Where Will You Focus Your Energy in 2012?

Will you focus on the Presidential race? I think that's a mistake. In all likelihood, President Obama will be the Democratic candidate, and will be running against either Romney or Perry. A lot of money will be spent on that race and people will vote as they will vote. Personally, I think President Obama will win handily. That's not where my energy will be spent. Let the party and the campaign committee work on that race.

Instead, 100% of my energy is going to be spent on legislative races, both federal and state. In my own districts, we're lucky enough to have solid liberal or progressive incumbents, who won handily in the last election, and will do so again. I'll be supporting them, as usual, with precinct walking and GOTV efforts. However, I live next to Michele Bachmann's district, and next to districts that sent teabaggers to the state legislature. I suspect that Bachmann won't be running again, which leaves her district open and susceptible to a Democratic takeover. In addition, Minnesota's budget debacle this year has pissed a lot of people off at the right-wingers from my neighboring districts. So, I'm going to spend a lot of time over there. If I drive less than half a mile to the east from my house, I'm in Bachmann's district, so I believe I'll add that district and its associated state legislative districts to my efforts in 2012.

I recommend similar strategies for others. Whether you support President Obama or not is really irrelevant. He'll either win or lose, based on a national vote and votes in 50 states, plus. But, those legislative seats aren't the same thing. Not at all. Each and every one of them is a local race. Each and every one of them can be changed by personal attention. Convincing local voters to go to the polls and to vote for the best possible candidate who can be elected is not just a good idea; it's essential if we're going to prevent catastrophe. It will also benefit President Obama, but that's really beside the point, since his election will depend on factors that aren't easily influenced by individual actions.

All of my attention will be focused on my own state. I'm going to do as I've always done, and leave other states to the people who live in them. I've seen no evidence that campaigners from other states ever matter much, so I'll stick to what I can influence directly.

Is it too early to think about this? Nope. Not for a second. Right now, legislative primary candidates are positioning themselves for 2012. Who are they? That's what I'm going to start finding out. I'm going to meet them, and talk to them, and see what I think. In the Spring, I'll be chairing my caucus for my own precinct, then acting as a delegate for the state and federal nominating and endorsing conventions. I need to find out which candidates I want to caucus for and support.

Yes, it's time to begin to focus on legislative races for 2012. Let President Obama worry about his own campaigning. There's no electable primary candidate on the horizon in that race. Not one. But there are in legislative races. Nothing is more important right now.

Being in an ultra blue district in an ultra red state, my time would be wasted working outside of my district.

I'll be looking into helping Elizabeth beat Senator Pink Leather Shorts.

The conventional wisdom may not apply in 2012. Truly, there may be possibilities you don't expect. Lots of people are pissed off, and lots of Republicans may sit out 2012. Every pickup we can get is valuable, both in state legislatures and in Congress. It's worth a look around.

...but outside of my district in Georgia and statewide, we are streaking back to the 1860s.

a district or two that can be swung, even in Georgia. It's certainly worth a close look. I don't know Georgia politics at all, so I can't really recommend anything there.

unless someone runs in the assembly..

I think you can win it.

My dad has met with her time to time (he's a local official in the town where she lives) and has nothing but horrible things to say about her. If you know anything on the race, let me know and I can probably get a few people involved.

so it is open..

Same thing they did with GWB and it worked. You focus on what you think is important and so will I.

Good deal. Everyone has to do what seems best in this. But keep in mind that any President can only do what Congress sends him or her. The makeup of every Congress is crucially important. And then there's your state legislature. Keeping all those things in mind seems important to me.

is defeated! I can't do much, but there are some things I can do like encourage people to vote for Democratic party members and drive carloads to the voting booths. It is not an easy thing to do in south Texas. I pretty much have given up on anyone good being elected from Texas to Congress. Unless you know of anyone locally I can help support.

It's going to be up to Texans to deal with that.

It would be a first step and GREAT to have Perry unemployed from BOTH ends! Good luck in your campaigning! I hope we see a sea of blue next year! :hi:

Carry on!

and not just for 2012.

Local races are where to put the energy. Your strategies for your own situation seem to be a good model for others. :thumbsup:

We need to try to provide a correction for 2010.

You choose to be irrelevant to government. So be it.

Ideally I want to work for my state's coordinated campaign, which will focus on Obama but more importantly our junior senator, who is up for re-election in 2012.

I want to be the RFD for my county, and my county looks to be harder than ever next year because the likely GOP nominee is a state senator from my county.

I've never been a paid campaign staffer. These days, I'm a little long in the tooth to think about that. So I work for free, but on my own, rather than in specific candidates' campaigns. I'm sort of a DFL precinct oriented guy, mostly, always walking the precinct ahead of the election with campaign literature in my bag.

Of course I am between campaigns right now and consulting for local ones at the moment (I'm looking to land a legislative race in my state this year).

As a campaign staffer I respect you working on your own. However, don't hit up every door, you don't need to remind the GOP that there is an election.

I disagree. I got at least a dozen Republicans in my precinct to switch their vote to Dayton in 2010. I do hit every door. I don't spend a lot of time with Republicans who are sure how they're going to vote, but I always ask everyone what things they're thinking about. Often, that gives me a lead to provide information they can use. I'm an affable, persuasive guy on a face-to-face basis, and I study my candidates and issues hard. I can often tell people something they don't know about a candidate that resonates with them.

In most cases, I'm the only person who talks to these voters. After two election cycles, I get a lot of waves from people in the precinct when I drive by now. I get some phone calls, too, and have hooked up people with legislators and local officials when they have an issue. Everyone gets my DFL precinct chair card, which has my phone number and email address on it. I don't get a lot of calls and emails, but a few, and I try really hard to hook people up with those who can assist them.

It's old fashioned ward/precinct politics. It still works. It's just that nobody bothers to do it any more. See my precinct web site at the link in my signature line. As far as I know, it's the only DFL precinct level website in Saint Paul. I'm going to be doing a seminar for precincts in my district in 2012 after the precinct caucuses on building a site.

I have NO doubt I will be decimated, and for THAT reason, I rarely post here.

THAT said, MM, while I follow your posts, and respect them, I have NO focus.

I have a degree, I am 60 years old, I am a KICK ASS employee...it does not matter now. :loveya: