2012 Conservative Election Handbook

2012

Conservative

Election

Handbook

Everything you need to know to elect conservatives to public office . . . from dog catcher to President.

by Craig Copland

and the ConservaWiki.com Team

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 by Craig Copland

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover by Rita Toews

This book is available in print at most online retailers.

Acknowledgments

There is not a single original thought in this book. Every piece of information and instruction given is the result of our reading of countless books and articles, our conversations with those whose expertise we value and respect, and our years of personal experience. All we have done is compile and edit all that material and put it into a practical how-to handbook format.

We are grateful to all those from whom we have learned everything we know.

But special thanks has to go to the Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia, its founder, Morton Blackwell, and those who teach the many courses and seminars in conservative political action. We highly recommend that you sign up for any of their courses. You will learn far more by doing that than by just reading this book. (www.LeadershipInstitute.org).

Welcome to ConservaWiki

There are tens of millions of conservative citizens in America.

There are about 600,000 public offices to which citizens are elected . . . from dog catcher to President.

We need to elect conservative citizens to all of those offices . . . or at least as many as possible. But that’s a lot of them.

To do that, we conservatives have to help each other by sharing our stories about what worked and did not work in our election campaigns, and what worked and did not work in our crusade to convert politically non-aligned and liberal neighbors to conservatism.

That’s where ConservaWiki comes in. It is a wiki site where conservatives share their stories with each other. Members can learn from thousands of other members’ experiences. And every week the members of ConservaWiki will receive a concise summary of the best ideas recently received. If you haven’t done it already, take a minute now to join us and sign up at

ConservaWiki.com

As we receive great ideas from ConservaWiki members for winning elections and persuading more and more citizens to embrace conservatism, we will keep on updating the 2012 Handbook. Then, after conservatives triumph in the 2012 election, we’ll start working on the 2014 Handbook.

Keep up the great work. And may you be blessed in your mission of keeping America conservative!

A Note on Party Politics

In this handbook, we usually speak about conservatives versus liberals, not Republicans versus Democrats.

Not all Republicans are as conservative as we would like them to be.

But we don’t know of a single election at any level where the Republican candidate, however imperfect as a conservative, was less conservative than the Democrat.

An imperfectly conservative Republican still is way better than a liberal Democrat.

The time and place to struggle within the Republican Party to select conservative candidates is during the primaries, not the general election. By November 2012, we really have to all get behind the GOP candidate, whoever he or she may be, and make sure that the liberal is defeated.

CONTENTS

cHAPTER 1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 You Can Win!

1.2 This is a Handbook

1.3 How to Win an Election

1.4 How to Lose an Election

cHAPTER 2.0 THE CANDIDATE

2.1 The Candidate’s Appearance and Image

2.2 The Candidate’s Qualifications

2.3 The Candidate’s Schedule

cHAPTER 3.0 FUNDRAISING

3.1 The Campaign Fundraising Team

3.2 Personal Fundraising

3.2.1 Face-to-Face Fundraising

3.2.2 Personal Fundraising on the Phone

3.2.3 Large-Scale Event

3.2.4 Small-Scale Events

3.3 PACs

3.4 Direct Mail

3.4.1 The List - the Most Important Factor

3.4.2 Prospecting

3.4.3 House Lists

3.4.4 Timing

3.4.5 The Content

3.4.6 The Ask

3.4.7 Enclosures

3.4.8 The Response Inserts - the Form and the Return Envelope

3.4.9 What Should the Package Look Like?

3.4.10 The Envelope

3.4.11 The Thank-You Response

3.5 Donor Database Management

3.6 Telemarketing

3.7 Internet Fundraising

3.7.1 Raising Funds

3.7.2 Making It Work

3.7.3 Enhancing the Fundraising

3.7.4 Email Fundraising

3.7.5 Social Media / Web 2.0

CHAPTER 4.0 VOTER IDENTIFICATION

cHAPTER 5.0 PERSUADING VOTERS

5.1 General Principles

5.2 The Content of Your Message

5.3 Getting the Message Out

5.3.1 Door-to-Door

5.3.2 Lawn Signs and Billboards

5.4 Paid Media / Advertising

5.4.1 TV

5.4.2 Radio

5.4.3 Print Advertising

5.5 Internet Advertising

5.5.1 Advertising on Somebody Else’s Website

5.5.2 Advertising on Google

5.5.3 Piggy-Backing on Other Sites

5.5.4 Your Website

5.6 Earned Media / PR

5.6.1 Before Your Campaign Begins

5.6.2 General Guidelines

5.6.3 The Campaign Announcement

5.6 4 Media Releases

5.6.5 Press Conferences

5.6.6 Media Events

5.6.7 Debates

5.6.8 The Blogosphere

5.6.9 Media Interviews

5.6.10 Letters to the Editor, Online Comments and Talk Shows

5.6.11 Speeches

5.7 Voter Mail

5.8 Parallel Campaigns: the Party, 527s, 501(C)(3)s and (C)(4)s

cHAPTER 6.0 WAGING THE CAMPAIGN

6.1 The Campaign Plan

6.1.1 Creating the Plan

6.1.2 Contents of a Campaign Plan

6.2 Campaign Budgets and Cash Flow

6.2.1 Creating the Spreadsheet

6.2.2 Financial Management

6.3 Volunteers

6.3.1 Recruitment

6.3.2 Volunteer Management and Training

6.4 Polling

6.4.1 General Guidelines

6.4.2 Baseline or Starting Line Poll

6.4.3 Benchmark Poll

6.4.4 Tracking Polls

6.4.5 Follow-Up Polls

6.4.6 Quick-Response or Brush-Fire Polls

6.4.7 Focus Groups and Dial Groups

6.4.8 Push Polling

6.4.9 Saving Money on Polling

6.4.10 The Pollster

6.4.11 Remember GOTV

6.5 Building Coalitions

6.5.1 General Guidelines

6.5.2 Coalition Caveats

6.5.3 Churches

6.6 Opposition Research

6.6.1 General Guidelines

6.6.2 Ethics of Opposition Research

6.6.3 Focus of Opposition Research

6.6.4 Sources for Opposition Research

6.6.5 What to Do with All the Information

6.6.6 Do Complete Opposition Research on Your Own Candidate

6.7 Handling Attacks and Responding

6.8 Campaign Organization and Administration

6.8.1 General Guidelines

6.8.2 Campaign Leadership Team

6.8 3 Consultants

6.9 Election Law

6.9.1 General Guidelines

6.9.2 Filing

6.9.3 Get on the Ballot

6.9.4 Announcing the Campaign

6.9.5 Fundraising Limits and Rules

6.9.6 Record Keeping and Reporting

6.9.7 Disclaimers and Disclosures

6.10 Software and Techie Stuff

6.10.1 The RNC Voter File and Voter Vault

6.10.2 Other Software Programs

cHAPTER 7.0 THE VOTE

7.1 Voter Registration

7.2 Precinct Strategies

7.3 Absentee and Early Voting (Ab & EV)

7.4 Get Out the Vote - GOTV

7.4.1 General Guidelines

7.4.2 Phone, Drive, and Deliver

7.4.3 Door-to-Door

7.4.4 Coalitions

7.4.5 Telephone – Robocalls

7.4.6 Telephone – Live Calls, Paid Callers

7.4.7 Telephone – Live Calls, Volunteer Callers

7.4.8 Telephone – Vote Suppression

7.4.9 Telephone – Election Day

7.4.10 Direct Mail

7.4 11 Shaming Mail or Phone Calls

7.4.12 Door Drops

7.4.13 Mass Email Blasts

7.4.14 Radio and TV Ads

7.4.15 Print Ads

7.4.16 Mobile Loudspeakers

7.4.17 Election Day Events

7.4.18 Sign Waving

7.4.19 Poll Reporting

cHAPTER 8.0 THE DAY….THE WEEK….THE MONTH AFTER

8.1 The Celebration

8.2 Thank-Yous

8.3 Retiring the Debt

8.4 Never Stop Campaigning

APPENDIX: CASH FLOW/BUDGET FOR A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chapter 1.0 Introduction

1.1 You Can Win!

The Good News

In November 2010 conservatives throughout America proved that enthusiastic, passionate, hard-working and well-organized groups of people could turn the tide of creeping liberalism and restore common sense and traditional values . . . at least to the House of Representatives.

In November 2012 we can take back the White House, majority control of the US Senate, several more Governors’ offices, and scores of state legislative seats.

But it doesn’t start with the office of President. That’s where it ends.

It starts with dog catcher . . . well, metaphorically. If America is to remain a beacon to the world of liberty, freedom, decency, and prosperity, then conservatives need to be elected as county clerks, judges, water commissioners, mayors, school board trustees, state legislators, and every other rank of public office in the country.

That’s what this book is all about. Just follow all the rules in it and you can win all the elections for conservatives.

