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Hello again and welcome to the 2015 Campaigns/Elections/Politics thread. This thread is designed to answer any questions you may have about working on or the inner workings of political campaigns or political offices. I know I am late this year just been busy with life. Who am I you may ask? I am Mooseontheloose (or just Moose) and I am a just a guy who worked campaigns for about 3 or 4 years before moving over to an official office. I've run two campaigns a small city council race and a state senate race. Have been an organizer for two statewide campaigns and ran a paid canvass. I've worked mostly in the north but did spend some time in the South. I do not consider myself a expert or like David Axlerod but I do feel like there is a lot of questions that people have about the political process that they are afraid to ask. I am here to demystify our sometimes complicated political world. Mooseontheloose's rules and general questions 1. This is a safe space and I ask everyone to refrain from being internet detectives. Don't be that jerk who ruins it for everyone. 2. If you work in the political world please feel free to jump in with your own opinions. Always good to have more opinions and always good to have different perspectives. 3. I want to be Josh Lyman! Can you help me become Josh Lyman? I will also settle for Toby Zigler. Shamelessly stolen from this youtube video. If you want a job you can certainly send me a resume, please PM me but be warned that it's hard to recommend random strangers from the internet. 3a. Help! I have a chance to run a small state rep race or I can be low man on the totem poll on a competitive governors/Senate race. What would you do? Every option has advantages and disadvantages. Running a small state rep campaign gives you some invaluable experience in management, hiring, and volunteer management. Still, it's a small world and sometimes it hard to move up. Working for a bigger race is great, you meet a lot of influential people and lots of people within your political party. But be warned if you want to advance you can't just show up once a week. You have to dedicate yourself to the campaign and take every opportunity thrown at you. Even then, it takes time to claw your way up. 4. Aren't you part of a system that is just corrupt, making you part of the corruption. All political parties are the same and clearly my pet candidate from (libertarian/green/vermin supreme) didn't win because the two political parties don't want them to win. You make me sick. Listen straw-man I made up, I get that you think that all political parties are the same and that your pure 3rd party candidate and thoughts would show Americans the light IF ONLY they could get elected. But both parties are not the same from the way they governor to the way the run campaigns and yes their policies are significantly different. 5. Lawn signs are a tried and true method of getting people elected. Why don't more campaigns use lawn signs? [sobs internally] 6. Where can I find jobs? Look for jobsthatareleft, idealist (thought those are more of the grassroots campaigns, more on that in a second), Democratic Gain, and Tom Mantos are all places that come to mind. 6a. I saw a Grassroots Campaigns job that says I can run a campaign with no experience. What's the catch? The catch is they pay like poo poo and make more than enough money to not do that. They say they run more legislative campaigns, which maybe true, but I haven't really seen them make a huge impact. This is my own personal opinion and others may vary. 6b. What about paid canvassing? It's not a bad way to start though it all depends on who is running it and if the people running it are willing to teach you things and let you in on what's going on. Plus, they are a bit disconnected from the other campaigns due to FEC and PAC laws. Finally, everyone should go to http://www.campaignsick.tumblr.com and learn to love that site. Ask away!
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May 17, 2015 04:07
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Jackson Taus posted:
So uh...yah those are a lot of problems and the unfortunate side of what we love to do. Local parties (and especially county parties) if run by the wrong people can be the bane of your existence. To that end, make sure you do what you can to either recruit the next generation or be VERY clear to local party people about what is happening. Put another way these things have a way of blowing up in party people's faces like this guy: http://coralspringstalk.com/broward-county-democratic-party-official-arrested-for-grand-theft-3261
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May 17, 2015 13:44
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Y-Hat posted:Jesus, mooseontheloose, you're still doing this? You either have the patience of a saint or you have an unhealthily high tolerance for pain and bullshit. The last campaign I worked for was almost a year ago and now I'm at an office job. Campaign jobs can be fun, but the magic wears off after a while. Being on the official side helps, though last year was kinda bullshit. New York (like any place) seems like it is a tough place to be, especially if you are anti-development/anti-real estate.
