Working hard or hardly working?

As much as I like to convince my friends that I am working from 10 to 6 every day, blistered from block walking and disheartened by opening the political Pandora's box, I cannot help but enjoy every minute of the Campaign Academy.

The video project that both defines the Campaign Academy message and invites Howard Dean to speak to the academy has been an interesting endeavor. I initially thought the amount of people interested in the project would slow us down, and eventually doom the project as a whole. I couldn't have been more wrong. The ideas and enthusiasm bouncing back and forth between the crew has been an excellent environment for creativity. 

Most of all, making the video has been FUN. I could grab the online thesaurus and find a better way to say that, but how else do you describe sipping on tapioca balls while jamming out to "Toxic" on the way back from the Capitol shoot? 

Fun.

And the insightful speakers have shed light on topics I had never seriously considered as political issues. Karen Huber, for example, mentioned eventually adopting the Light Rail system here in Austin.

You know it is an enriching learning experience, when you realize how much you don't know.

Anyway, here are some of the notes I took on our speakers so far to update those who have missed out:

Robert Jones-

-50% plus 1

-Not everyone registers, votes, cares, or listens!

-Don't underestimate the voter's intelligence. Don't overestimate their interest.

Kelly Fero-

-Everyone pays attention to headlines.

-Campaign in poetry. Govern in prose.

-Emotion is good when used professionally.

Jack Martin-

-People are anxious to hear about issues.

-Do not focus on turnout just for turnout. Focus on turnout for issues.

-Nationally growing sense that people want the person working on the campaign hardest. People want the underdog.

-Sad-the demise of the daily newspaper covering politics and politicians.

-What do you believe in?

Paul Steckler-

-Make people think your interested in what they say.

-Portray them-who they actually are. 

-Use simple questions.

-Hours and hours and hours of extra footage.

Matt Angle-

-Elections matter.

-Winning is the point.

-Leaders have to raise money.

-Don't underestimate importance of talking to your peers.

Robert Jones pt.2-

-6 Methods of voter contact (mail, phone, door-to-door, television, radio, and internet).

-Door-to-door is the best way to win a vote but it is time consuming and laborious. 

-Any vote goal under 15,000 probably doesn't need TV and radio.

-Need a field plan!

-Don't put the candidate in a situation that could detract from their dignity.

Gary Mauro-

-There's nothing your doing that hasn't been done before.

-Learn the lessons of the past. Don't reinvent the wheel.

-Every campaign brings a whole new group of people. Every cycle brings you opportunities.

-Incremental Election: technique

-Change Elections: think BIG

-Ongoing battle in politics. 3 steps forward, 1 step back.

-Barack Obama needs Hillary Clinton on the ticket to win, or to win by a much larger margin.

-Ethanol is not a silver bullet, but it is part of reforming gasoline.

-We have to govern from the center. Bush's problem is that he tried to govern from the right.

-Vice President is very powerful based on the President. It is negotiated ahead of time.