A kit for Candidates
Newsletter #54 / May 6, 2024
Flash! White County Dems adopted the Democratic Creed. They become the 48th group to do so. Welcome and congratulations!
A Word on Candidates
Candidates are key. They’re not just the key to winning elections, candidates are also our messengers. Most people just plain don’t follow politics. That means election campaigns are often the only venue for leaving impressions, for making people aware. Win or lose, the impression candidates make during campaigns goes a long way towards the subconscious impression regular folks have of the Democratic Party as a whole.
We talk endlessly about finding candidates, about “running in every race”, but far too often that’s where it ends, a name on the ballot. New candidates are pushed out on their own, especially lower down, especially in rural areas. They are left to figure out not only campaigning, but messaging as well. County chairs tear their hair out trying to coordinate this messaging, but all to often, the central messaging that is pushed down from the DNC and the state party is wildly out of sync with local needs.
Dems 101 is not a campaign organization. But, we are the standard bearers for identity, for centering all political activity on our core values and universal vision. We have a toolkit that goes out to county parties when they adopt the Democratic Creed. Here is one item that bears directly on messaging and new candidates.
Please note: this will not work if you have not accepted the fundamental principals of the Democratic Creed, the values and the vision that make it powerful.
Your Power as a Candidate
Vision, Identity, and Local Issues
As a candidate .. before you do anything else .. you need to answer one question: Why are you a Democrat? Take a moment, stop and think. What do you believe, deep down? What are the values at your very core? What, quite simply, is your identity?
Why think about this? Because that identity .. those basic values .. are your power as a candidate. And that power .. that identity .. is what will get you through all those sweaty moments when you’re being heckled, when people throw out unexpected questions, when you’re saturated with the endless confusing directives and advice and pressure that is about to swamp you.
And when you’re overwhelmed out on the hustings, when the faces start to blur and you have to grind your teeth to keep going, these values .. this sense of Purpose .. is how you find the passion to go on connecting with each and every person you meet.
A lot of candidates walk around without ever really knowing. But that knowing, that grasping of your identity, is the first step to unleashing your very real power .. the power to convince, the power to endure, the power to win.
Laid out below are the steps to unleash that power, the practical things you can do. It’s there for the taking .. free. None of it costs a penny. All you have to do is want it.
Getting started
Know what your values are
The Democratic Creed is your touchstone. Read it. Read the Definitions of Freedom, Justice, and Opportunity. Print them out. Think about the vision of a just society .. as long as it takes. What does that actually mean? If you haven’t already done so, go to Dems101.org and take a look. Better yet, do what thousands have done and read the book (Democrats 101). You can do it in a couple of hours.
Now, take a few minutes. Go somewhere quiet. Look at these things again and ask yourself: Do I really believe this? Is this why I’m a Democrat in the first place? This is the most important thing you will do.
Now, still sitting there, ask yourself: are these values American? Do they represent the true soul of this country, the dream expressed in the opening of the Declaration of Independence? Do they represent our future if we are to remain a democracy? As a Democrat, are you a champions for these ideas?
Understand what these values really mean.
Become familiar with them. Read them several times. Look at the Definitions and highlight which ones seem most relevant to you .. relevant personally, to your situation. Talk them over with the people close to you. See what they think.
Make these values real. Make them part of your subconscious. It’s a process, and there’s no shortcut, not if you want to win.
Make a list of key words and ideas to repeat endlessly as you campaign.
Start with the obvious:
American values (American anything! Repeat “American” over and over. It’s true)
All people are created equal (hammer this endlessly. It’s the source for everything else)
The Declaration of Independence (It’s where the Creed comes from. It’s a touchstone, for everybody.) Be sure you can quote it accurately!
Freedom, Justice and Opportunity (these are powerful words, with universal meaning)
A just society .. as long as it takes
Then find your own key words, the ones that speak to you and your situation. Write them down, then talk them over with your supporters. Don’t go crazy. Narrow it down to 5-7. It has to be something you can remember, something you can repeat endlessly. That means it has to be something you believe, something you can find under pressure and say effortlessly.
Repeat your lists endlessly. Put Posit its on the mirror. Put them up in your office. You need to have these words buried in your subconscious. They need to just pop up when you need them.
Prepare!
Understand your local issues. Make a list. Always look for the real underlying issue. Write them down.
Think out the connection between each local issue and the core values. “I support this because I believe ..” There is always a connection, because these values are true. And they are universal. They were written by a wide variety of Democrats for exactly this purpose.
Anticipate the attacks you will receive. Get your supporters together to brainstorm. Write the attacks down.
Think out your response, based on values. Remember: defending is losing. You need to change the conversation every time you’re attacked. It’s hard to do when you are unprepared. It’s easy when you’ve practiced.
**This is when the work you did on the first three steps pays off. If you know who you are and what you believe .. and if you’ve practiced the basics .. the answers will just come to you.
Practice! Then practice some more! Stand in front of a mirror and practice everything. Record yourself on a video. Do it front of your supporters. Tell them to be ruthless. Cry now, smile later!
Practice the attacks. Have your supporters heckle you (you’re definitely going to get that!). Keep at it till you have effective responses. It will be painful at first. Remember: nobody nows how to do it when they start. It’s something you learn how to do through (painful) experience.
First Steps
As you campaign, repeat the keywords, endlessly. Remember, things sink in when they are repeated. Repetition (endlessly) is how the Republicans smeared us in the first place. You are repeating truth, truth that the majority of Americans, deep down, do believe. Do it with the passion of your belief. Despite the heckling, the power of that belief .. and that truth .. will begin to sink in. It’s a process, and it works.
Try it out. Start with small gatherings that are less important. Mistakes are going to happen, but that’s how you learn. Then work your way up to the big-time.
Know that you know. After all of the above, you’re ready to go out and meet the challenges of campaigning. You’re ready to add in all the complexities and directives and outside pressures that come with the job. This is when campaign tactics and strategies pile on (and it gets very complicated). As long as you know who you are and why you’re doing it, the rest can always be figured out.
Go get ‘em!
Events
Georgia: April 13th, OH Representative Joe Miller, and author Jim Purvis addressed leaders and activists from Georgia’s combined 9th Congressional District. The in-person meeting in beautiful Blue Ridge, GA has led to exciting developments, including the adoption noted above.
Maine: On April 20th, Dems 101 author Jim Purvis and Huron County, Ohio Chair Karen Prelipp presented Democrats 101 virtually to leadership from Somerset County, as well as folks from several neighboring counties. A lively discussion of values and vision, and the role of Dems 101 in pushing these ideas, broke out.
Ohio: The same day, Dems 101’s Representative Joe Miller and Huron Chair Karen Prelipp addressed a gathering of Northeast Ohio rural leadership. The “Four Corners” event, hosted by the Ohio Rural Caucus, brought together activists from multiple counties. On June 1st, the second of the Four Corners events will take place in Yellow Springs, OH. Dems 101 will be there.
Michigan: On April 13th, Dems 101 spokespeople Bryan Watson and Dan McNeil concluded three days of presentation and informal discussions with activists at the Michigan Rural Summit.
New York City: Jim met with leaders of a major independent Democratic political organization, and was well-received. Meetings with membership to follow.
Word is spreading. Stay tuned for developments!