Make sure you make calls yourself; don't just rely on volunteers. It will inspire them to hear you getting votes. And the voters is always happy to get a personal call from the actual candidate.

Next time: the dreaded  robo call.

Campaign tip of the day: The Great Sign Debate

You probably all have seen the famous message sent out by the Obama campaign when volunteers were clamoring for lawn signs:

There are any number of articles on the web explaining why you're wasting your money on signs. See  Political Signs Don't Work  and Why Political Yard Signs Are Useless for example.

What yard signs are good for is reinforcement. Once you've budgeted for your mail, your precinct walking handouts, your phone banking, your TV if it makes sense in your District, then go ahead and set something aside for yard signs. If people don't get your message, no amount of yard signage will persuade them to vote for you.

If you do use signs, use them carefully. Make sure your name is prominent in bold colors (preferably the colors of your campaign materials); don't clutter up the sign with lots of information or pictures.  And make sure people get your message in several different ways, mail, TV, phone calls, at the door. Don't expect your signs to be your message. They will just act as a reminder to the voter of who they want to vote for. 

Try to find supporters on well traveled roads to take the signs, don't just put them up willy nilly on freeway exits, or they may well be removed and you may well be fined. Know the rules in your community.  Some places are more relaxed about casual sign placement than others.

Right around election day, have volunteers take a few signs out to prominent street corners and wave them at passing cars as one last reminder. 

And remember, never, never, take down an opponent's signs.

If used wisely, your signs can be a good name reinforcer for your voters. If used instead of a well run campaign with a carefully crafted, and delivered, message, they aren't worth the paper (or plastic) they are printed on.

Political Yard Signs Don’t Vote

Political Yard Signs Don’t Vote

Political Yard Signs Don’t Vote

Never Stop Campaigning

You may think with all the new absentee registrants, up to 80% in some Districts, that there’s not much you can do in the final days of the campaign to influence voters. After all haven’t most of hem case their ballots already?

You’d be wrong.

An increasing number of permanent absentee voters are holding on to their ballots until the week before Election Day, many opting to walk them into the precinct place themselves. 

Last minute campaigning can make all the difference, especially in close races.  I know. As a campaign consultant I have seen razor thin races decided in the weeks following the election, when the late absentee and provisional ballots are counted.

Because of that, you need to keep on campaigning down to the wire. Here are some tips to be sure you are prepared to campaign til the end: 

1. Have a good campaign plan in place early with your late precinct walking, phoning, last minute mail drops and GOTV built in.
2. Budget wisely.  Make sure you have sufficient funds for late contingencies. Never stop fundraising. Your biggest donors may well be the most wiling to help fund last minute mail or robo calls
3. Treat your volunteers well, so they are not burned out by the last week. You will need them to make those last phone calls and walk those last precincts
4. Be ready to respond to a negative attack ad or mail piece by having sufficient funds to strike back.
5. Cultivate a good relationship with the press, so you are assured of coverage for the late breaking stories with a positive spin for you.
6. Letters to the editor can keep coming through that last important weekend. Have someone ready to write them and others to sign them.
7. Check with the Registrar’s office for names of those who have already voted and purge them from your lists. 
8. Get the weekly lists of new absentee applications and send a special piece of mail, even a short note from the candidate personally to them.
9. Save enough signs for a visibility program and last weekend “Honk and wave” events at key intersections.  

Never stop campaigning.