Ponderstorm My Brainstorm on Life & Politics

Last year I ran for local government office. I have often said I ran “unsuccessfully”; however, I’m not sure that qualifier is entirely accurate since winning is not the only measure of success. Regardless of the outcome, I learned a lot and now can look back and see things I did well and areas in which I made mistakes — in some cases, lots of mistakes.

My thoughts below are designed to encourage more conservative candidates to run for office and to run with success. While conservatives will not win every election, they will lose every election in which they don’t run. The morale of the story then is to get out of our comfort zone and run. And by following a good plan, I feel that most conservatives won’t just run but will run well.

My Suggestions for a Successful Political Campaign

1. Know why you are running.

Running for office and campaigning is hard work. It’s very tiring, expensive, and emotionally draining and the race doesn’t end until the polls close on election night. With such a gauntlet to run, the candidate must remain confident in his or her reasons for running. Such confidence and the accompanying clarity of vision produces the steadfastness and resolve (and energy) needed to finish the race.

2. Differentiate yourself from your opponent(s).

If there is nothing different between you and your opponent then the race comes down to a popularity content. To avoid that potential disaster means you must find about three strong and compelling issues that you can promote and your opponent cannot. While this divides people along opinion lines, you need some division to gain supporters. Stay on message with those points and repeat them often — they become your brand that is remembered within the voting booth.

3. Be able to clearly articulate your vision in one sentence.

We only have one chance for a first impression with someone — remember, that someone is a potential voter. That first impression is largely formed with the first sentence they hear coming out of our mouth. Therefore a candidate must be able to demonstrate his or her strength quickly and confidently under a variety of scenarios including door-to-door campaigning, chance encounters, public speaking, and so forth. The first sentence is a good time to articulate one or more of the three points from #2 above.

4. Consistently set the agenda of the campaign.

A candidate must early on shift from a defensive position and go on the offense. That doesn’t mean name calling, mud slinging, and pointing out the personal weaknesses of your opponent. Instead, it means steering the conversation and the agenda of the campaign to your issues and vision. It means staying on Read More…

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Someone sent me an interesting analogy via email today. It’s an adaptation of one of Aesop’s most popular fables known as The Ant and the Grasshopper. While I’m sure this work could be improved upon, it is thought-provoking in light of our federal government which seems intent on penalizing work and the accumulation of wealth by those who take risks in business and are self-reliant.

I quote this adaptation below (original source unknown) for you to ponder on the political implications. Please share your thoughts after reading this adaptation of the Ant and the Grasshopper.

OLD VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving. CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shiveringgrasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast.  How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green….’ ACORN stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house where the news stations film the group singing, “We shall overcome.” Then Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper’s sake.

President Obama condemns the ant and blames Read More…

Posted under 60 Seconds, Politics
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This is a powerful 1 minute 40 second video that I feel puts the Scott Brown electoral victory in a proper historical context. Please watch:

Posted under Video
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Someone emailed me this image yesterday. It is entitled “Government Snow Plow” and includes the caption “Designed by the same people designing the health care reform” below the image.

I think this picture cleverly depicts the often staggeringly inefficient results of non-market-based interventions within our economy. Over time a truly free market weeds out most waste and excess. Conversely, politicians like to hand out favors (our Founding Fathers called it largess) using our money and thus perpetuate, and expand, government waste.

I don’t know who to attribute this image to but it sure is clever. I also feel the email’s health care analogy is pertinent. Think about this: how can we trust our federal government to manage the entire nation’s health care system for 300+ million people when they can’t even take good care of a few million veterans? What think you?

Posted under 60 Seconds, Economy, Politics
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Maj. Hasan’s murderous attack that killed 13 people at Ft. Hood last week was a premeditated terrorist attack. I’m tired of hearing anything otherwise. If you don’t agree, please think about these four things:

1. We know Hasan planned this attack and was prepared to die.
2. We know Hasan was prepared and brought extra loaded magazines for this killing spree.
3. We know Hasan was a radical Muslim who vocally opposed our foreign policy. The Army knew this as well.
4. We know Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar!” (“Allah is great!”) while committing these murders.

If the above is not enough evidence to document Hasan’s actions as a terrorist attack then I don’t know what else is needed. This attack is clearly the deadliest post-9/11 terrorist act on American soil. Our President, leaders and news media should treat this terrorist attack as such and respond accordingly. Similarly, the Army (and everyone else for that matter) should be on the lookout for like-minded terrorists and, when radical Islamic warning signs are found, should have the backbone to remove them.

Our troops deserve better than to have to serve with terrorist sympathizers and terrorist murderers like Maj. Hasan. For a similar, yet more forceful and detailed viewpoint please see retired Col. Ralph Peter’s article “Fort Hood’s 9/11.”

Posted under Radical Islam
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