Political Parties
For Whom Shall I Vote For
Why do we vote and how do we decide for whom to vote? The purpose of
voting is to elect the "best" possible candidate to office from the
group of people running for that office. The meaning of the term
"best" will vary from person to person. For some, it simply means
"the person from my political party".
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Never Ending
Gaffes
Foot in the Mouth Disease
I hate to think I'd
have to live my life without a sense of humor.
Arkansas Governor – Mike Huckabee
That assertion is absolutely correct because as a
politician, anything you say can and will be used against you in the
court of public opinion.
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Political
Animals
Using Pets for Campaigns
Politicians like to use a family pet like a cat or dog in the
portrait of the candidate with his or her family. There is just
something about having a cute furry animal sitting right beside
someone running for office that tugs at the heartstrings. And it can
help soften the harsh image of a politician.
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Blaming
Satan
The Devil
Made Me Do It
At a rally, congressional candidate John Jacob proclaimed
that the devil was ruining his campaign. Shortly afterwards, Jacob
explained to the Salt Lake Tribune editorial board about how how the
Evil One fouled up his personal finances so that less money was
available to pour into the campaign.
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Wine, Lamb,
and Lobster
Media Bias in Campaign Coverage
Oftentimes during a political campaign, media bias is swift,
subtle, and powerful. And for the people who are unwilling to
aggressively
counter it at every instance, they are merely allowing the press to
dictate the terms of the reporting environment. Here is one good
example with food.
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Likely
Voters
But Distracted from Voting
It was a busy Saturday afternoon and I had lots of errands to
run. When I got home I flicked on the idiot box to relax and do some
channel surfing. One of the local television stations began
displaying the numbers from the first batch of election results. I
growled at the television set because I forgot to vote.
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Bogus Qualifications
Padding a Resume is Still Lying
Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico admitted that a
particular personal accomplishment that he has touted for decades
never really existed. But how can a fraudulent bio piece, even if it
is trivial such as in Richardson's case, go on
for so long? And what kind of fallout is there when it is revealed?
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Awful
Campaign Photos
Don’t Use Your Own Pictures
In every campaign season, it is amazing how at the number of
candidates who use terrible photographs of themselves on their yard
signs and in their campaign literature. Unless you are photogenic or
have the appearance of a model, a bad photo doesn’t work. There are
still plenty of other ways to be effective.
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Recommended Reading |
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Gehenna
Station
Check out the
book
review to this book as well as the interview with the author.
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Inappropriate
Touching
Keep Your
Hands to Yourself
There are always elected officials or
candidates who are the touchy-feely sort who will
pinch, grab, poke, and continue to engage in boorish if not
outlandish behavior. And it doesn’t take much for this type of
conduct to easily cross the line into sexual harassment.
But what can a campaign staff do about such behavior?
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Phony
Politicians
The Deception of Stage Presence
The editorial page editor of an influential newspaper in
South Carolina called former Senator John Edwards “a phony — a
make-believe Man of The People.” He observed, that Edwards can
turn on his "thousand watt" smile off and on like a light switch.
However, such phoniness is actually a common trait among
politicians.
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Cleavage in
Politics
Useless Gimmicks in Campaigning
Bad campaigning is totally worthless regardless of what kind
of gimmicks that the candidate can come up with to persuade the
public but office seekers still try them anyways. Loretta Nall opted
to use her breasts as a means to promote her candidacy and garner
press coverage for the 2006 Alabama Governor's race.
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We Hold These Truths...
The Rationale For Voting
Have you ever wondered how the people in politics got there in the
first place? How did the candidates you vote for in the local,
state, and national elections become the candidates? Who selected
them? What is the party platform, and where does it come from? And
finally, how can you get involved?
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Voting: What Else Can I Do?
Special Report - Part 1
While it is true that an informed, responsible voter is essential to
the maintenance of a free, democratic society, this is, in reality,
the lowest common denominator of civic responsibility. There is a
lot more that the ordinary person can do to to help preserve
democracy in addition to voting.
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Precinct
Convention
Special Report - Part 2
The Precinct Convention seems to be one of the best kept secrets of
the American political process. Its secrecy is shrouded not in a
veil of conspiracy, but rather of simple ignorance. The fact of the
matter is, most Americans have never even heard of it, yet it is
here that the foundation of the political process starts.
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State Senatorial Convention
Special Report - Part 3
The Senatorial convention is the next level up from the Precinct
convention. Delegates at the Senatorial convention meet to conduct
business at the Senatorial District level. As with the Precinct
convention, the meeting is called to order, officers are elected,
and old and new business is discussed.
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State
Convention
Special Report - Part 4
The State Convention has a
different look and feel than the lower level conventions, yet its
purpose is the same; to ratify the state party platform, present
speeches by people who are running for various offices, and select
delegates to the National Party Convention (during presidential
election years only).
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Rick Perry Versus the World
A Nasty Primary Challenge?
Quite a few brows were raised when incumbent Texas senator Kay
Bailey Hutchinson generated speculation that she wanted to run for
governor. Incumbent governor, Rick Perry has no intention of
stepping down thus ensuring
a costly and divisive intra-party fight for the Texas governor's
mansion.
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National Summary - Copyright 2007 |
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