The Bad News

Liberals are smart, well-funded and determined. If an elected office for which you are helping to run the campaign was won by 10 percent or less last time around, then that office is at risk in 2012.

Your opponents will be working hard to make sure that conservatives lose in 2012.

Do not dare to be complacent.

1.2 This is a Handbook

It contains no theory. No stories. Only instructions. It tries to be honest and blunt.

If this handbook is to be of any use to you, then it has to be realistic. Practical. Dealing with realpolitik. Helping you win elections in the America that is, not the one we all wish it could be.

Never underestimate your opponents. They also know how to fight election campaigns.

This 2012 Handbook is not about the why of conservative politics. If you want to know all the good things about conservatism and all the bad things about progressives/liberals/socialists, then go and buy and read any of the great books by Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Michelle Malkin, Brad O’Leary, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, or any of the other wonderful conservative writers.

Or, if you really want to understand conservative thinking in depth, go and read Frederick Hayek, Edmund Burke, Barry Goldwater, Thomas Sowell, Russell Kirk, Adam Smith, Ludwig von Mises, Karl Popper, Ann Rand, Milton Freidman, Michael Oakeshott, or any of the other brilliant men and women who have written long, difficult, and foundational books. You won’t find them quoted in this book.

Because this is not a why or when or who book.

It’s a how-to book. It tells you what to do.

If you do everything this book tells you to do, America will never again be controlled by liberals in the White House, the Senate, the House of Representative, State legislatures, or Governors’ mansions.

If you do everything this book tells you to do and apply it to every level of elected office – all 600,000+ of them – then America will be a truly conservative country, from dogcatcher to President.

If you do everything this book tells you to do, then the United States of America will once again be the exceptional city on a hill, the best hope of the world and the beacon of freedom, liberty, and wealth creation that we know in our hearts it was meant to be.

You can do it. Get moving!

1.3 How to Win an Election

The Seven Basic Things You Have to Do:

Have a credible candidate

Raise a lot of money

Recruit and train a lot of grassroots volunteers

Identify who are you voters, who aren’t, and who are undecided.

Decide on your message and get it out

Wage the campaign

Get out the vote

Keep reading and learn how to do all of these things. Then get to work and do them. You will win.

1.4 How to Lose an Election

Ten Foolish Ways to Lose an Election and Damage the Conservative Cause

1. Sex

Like it or not, America is more than a little hung up on sex. We’re not like, say, the French. You know – "the French don’t care what they do actually, as long as they pronounce it properly." In America, sex and politics are a volatile mixture. Politicians who have affairs always get caught and always get slammed. The fact that those slamming them might also be having affairs doesn’t matter.

We hold all our public leaders to a higher standard – and conservative leaders to a much higher moral standard than liberals. American voters will forgive divorce. They will not forgive active adultery. Children, spouses, and God don’t think much of it either.

Political campaigns are emotionally intense times. A lot of wonderful, attractive people are on the road and away from home and spouses. Hormones are among the most dangerous chemicals known to humanity.

Do NOT screw up.

2. Lies

No matter what the expected awful consequences of the truth, do not lie. Not about anything. You will always be found out. Your credibility will be attacked. You will lose.

If there are skeletons in the closet then expose them yourself, in your words, on your timetable, with your spin. Otherwise, you’re toast.

3. Videotape

Once you become a public figure, then everything that you say will be on record somewhere. If it’s not on actual videotape, audiotape, or in print, it will be in someone’s memory or notebook. And never forget that emails, tweets, and Facebook posts live forever and will reappear at the worst possible time.

Never assume that something unguarded you said at a convention in Hawaii won’t become known in your home district in Maine. It will be news back home before you even return.

And whatever you say, be consistent. Do not contradict yourself.

If you have to change your position on something, then announce it yourself. Attribute it to new information or times have changed, or, my favorite, I said and did a lot of stupid things in my youth. I even voted liberal. Then I woke up and grew up.

4. Do NOT Reinvent the Wheel

Every district in America has gone through scores of elections in the past and there were conservatives involved in all of them. Find the veterans and learn from them. Use Party resources. Build on the hard lessons learned by those that have gone before. Use lists from the past. Experienced staff and volunteers are invaluable. Don’t leave home without them.

5. Do NOT Break the Rules

Every election, every state, every district, and every campaign will be faced with a staggering list of rules. Do your homework. Learn the rules. Follow them. Bring accountants and lawyers on board who are experienced and who know every campaign, advertising, fundraising, and filing rule in the book. If you are caught – and you will be – breaking even one of them, even inadvertently, it could derail your whole campaign.

6. Do NOT Only Fight the Air War

It is very tempting, especially if you have a lot of money, to forget about recruiting, training, and valuing volunteers and use only those tactics you can buy. It won’t work. Experience has taught us, and studies have proven, that citizens support candidates they know and trust. Voters come out and vote when asked to do so by someone they know and trust. Donors give money when asked face-to-face to do so by someone they know and trust who is also giving money. The media are immune to aerial bombardment, but they cannot ignore an army with boots on the ground.

7. Always Avoid Conflict of Interest

Never let yourself be caught supporting a political action in which you have an obvious financial interest. Voters will respect a candidate who believes in something just because of principle, because it’s the right thing to do. But if you appear to be lining your own pocket, it’s game over.

8. Do NOT Die from Lack of Funds

Politics in America is expensive. With a few unusual exceptions, the campaigns that have the most money and are smart in the way they use it, win. If you can’t line up your donors beforehand and then go and raise funds, forget about being in politics.

9. Do NOT Fight Losing Battles

The members of the local group advocating for the repeal of marijuana laws is never going to vote for you. Don’t waste a nickel or a minute trying to appeal to them. Precincts that voted 90 percent liberal last time aren’t going to vote for you this time. Spend your time and money where you can actually make a difference in how citizens vote.

10. NEVER Get Comfortable and Complacent

Unless your candidate won with a margin of 30 percent or more over the closest opponent, you could be at risk in 2012. Your opponents are smart, determined, well-funded, and willing to play hardball. Never assume anything. Never forget: All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.

Ok, that’s what not to do.

Now, get moving on what you do have to do to make sure that conservatives win and liberals lose in 2012.

Chapter 2.0 The Candidate

2.1 The Candidate’s Appearance and Image

Some Facts:

About one third of voters will always vote conservative no matter what you do. This will vary from place to place. It could be as high as 60 percent or as low as 15 percent, but there will always be a core that will support you. They are your base.

The same is true for the liberal candidate.

About one-third of potential voters really don’t care much at all about politics. They are persuadable. Call them independents or undecideds or the mushy middle . . . whatever. In this book we refer to them as NAVs – non-aligned voters.

If you want to win an election, you must persuade the NAVs to vote for your candidate.

Non-aligned voters will all too often base their decision on who to vote for on the candidate’s image. Does he or she appeal to them?

Like it or not, looks and image matter!

Many potential voters will make that decision in the first fifteen to twenty seconds of looking at a candidate’s picture and reading the brochure, or seeing him or her on TV, or at a public event. Then they will stick with that decision and vote accordingly, if they vote at all.

American voters do not like grumpy, sourpuss candidates.

So your candidate better look good, friendly and personable. From the start. All the time.

Remember: There are no unattractive candidates, only lazy ones.

The Rules:

If you’re way too overweight, lose it. This is America . . . fat is out. Fit is in.

Get a decent haircut or hairdo. Hairspray is good. Use it. Polish your shoes. Use antiperspirant. Don’t chew gum. Always mind your manners and be gracious and courteous.

Look sharp all the time. Dress for the occasion, but dress well for every occasion. Keep an extra clean shirt handy. Shoes matter.

SMILE! Voters are attracted to smiling candidates. Okay, the candidate can look serious when dealing with serious issues, but there must be a lot of pictures of him or her smiling.

A good professional groomer is worth the cost. Or find a volunteer with unfailing taste for that role.

Good photos are imperative. Use a professional photographer. Have a small selection of really good photos to be used for all printed materials and supplied to the media.

Male candidates should look as handsome as possible. Females should look attractive and professional. Like it or not, women who look too stunningly gorgeous are likely to encounter the bimbo prejudice. Act accordingly.

A great looking family is an asset to every candidate. But men tend to do better if they are occasionally accompanied by their children to political events – as in isn’t he a great dad? But it can backfire for women – as in how will she be able to run her office if she can’t even find a babysitter? Sorry. It’s an odious sexist prejudice that should have died years ago, but nobody said that politics was fair.

Never get drunk. Better that a candidate become a total or nearly total abstainer if there is any danger of his or her getting sloppy after a drink or two.

2.2 The Candidate’s Qualifications

Some Facts:

Experience matters.

Incumbent experience matters most of all.

In November 2010, a very impressive number of Tea Party members were successful as first-time congressional candidates. Many had relatively little previous experience as elected officials at any level of government. While their experience in business, their community service, their reputation and character, their appearance, and their perceived personal ability were undoubtedly factors, they were elected primarily on the basis of their affiliation with the political ideology of the Tea Party movement.

