Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with campaigns

Volunteer or Paid Political Consulting?

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 06:53:29 -0800

My client is late paying me. Plus, I am concerned about how they are (or are not) using the products and services I am providing. Should I stop providing those products and services and send a late notice, or somehow give them the benefit of the doubt for a while longer? I want this client to succeed at their endeavor, but I don't want to be taken advantage of either, whether intentionally or not. I was hired as a consultant by a man who is a declared candidate for a federal office. I made my rates clear at the outset, but offered to charge half that rate since he initially asked me to volunteer. The services I provide are technical, time-consuming and expensive, and I declined to volunteer. He agreed to the half price rate. In addition, I charge no travel or researching (reading) fees; only for the creation of hard products, like campaign artwork, databases, TV and radio commercial development, etc. I also set up interviews, do videotaping and other media related work in support of the candidate. Professional staff in a political campaign, like campaign manager, volunteer coordinator, financial manager and media director are almost always paid positions.

I have found several guides for political campaigns that suggest a path for campaign staff development and campaign strategy progression. I've shared these with the candidate. But as near as I can tell, he has not begun any serious fundraising, or consistent efforts to meet any of his constituencies yet. Partly, I'd guess it's because he is a business owner and spends most of his time running it. Public campaign financing websites show his competitors ahead in donations. He has paid me for two invoice I've already submitted, but is now more than a month late in paying me for the most recent work I've done. Because he isn't raising the funds, he is paying me from his business which he says is having a cumulative effect on him. Also, he has not found (or attracted) a campaign manager or (volunteer coordinator), and campaign staff really need a campaign manager to tell them what strategy to follow. I am a media professional, and I suggest and create basic media for the candidate, logos, lists, etc. But I can't do the work of a campaign manager. In politics, perception is reality and I don't think it is helping him that no one has offered to fill that role.

Campaigns seem to need much more than what you think of everything to be successful; time, money, people, advertising, whatever. And I don't want to burn any bridges. But I have two invoices worth of work that haven't been paid yet and I don't know understand why he isn't following the conventional path by laying the critical groundwork.

Throw [Every Last One Of] The Bums Out!

Rykey — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:45:58 -0800

ThrowTheBumsOutFilter: What would be the foreseeable political, economic, and/or social consequences of EVERY incumbent congressional candidate losing his/her seat in 2010? I'm trying to expand upon an idea I have for a story about a grassroots campaign in the USA that succeeds in unseating every member of congress (both houses). Obviously, such an upset would be a logistical nightmare on Capitol Hill, but for the purposes of this story, I'm interested in how the nation would be affected by an all-rookie congress-- politically, economically, and socially, short- and long-term.

For the purposes of this question, assume that yes, this crazy, nearly impossible situation actually came to pass, but that everything else is bound by reality (i.e., no speculations that involve the supernatural, science fiction, etc.).

Help me help my friend into politics

parmanparman — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:07:49 -0800

Late last year, I convinced a friend to run for public office in my hometown. He did! How can I help make sure he has a bright political future? I convinced a childhood friend to run for office in the East Bay, California city were both raised in. Then I lost my job and returned to Washington, DC, where I am currently employed.

He was of course interested in politics when I talked him into putting his name on the ballot, but I convinced him to set his sights on a good post on a small, but political incisive board that deals with rental property rights. He is already an appointed member of the garbage board in my hometown and has been a major force there for transparency in the contracting process.

Out of the blue, a longtime city councilor passed away after a long illness. Friend called and asked for advice and again I told him to keep going for the board seat. I even wrote a letter to our hometown paper endorsing him for the seat. However, unknown to me, Friend filed to run for the vacant council seat pitting himself as a young, independent facing a large, well-oiled and nepotist political machine (my hometown has been essentially run for 25 years by a husband and wife duo: one was mayor while her husband was state assemblyman, then they switched places).

Although I think he is being naive to think that he can win the council seat, I don't want him to leave behind the idea of a career in politics. Friend is a natural leader with strong interests in community building, ending homelessness, crime prevention through business investment, youth empowerment, and working with troubled young adults.

