Election season. Ah, it’s fun times. I always look forward to it, the palm cards, yard signs, door-to-door, fundraiser and sign wave craziness… but sometimes, I’m just ready for the negativity to end. Am I alone in feeling this way? At our training sessions, new leaders often ask how they can show contrast between themselves and their opponents without “going negative.” It’s a good question- and it’s a skill, so I think it’s important that we talk about it.
1.
Don’t be afraid to illustrate differences.
Elections are inherently about conflict- there
is good and evil, right and wrong, liberty and oppression, and voters must
choose between them on election day. Showing contrast is an important campaign
strategy, particularly for challengers. With the high retention rate for
elected officials from the local level through Congress, as a candidate, you
are asking voters to reject the person who they know, who they may have voted
for previously, in favor of you. Choose the devil they don’t know over the one
they do, so to speak. You must give them good reasons to vote for you. Part of
that is illustrating the differences between them, the voting electorate, and
the incumbent, or other candidate.
2.
Hold them accountable.
In a republic where we democratically elect
our rulers, it’s important to hold those rulers accountable. And even if
your campaign isn’t victorious, discussing voting records and illustrating bad
choices to the voters is an important part of holding government accountable.
3.
Understand the strategy.
Incumbents or favored candidates will use the
“incumbent” strategies, where they appeal to the trappings of office, their
current title, their aura of prestige and power to illustrate their legitimacy.
Challengers, however, must use a different strategy if they are to be
victorious- they must draw the voters’ attention to the opponent’s record, and
call for change.
4.
Never touch the family.
In a campaign I worked several years ago, my
family was attacked on the blog of a key member of the opponent’s campaign, so
I can tell you from personal experience- this is not ok. Please, don’t do it.
5.
Illustrate votes and stances on the issues.
If you keep your contrasting messages during
your campaign focused on the issues and show the votes that your opponent made,
you will be able to resist the personal mudslinging that can often ensue. And
after all- aren’t campaigns supposed to be about the issues?
6.
If your opponent attacks you, respond.
I once worked with the man whose firm created
the Swift Boat Ads during the Bush/Kerry campaign and he told me something that
has really stuck with me- he said the entire election might have been different
if Kerry had responded to the Swift Boat ads when they first came out. Learn
from this: if your opponent attacks you, respond. Now, I say that with a
caution- measure the importance. If it’s a campaign ad shown throughout your
district in which your stances on the issues are pulled into question? Probably
ought to respond to that. If however the opponent makes an offhand snide remark
about you on the local radio show- probably not important enough to respond to.
You have to be willing to let some things roll off your back, or you’ll turn
what was a one-newsday issues into a two, three, perhaps even four-newsday
problem. But when an attack comes that must be answered, answer it.
7.
Along those lines, answer in kind.
If your opponent takes out a full ad in the
newspaper hammering you, don’t record a radio ad responding to it. You will
likely hit different audiences, meaning that the radio audience now knows about
the newspaper ad when they wouldn’t have otherwise, and the newspaper audience
doesn’t see your response. Respond in kind, and respond quickly.
8.
Be willing to use surrogates.
You might not be the best person to answer
every charge from the opponent, or to draw every comparison. If there is
someone within the community or your campaign who is better equipped than you,
don’t be afraid to utilize their strengths.
9.
Clarify what comes from you.
Sometimes a PAC or issue group will engage in
negative campaigning on your behalf- because of federal laws, you as the
candidate cannot be advised in advance of what their message will be, what form
it will be in (mailer, radio, etc), or when it will hit. But you may take a
backlash as a result. For example, in 2004 a PAC sent out a mailer that was
very negative toward my candidate’s opponent, and we received a lot of angry
phone calls and emails. In cases such as these, it’s best to simply make clear
that your campaign had nothing to do with the attack, and try to move on as
swiftly as possible.
10.
Never, ever make a reference to your opponent’s voting record or issue stances
unless you are 110% certain that it is true.
Credibility once lost is difficult to regain-
do due diligence to know the truth before you speak it. You owe the voters
nothing less.
If you’re looking for candidates to support,
use these tips to help you determine who is running a more honorable campaign.
If you’re helping a candidate you believe in, use these strategies as you work
towards his or her election. Remember, talking about the issues and voting
records is not negative campaigning- so let’s stick to that, and let the voters
have their say.
Source: http://americanmajority.org/blog-2/how-to-go-negative-without-getting-nasty/
www.americanmajority.org.Matt
Robbins, American Majority [http://www.americanmajority.org]
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