As a conservative, I consider their accomplishments to be wonderful.

As a political realist, I have to admit that what happened in November 2010 was exceptional, historically unprecedented, and – sorry – but it is very unlikely to happen again.

Candidates who have more experience as elected officials than their opponents are more likely to win. Experience becomes increasingly important as you move up the election pyramid from local office all the way to the US Senate.

The Rules:

If all other factors are equal, select the candidate with more appropriate experience.

Experience in other elected government positions that are perceived as good preparation for the office sought is best.

Candidates who know the issues of the campaign and the rules or who are able to master them quickly are more likely to win than those who are perceived as clueless.

Other community leadership experience – church, service club, community association, sports organization, or charity – is good.

An existing network or power base is good. Voters will volunteer for and help someone they already know and have a connection to.

An ability to make new friendships and build new connections is essential. Very few introverted loners ever get elected.

Reputation and character are important. Attacks on your policy positions and voting record can be handled and fired back. Whisper campaigns about character flaws or moral lapses are deadly.

Never pad a resume or exaggerate experience. Opponents doing research on your candidate will figure it out and slap you, hard.

Candidates better have a thick skin. The same goes for their family and friends.

Candidates better be able to ask people for money. Those who can’t fundraise may as well not bother running.

It helps a lot if a candidate is a good public speaker. Better still if he or she can deliver a great barn burner of a speech.

2.3 The Candidate’s Schedule

Some Facts:

One of the most important assets of any campaign is the candidate’s time. It is imperative that it be used as effectively as possible.

Priority must be given to activities that will firm up the vote of soft conservatives and persuade the NAVs to vote conservative.

There will be more requests for the candidate’s time than can ever be accommodated. Successful campaigns plan and allocate a candidate’s time strategically, using factors determined in advance to decide on what will and will not be included. Campaign veterans learned a long time ago that "you have to go fishing where the fish are;" i.e., the candidate must allocate most of his or her time to contacting targeted voters.

Unless your campaign is for a local office, the candidate will most likely be required to devote full time (50–60 hours a week) from July 1st until Election Day. His or her spouse should plan to do so too. However, some candidates will have no choice but to continue to work at their day jobs.

The Rules:

The Scheduler. All campaigns above the very local level need someone to be The Scheduler. This person must be well-organized and have an assertive personality and a thick skin. It is a difficult task and will involve saying no to many people, being unfairly accused of showing preferences, and cutting off access to the candidate in order to get him or her to the next event.

If at all possible, do not have the candidate do his or her own scheduling. It is far less awkward for the candidate to refer any request to his or her staff, and much less problematic if a staff member gets back to a group who made a request that has to be declined than if the candidate has to do it directly.

All requests for a candidate’s time must be vetted through the Scheduler. It must be understood that no one else can make commitments of the candidate’s time without the agreement of the Scheduler.

Campaign team executive leaders, the candidate, and the Scheduler need to meet regularly (conference calls are good) to review and agree upon the schedule for the upcoming two weeks.

Invitations and options to be considered during these meetings must have relevant information appended to them. How many people are expected to be there? Will any influential leaders be present? Will potential donors be present? Are they a potential coalition group? Are they already, for sure, going to vote for us or not?

Campaign team members must then honor and respect the decisions of the Scheduler. Otherwise chaos will reign.

Requests should be made in writing (email). Verbal requests should be followed up immediately with a written confirmation. Do not expect the Scheduler to give a confirmation to a verbal request.

Once an event has been agreed upon, the Scheduler should then provide immediate confirmation back to the group making the request, confirming the candidate’s attendance as well as the location, driving instructions, candidate speaking time, and any other expected actions of the candidate.

If there are important requests that conflict with each other, then the Scheduler should immediately get in contact with the group perceived as likely the more flexible and request an alternative date or time.

If requests for a candidate’s time have to be turned down, then the Scheduler or a designated member of the team must communicate that decision immediately to the party that made the request. Many groups making such invitations may be content to receive a visit from the candidate’s spouse, campaign manager, communications director, or other member of the campaign leadership team.

The Scheduler should communicate the schedule for the coming week to the team at the start of each week. Daily schedules also need to be distributed by email, tweets, texts . . . whatever.

The schedule itself must set aside time for:

Voter contact, especially door-knocking;

Fundraising calls and meetings;

Media time;

Debate and speech preparation;

Campaign events;

Rest, personal and family time; and

Work time (if the candidate has a real job