It's too late for Camp Wellstone, but after the election if he does not win I want try to get him some real exposure to the local and California state political process. I am looking for something involving networking, bill-writing, and organizing. Who should I approach? What groups should I look into? Any stories you would like to share about similar experiences?

Genuinely Fair

netbros — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:44:28 -0800

Now that the primary season is over and major party nominees have been determined for the upcoming U.S. presidential and congressional elections, please help me find unbiased, non-partisan, impartial news and commentary outlets to follow the campaigns. I would really like to avoid mouthpieces and parrots like Fox News, Kos, Sullivan, Reynolds, et. al. Presumably it is still actually possible to get balanced coverage of candidates, parties, and affiliations. Where are they? Any media are fine; TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, internet. As always, thanks in advance for your assistance.

What happens to campaign contributions after a campaign ends?

Hantra — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 08:56:01 -0800

What happens to campaign money when a candidate bows out of a campaign? Does the money funnel to the party?

Help me get a clue on my future options.

Ash3000 — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 07:19:36 -0800

I'm about to graduate and have no clue about the options for my future, and no one to talk to about it. Help me get a clue. I'm a senior in NYC, 22 years old, and don't even know what my options are. I'm very shy, very few knowledgable friends to ask, and my advisors are just plain awful. I have no idea what I should be doing right now. I see my options for post-August as:

1. Law school, which, if I want to go this fall, I really need to get cracking on. GPA 3.43, LSAT 168, political science major, history minor-equivalent, and an additional undergraduate writing program, extensive leadership experience on local and state level. But do I even want to go this fall? This is not something I'm entirely uninterested in, but it's really something my parents think I'd be amazing at, whereas I'm completely unsure. I'd basically only be applying to top-20 law schools where I can handle the debt because I only want to go to a place where, having gone, it increases my options in and of itself.

2. Teach For America. I have a friend I think extremely highly of who is in the second year of this, and, similarly, thinks I'd be well-suited for it. But honestly (and this might sound awful), I just feel very tired. I've kept an incredibly busy schedule all four years of college, a demanding courseload, leadership of a statewide students organization, etc etc. I kind of don't want to throw myself immediately into something that sounds so exhausting, so quickly, when I might have a year to do something I didn't really do in college, i.e. enjoy being young.

3. Working on a presidential campaign for one of the '08 Democrats, whether it be on policy, field operation, or whatever else. I might very well love to do this, having volunteered extensively for Dean in 2004, but I have NO idea how to formally get into this.

4. Anything else. I really, honestly, have no idea what my other options are, I just don't have enough human contact to know. Is it typical for people to get jobs in prep for any of the above, or something else? Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Is is standard to get a summer internship before whatever you do in the autumn? Is it standard to work somewhere for two years, then get cracking?

This probably all seems rather haphazard, but it's my state of mind right now. I feel like I'm on a track where time is ticking down SO fast and if I don't stop and examine where I'm going, I'll be somewhere in a year I never exactly wanted to be, simply because while everyone else knew the ropes, I half-heartedly sent out applications. Can anyone help on this front?

Are they in need of political hacks in Canada?

willie11 — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 21:38:42 -0800

How's the market for mid-level political professions in Canada? I'm hoping to emigrate from the US and politics is about all that I do.

Is the Geico Caveman racist?

Fupped Duck — Sat, 08 Jan 2005 11:35:03 -0800

The Geico Caveman TV commercial.
Is it racist or just brilliant?

US dollar bill with a URL for a hotel in Domincan Republic?

o2b — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 10:57:24 -0800

Dollar bill spam? I just got a US dollar bill with a URL on it. Going to said URL brings up the web site of a hotel in the dominican republic. Is this an actual thing? Or is this just someone having some fun? For the record, the URL: http://hetkasteeltje.net/

Can letter-writers actually save tv shows?

pxe2000 — Wed, 08 Dec 2004 21:49:03 -0800

Short question: has a letter-writing campaign ever saved a TV show? [mi] Context: mefi favorite The Venture Brothers is up for renewal at Adult Swim in January. The creators fear the worst and the execs are engaging in the kind of double-talk that makes most fans hear a death knell. The only show I can think of in the past few years that may have been successful at this was My So-Called Life (which didn't get a second season due to Claire Danes' burgeoning film career).

