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Too soon to start thinking about 2013? (How NOT to run a campaign)

by: jeffpickens

Tue Jan 18, 2011 at 07:37:11 AM EST



promoted by Rosi

No, it's not too soon, considering:
1.) Christie began running for re-election the day he was inaugurated (as do all incumbents)
2.) No potential Democratic candidate (as far as I know) has stepped forward
3.) We can draw important lessons from 2009 and the shoddy campaign run by Jon Corzine, as illustrated by my experience with a clueless Corzine campaign worker:

Late in 2009 gubernatorial campaign, a Corzine canvasser knocked on my door. I answered, and told him right off the bat we had five registered Democrats in my household; no need to give me a sales pitch. However, I told him three of us would be out of town on Election Day, myself on business, and two of my sons away at college, and we needed absentee ballots.

The canvasser told me about NJ's new vote-by-mail option, and had a stack of applications in his hand. I asked for three forms, and the canvasser refused to give them to me. I asked for the website so I could download my own, he said, no, he did not know the website. Just as I was telling him to get lost, as he was no use to me, he asked if I wanted a yard sign. I said, sure, put as many as you want on my lawn.

As soon as I slammed the door, I immediately fired off a nasty-gram to the campaign, informing them of the behavior of the canvasser and his refusal to help me out with absentee voting. A few days later a representative called me, apologizing, and explaining that this particular canvasser "doesn't believe in vote-by-mail" (!) and that is why he refused to give me the applications. I asked, how can you expect anyone to vote for your candidate if this is how you are running your campaign. I then asked if it was possible to vote at the County Store, and the person said no (this turned out not to be true). I also asked where's my yard  sign and was promised I would get one (I never did). 


County Stores, by the way, are these nifty one-stop shops for just about any government service. The service is friendly and effective. We have them in most malls in South Jersey. I am not sure if every County has one. 

Infuriated, and despite my temptation to sit the election out or vote for a third party candidate, I went to the County Store at the Deptford Mall, held my nose, and voted for Corzine,

I have a feeling I was not alone in my disappointment with the way the Corzine campaign was run, and Christie did not so much win as Corzine lost. He broke the cardinal rule of any job-hunter: Act like you want the job.

Let's not let this happen again.

jeffpickens :: Too soon to start thinking about 2013? (How NOT to run a campaign)
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a Pascrell redux (3.00 / 1)
sounds like my Pascrell experience; called, offered to volunteer, visited the office, spoke at length to people, and aside from being nice and constantly being told that someone (I'm guessing of authority) would contact me it never happened. Even simple things like posting lawn signs - nope. Thankfully Pascrell won easily but the idea of have to force my offer of time, talent, and treasure left a bad taste in my mouth.  

A tired paradigm (4.00 / 1)
the strategy of carpet bombing districts with bored and uninformed paid canvassers has some real limitations.

And -- limited results notwithstanding -- anyone who's ever ran a field campaign knows it sucks up a lot of organizational bandwidth to carry out such a plan.

activist for hire.Follow jay_lass on Twitter


Bored and uninformed paid canvassers... (4.00 / 1)
...works for the political machines.

The last thing that Norcross et al wants is too many engaged activists with ideals and principles in their midst.  If enough of them came together and realized that the politicial machine that they were volunteering for is as much of an obstacle to progressive policies as their Republican adversaries, they might start organizing amongst themselves to overthrow the bosses.

The only thing that paid canvassers and the people who are given no-show jobs in return for managing them want is a paycheck.  It is the primary reason why it is so hard to find visionary leaders in urban communities.  They learn at an early age that the system rewards those who work hard and don't challenge authority.

It is the primary reason why so many leaders like Barack Obama, Deval Patrick, Adrian Fenty, Artur Davis, Harold Ford Jr., and even our own Cory Booker, who were all supposed to be transformational, have failed to be.  As phenomenal as they all might have been to one degree or another, they still had been programmed at some level to compromise their principles in order to "succeed" and they all have to one degree or another.

I left Ron Rice Jr. off of that list, because he has yet to disappoint me in any way, shape, or form.  My head says that he probably will before his career is over, but my heart wants to believe that he won't.


[ Parent ]
If this guy was paid (0.00 / 0)
he must have been paid by the opposition.

Blog: Pick's Place

[ Parent ]
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