THE POLITICS GUY TM
CAMPAIGN TIPS
October 2009

It’s twelve months to Election Day 2010. Now is the time to get serious and organized.

If you haven’t done so, assemble a core team of advisors now. You cannot do it all by yourself. You will need help. And make sure these are folks you trust and who can contribute fresh ideas to the campaign.

Sycophants and Yes-men are out. Ego-massages do nothing to help you win. These kinds of people can actually be a drag on a campaign. All they do is stay in your good graces but, for fear of offending you, they don’t innovate or contribute fresh ideas.

Policy wonks are out. They sound bright and intelligent because they expound on issues all night. But they’re timewasters and don’t roll up their sleeves for the nitty-gritty in-the-trenches hard work. They belong at Think Tanks writing learned articles or hosting talk shows, not in political campaigns. And they too often tend to hurt a candidate by spouting off in public about their own thoughts rather than to stick to the campaign message.

What you need to surround yourself with are a core cadre of loyalists who are pragmatic, hard-working and not afraid to tell you unpleasant things which you need to know for a winning campaign. Don’t be afraid of them. If they’re loyal to you, they have your best interests at heart. Your success is their success.

You want to surround yourself with the kinds of realistic people who will give you honest feedback, constructive criticism and who are willing to work hard on your behalf.

Listen to them. Heed their advice. You, as the candidate, are the CEO of the venture and have the final approval sign-off. However, they might just come up with an idea which will help your campaign which might have escaped your attention. They might be able to spot potential problems and nip them in the bud before they become trouble.

At least one person in the inner circle should have a good grasp of campaign finance and state laws. In a future Campaign Tips column, we’ll discuss money issues. But an individual with knowledge and expertise of the labyrinth of finance disclosure laws and who can keep a campaign budget is a valuable asset.

At the local level, we’ll assume the core cadre are personal friends and associates. But if you run for higher office or hire a consultant, make sure you have a Confidentiality Agreement for everyone in the inner circle to sign. It gives you a chit should a hired hand stray off the reservation. It should clearly spell out that all information, communications, working drafts etc. are the property of the campaign and are not to be disclosed, released publicly or taken from the campaign for personal use.

And make sure these are folks with whom you have good rapport. For the next twelve months you will be working in close quarters and you might be seeing more of them than your own family as the campaign cycle progresses.

The Politics Guy Campaign Tips will be published periodically at RLC.org to help pro-liberty candidates get elected.