In the grand scheme of things, this is less than a drop in the bucket...but I for one would love to find out what happens next. A few online communities have started snail mail campaigns, and I was curious as to whether these are successful or not.

Where can I find out about a specific company's campaign contributions?

solistrato — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 16:12:08 -0800

Where can I find out about a specific company's campaign contributions?

Why do political candidates need to say "I approve this message"?

msacheson — Sun, 03 Oct 2004 21:41:15 -0800

When did this "I'm George W. Bush, and I approve this message" meme start? Why? (As if a candidate would not approve a message put out by his/her campaign.) And why am I seeing it for all candidates?

How far forward do presidential candidates and their political parties make plans for the nation?

milovoo — Fri, 09 Jul 2004 13:12:44 -0800

How far in advance do presidential candidates and their political parties make plans for the nation? That is to say, do they have a set of stated goals or milestones for the next 4 years? 8 Years? 20 years? And I don't just mean the current set of candidates, or specifically the US either. I wondering primary about the thing called 'vision' and maybe a little bit about leadership as well. Do the things that are planned generally get accomplished, and when there is an agenda, what is it (and is it public)?

successful or noteworthy online marketing campaigns?

ChasFile — Wed, 07 Jul 2004 12:47:04 -0800

Remember any successful or noteworthy online marketing campaigns? [mo' 'nside] What are some particularly impressive or noteworthy or effective or memorable online marketing efforts you've seen? Many people can recall their favorite radio or TV or print ads years later, but what about particularly worthy online equivalents? Any favorite contests, promotions, games, mini-sites, enticements, what have you? My employer would like for me to come up with some examples for a presentation we're putting together for a prospective client. For NDA reasons I can't say much more than that, unfortunately. Anyway, I have couple examples - Pepsi's free music offer, for instance - in mind, but I wager y'all could come up with some better ones. Work sucks. I wish it was fall, already.

Paying for Trips

crawl — Mon, 15 Mar 2004 19:02:18 -0800

How are trips by sitting executive branch members to campaign for fellow party members paid for? For example: Dick Cheney visited our fair state today to speak at a $250-a-plate fundraiser for Representative Rick Renzi. He traveled to and from the fundraiser past my office, so I watched the Secret Service investigate the cars parked along the street, the local police close the streets, the ~100 police motorcycles in the motorcade drive by, and the various other city/state vehicles involved. In addition, he must have gotten here on some sort of government plane.

So according to the article, the fundraiser raised about $100,000 for Renzi's campaign "after paying off expenses." Do those expenses include the above-mentioned police, secret service, plane travel, etc expenses? Or did we all pay for that?

Party affiliation aside, is it fair for this kind of stuff to be taxpayer funded in any administration? Or is there some sort of law about this that I'm missing? My google-foo is weak, and I don't know what to search for.

Using the Internet in local political campaigns

RavinDave — Mon, 22 Dec 2003 01:02:30 -0800

We've seen how Internet has been used effectively in several national political campaigns. I'm wondering if this can be efficiently adapted to smaller races (city/county/state). I'm also on the lookout for any online resources that would facilitate mounting a serious campaign; advice on tactical matters, budgeting a campaign, opportunities to exploit and pitfalls to avoid, networking with like-minded individuals, novel ways to reach out to voters, etc. As further background, I should explain that a friend of mine is running for Congress. She is running as a Democrat (in Nebraska) and had expected to face an entrenched Republican incumbent who often runs unopposed; a man who has managed to spend 25+ years in undistinguished benchwarming, yet is continually re-elected like clockwork. In a curious turn of events, he has just pulled out of the race entirely. My friend has a bit of a head start on the rest of the field, but we expected it will soon be glutted in a wide-open race.