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May 19, 2015 23:45
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Y-Hat posted:I'd like to think that New York's going through a seismic shift right now, but as a dyed-in-the-wool pessimist I can't be too sure. Even before this year's developments in Albany, Zephyr Teachout won almost 40% of the vote in the Democratic primary in spite of the fact that not many people knew who she was. Bear in mind, this was when Andrew Cuomo's approval ratings defied all logical explanation by being healthily over 50% (it's now in the mid-40s among all New Yorkers, and it's in the mid-30s among NY Democrats). A little populism goes a long way. And of course, you've got the fact that the head of both houses of the State Legislature were indicted on corruption charges because Preet Bharara is actually walking the walk of rooting out Albany's rotten culture, instead of half-assing it like Cuomo has. It is a reminder though for challengers to build their grassroots networks early.
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May 25, 2015 05:07
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Its Miller Time posted:
My first bit of advice is to always join a campaign that you are interested in. Most campaigns from city council on up have some sort of consultant with them that work with vendors and have worked with other officials. It is a great networking opportunity. Also, you want to know how campaign operations work before you start consulting and doing the high level data/messaging work. Practicality goes a long way. You may also want to look at the major political consultants in your area if you want to stay local. Aristotle sounds more like what you want to do. They are the ones who put together all the big data for the Democratic party. You may also want to look at NGP/VAN as a democrat as well. But again find a campaign you like and see if you can join in for a bit.
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May 27, 2015 03:08
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Jackson Taus posted:
Finance if you want to make money or run a campaign Field for if you want to run a campaign and become a consultant. Media/Press forever baffles me what their tracks are.
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Jun 11, 2015 03:49
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Bitter Mushroom posted:are you more of a jonah ryan or a malcolm tucker? You know one of those worker bees you see in the background of a Sorkin show who aren't a main character. That's me. That is everyone in politics. Also, thinking about getting a policy degree. Does anyone here have thoughts on that?
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Jun 17, 2015 01:23
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Slaan posted:As in a Masters of Public Affairs or Public Policy? It's a good degree to have and just having my MPA and Peace Corps service I'm already interviewing with 4 different agencies. If you want to work with the Feds or a big city directly, rather than campaign work, I'd highly recommend it. Plus, its 90% the same skill set as MBAs while being half the cost, so it also works for private jobs as well as long as you can bullshit well in an interview. This is what I am looking it.
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Jun 17, 2015 03:40
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Roark posted:I'm going to second that, if you want to go work for the Federal government or a state/local government directly (as a civil servant or appointee), this is the route to go. It's less necessary or unnecessary on the pure political or political-policy route. I'm at a think-tank type institution now after taking a break from the cesspool of day-to-day DC politics*, and most of us at the policy level with advanced degrees are JDs or MA/PhDs. I figure if I decide to sell out and go corporate, it's good idea to have it in my back pocket. Oh and maybe get a deeper understanding of policy. Whatever.
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Jun 22, 2015 01:43
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Dear liberal activists: Look to the LGBTQ community and their activism. Look at what they did. Understand how they did it. That is how you make change. Love, Moose
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Jun 26, 2015 23:44
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tsa posted:Step 1: have your movement be predominantly filled with well off white people. I mean a demographic that is largely middle-upper class and childless with tons of spare cash is music to the marketers ears, where else do you think all this corporate sponsorship came from? Yes, having clear and concise goals, learning to organize, and welcoming allies had nothing to do with it.
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Jun 28, 2015 21:08
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Ofaloaf posted:I ran for a super-local position last year and barely bothered with any yard signs at all, and I super-regret doing that. I did a bit of a post-mortem with a friend after the election was over, and he revealed that he'd voted for a super-lovely candidate for the local school board just because he recognized her name on the ballot from all the signs he'd seen on the side of the road. I ran a small city council race (a city of about 100k) with a budget of about 50k. We had about 100(ish) lawn signs up which is probably the least of any candidate and we topped the ticket. What I think was more helpful was having our candidate knocking doors EVERY night and having our volunteers leave lit on the doors which I think acts in the way you are doing. Mailers are a great multiplier too in my mind because you can target them and you know they are going to where they are suppose to go. If you have someone who is willing to place lawn signs and not waste someone elses time doing voter contact great but I feel it can be a waste of staff resources if you are spending more than a couple hours here and there on it. Time is a resource on these campaigns, it needs to be spent wisely.
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Jul 2, 2015 21:37
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Ofaloaf posted:Haha, I briefly was working for the state party's coordinated campaign last year. In a Panera Bread. Using my own cellphone and laptop. Because the central office hadn't actually secured a place for our county yet, or gotten any equipment for us. We were still expected to make the same daily Counter: Panera's are great staging locations for canvasses.
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Jul 14, 2015 05:01
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Jackson Taus posted:Yeah, in the campaign world you're either moving upwards or you're moving downwards. If you're taking on the same responsibility for multiple cycles you may be in trouble. Obviously "responsibility" and "job title" don't always line up - going from state legislator's finance director to being on a Senator's finance staff is hardly a downgrade. I don't entirely agree depending on where you are in your career but yah, you should always look for upward movement. I would say if you moved as a FO in a congressional to a senate run, take it.
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Jul 23, 2015 02:48
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G-Hawk posted:I guess this is mostly obvious but be it your own staff, other staffers, volunteers, activists etc one of the most important things to do on any campaign of any scale is to establish who is competent and able to get things done as early as possible. Try to create a situation where people can succeed or fail where the stakes aren't too high so that when the stakes are high you know who to rely on. So when Bob says he "knows everyone" and can get you "tons of people" its like ok cool setup some non crucial and low effort event or canvass for him to do it, if he does you know he can do it for bigger stuff later on. Yeah that means you're going to have to waste some time but the only other thing you can do is rely on what other people say or try to suss people out by talking to them. Most people can only bullshit so much and if you dig a bit it'll be obvious. More importantly, use your position to get your hands dirt. Show up to a canvass unannounced and see what's really going on and observe how the office is running. Go out with a walk packet with a canvass pair. Heck, tell people you are showing up and see how they build the event. Then see if there is anything that you can do/fix.
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Aug 9, 2015 23:24
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Jackson Taus posted:
That being said, if you want to run locally, you have to get to know the local party officials and activists. You may not want them to RUN your campaign but they know where the bodies are and some important issues so you have to listen to them even if they are a pain in the rear end sometimes. That doesn't me you have to be beholden to them but you do have to listen and be open to them. It's a balancing act but activists can get tunnel vision, get territorial, or pick the wrong issues to focus on but they are still voters. Make sure you know what's important about what you are running for. If you are running for school committee, talking about fixing potholes makes you seem out of touch. If you are running for State rep, talking about saving Social Security makes you seem like you don't know what you are talking about. However, knowing that East Greenwich's School System hasn't bought new computers since 2004 makes you seem knowledgeable and connected. Essentially, what everyone else has said.
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Aug 14, 2015 01:59
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:I'm helping with my first fundraiser, we're doing a Democratic Debate watching party. I like gimmicking up for people to get interested but as other as said, have a way to track who contributes what. Checks are the safest way to do so. nothing beats tradition though, make sure to the candidate does a round of calls to people who are sponsoring the event or who he wants to come. MAke sure there is a direct ask (I need you to bring 5 people who will contribute $50 vs. if you could bring 5 people who might be able to contribute $50) and then you should do a round of follow up calls a few days before the event. Make sure AFTER the event to chase down those who RSVPed yes but who didn't show up and contribute. Finally, don't be afraid.
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Aug 18, 2015 23:30
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:I'm going to be the media guy for a candidate, it'll be my first campaign. I think we used wordpress with Joomla. Not sure where we bought the hosting from.
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Sep 24, 2015 01:45
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Just checking in with folks as city elections are coming up.
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Oct 18, 2015 01:36
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Jackson Taus posted:I hate local candidates. Why can't they be smart? Like why do I have to pull teeth to get their talking points included in Coordinated canvassers' packets? Note that it's not the Coordinated FOs who I need to bug about this, it's the drat candidates, the folks who should have been pressing for this themselves from Day 1. Which they'd know if they went to the candidate training. And of course after the election they're gonna blame the Coordinated for not helping enough, despite passing up opportunities and not really trying aggressively to work with them. We've got one or two campaigns with GREAT relationships with the Coordinated and the rest don't. I don't get how they can not look at the campaigns with great coordination and try to get that. Because they know better than you about their district. Or their CM is giving lovely advice, or the district party chair is giving lovely advice.
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Oct 21, 2015 02:43
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Nothing like a good fall walk packet to remind you why you do this 
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Oct 25, 2015 00:28
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2016 is fast approaching so to anyone who posts, reads, or lurks this thread do you have any suggestions for the 2016 thread?
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Oct 30, 2015 00:50
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:
Get union labor! PS: Hey everyone in the thread, read this: http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/run-2016/2015/10/29/jeb-bushs-campaign-blueprint Mooseontheloose fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Oct 30, 2015 |
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Oct 30, 2015 00:59
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Slaan posted:How do managers deal with crazy candidates, like your Sharon Angles, Ben Carsons or Lincoln Chafees? Is it just a slog for your paycheck and hope you made them shut up enough to win, or are there methods that help mitigate the crazy egoists? I tend to think their campaign managers are true believers types or super scummy. Take a look at the whole Ron Paul thing that just happened, they were bribing people to get out of the race. They think of politics as a con to make money or to gain power or again, they really believe the poo poo their candidate is spewing. Sometimes, you really need the paycheck and donor database for races further in your life too.
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Oct 30, 2015 01:23
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:To be clear, I'm not running for office, but I'm running the campaign for a guy who is. I sent you a PM. Let's chat.
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Oct 30, 2015 01:59
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Any suggestions for the 2016 thread? New FAQ? New OP? Let me know!
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Jan 4, 2016 01:43
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Spacebump posted:What are everyone's thoughts/experiences on canvassing on super bowl Sunday? Are you in NH? Are the Pats playing? I would avoid it because there will be super bowl parties. Rather, I would knock morning to early afternoon but then it gets tough depending on whose in it and what the neighborhood is like.
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Jan 9, 2016 21:14
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Jackson Taus posted:Yeah, I mean the game isn't until 6:30, so it's not like parties will start before 5pm anyhow. I will say, people are making food so you maybe interrupting people but there are freaks out there who don't watch the Super Bowl.
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Jan 9, 2016 22:46
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:One big thing I found is that if a group spends more than $500, they need to register as a PAC. Registering a domain, a wordpress account and a google for work account is all under 100 a year I think so no dice there. Can't you find out who/what owns the website and work backwards from there?
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Jan 29, 2016 05:23
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Jackson Taus posted:It's not even that. Here's another example. We've been having an email thread for about 3 weeks with a subcommittee on doing our nominating process. Everyone on the subcommittee except one slacktivist is participating via email and call-in and wants a convention. Slacktivist says literally nothing. Then the day before the meeting where we're presenting our recommendation, he emails the subcommittee being like "well obviously primary is the right choice and why didn't anybody raise arguments X and Y?". Holy poo poo dude, don't hold off on participating until the last possible second and then bitch that we've been doing the entire thing wrong. Even in the world where they're right, that's a really ineffective way to change folks' minds. I am going to refer to the FAQ here: Mooseontheloose posted:4. Aren't you part of a system that is just corrupt, making you part of the corruption. All political parties are the same and clearly my pet candidate from (libertarian/green/vermin supreme) didn't win because the two political parties don't want them to win. You make me sick. But seriously, it is a problem with the American left (and libertarian right). They want revolutionary change but don't care for the steps it takes to change the system. It's easier to bitch and moan about the game being unfair when you are learning at the last second.
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Feb 5, 2016 14:49
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First to the paid canvasser: Get to know the guy who hired you and is assigning stuff, most likely they were a Field Organizer, RFD, or FD at some point. Make sure you show up when you say you are going to show up and when you feel comfortable see how you can be helpful. There is a lot of stuff people who run paid canvasses want to put on someone to free up theretime. As for local questions: Why do you want this position? What is the biggest issue facing your community? What do you plan to do differently than the person who used to hold (or currently holds) the position? Try to think of specific things that happen in your area. Like, let's say the school system was underbudgeted by 50,000, how do you plan to get that money back?
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Jul 17, 2016 21:41
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If anything, this year is going to prove whether field vs. no field is a viable strategy. As for running a campaign, i can't think of any books or articles to read or anything but try to find similar races in the area and see what people did before. When I ran a city council campaign i had never run any campaign before and I panicked a little because I didn't know how to run the whole thing. Take a deep breath, start with your strengths. If you are a field guy, look at election results and precinct returns, if you are a finance guy, look at the money you need to raise. Then tackle the areas you are weaker at and start developing a plan. It will click, I promise. As for Do's and Don't here are a few things I can think of: DO: *Understand the district *Understand your candidate/Have an understanding of what they want *Be flexible in your planning *Set clear and achievable goals to start *Talk to local party apparatuses, volunteers, people who know the candidate best *have a realistic budget and know how to spend it DON'T: *Oversell abilities, money, or expectations *get into fights with the candidate in front of people *Treat volunteers and party people with disdain (even if they deserve it) *be afraid to ask for help/admit your campaign weakness That's what I can offer off the top of my head.
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Sep 25, 2016 19:01
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