Campaign update -- 100 signs bought and 2010 canvass schedule proposed

[GunnyFreedom]

Just went over the top today on donations, and was able to order 100 yard signs for $320 (including shipping) to arrive on December 18th. The timing was critical as my first signbomb is going to take place on December 28th. I have all my fingers and toes crossed that http://www.signsonthecheap.com/ will produce quality work. If they DO, of course, I could be looking at another 400 signs for around $990 (to round up my total of 500 wanted) some time in February.

Interestingly, the site offers "political clip art" to use when designing your own signs, and they include Ron Paul as the ONLY Republican alternative to McCain... so they can't be all bad huh?

Here is the sign I am having printed:

http://glenbradley.net/files/materials/sign7SMALL.gif

And please do check out my campaign canvass strategy plotted on Google Maps at this link (http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?t=h&hl=en&ie=UTF8&vps=1&jsv=191a&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=111676040900579524854.000470abb5cd2844ab73f).

[angelatc]

Your website is too hard for people to remember.

[MRoCkEd]

Maybe buy GlenBradley2010.com

[GunnyFreedom]

glenbradley.net takes you to my site root. The campaign site is nchouse2010.glenbradley.net and the shrinklink is bit.ly/Glen10

I'm considering setting up a Drupal based campaign site on the site root, in which case I can make the next set of signs point to glenbradley.net

This batch it's not so critical though really. These are mostly to reinforce the litdrops and the canvass which point to the town hall meetings.

I went with the shrinklink because 1) bit.ly/Glen10 is a lot easier to remember than nchouse2010.glenbradley.net and 2) bit.ly tracks hitcounts.

I also figured people usually overlook 'normal' websites, and a bit.ly might make them curious.

In any case, I can probably do handbills with the glenbradley.net address in conjunction with the signs (given that they have already been ordered) and see if the bit.ly gets traffic.

[james1906]

.ly is libya's domain. Probably not the smartest thing to have on a website.

[GunnyFreedom]

.ly is libya's domain. Probably not the smartest thing to have on a website.

my website is .net

[GunnyFreedom]

Honestly, I've posted this precise design on the RPF's half a dozen times before now. I wish that if there were a controversy over my link people wouldn't wait until after the signs were bought to suddenly find a problem with it. What's up with that? If this stuff had even been mentioned last month, the month before that, or the month before that... this would have been blatantly simple to fix. Now it would involve changing a screen, probably some exorbitant fee, and quite possibly missing a deadline and having no signs at all by the time the canvass starts.

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

Honestly, I've posted this precise design on the RPF's half a dozen times before now. I wish that if there were a controversy over my link people wouldn't wait until after the signs were bought to suddenly find a problem with it. What's up with that? If this stuff had even been mentioned last month, the month before that, or the month before that... this would have been blatantly simple to fix. Now it would involve changing a screen, probably some exorbitant fee, and quite possibly missing a deadline and having no signs at all by the time the canvass starts.

I wouldn't worry about it too much Gunny, though I understand your position. 400 signs do not make or break a campaign anyways. Signs are more about getting your name out there than anything else.

[LittleLightShining]

That's some canvassing schedule! I'm assuming you'll be doing a follow up closer to the election?

I don't think the website is that big of a deal. Plus people will Google you.

[GunnyFreedom]

I wouldn't worry about it too much Gunny, though I understand your position. 400 signs do not make or break a campaign anyways. Signs are more about getting your name out there than anything else.

Fortunately, this is only about 100 signs. The 400 piece order will come in February for when the individual supporters start wanting them (March-April) for their front yards. I was already planning on using the full domain for those (as well as removing the DOT disclaimer which will actually make room for the full domain), as the ones that go into people's front yards kinda serve a different purpose.

This initial order of 100 are specifically for "seeding" an area into which we'll be doing litdrops and canvassing, and building excitement for the Town Hall meetings.

And yes, exactly, political signs are purposed for name recognition exclusively. Most don't even have a web address at all, or if they do, it is hard to distinguish.

[GunnyFreedom]

That's some canvassing schedule! I'm assuming you'll be doing a follow up closer to the election?

I don't think the website is that big of a deal. Plus people will Google you.

There are gaps in the schedule for areas we identify as needing followups. As the schedule currently sits there are no re-entries, but if we can keep the schedule we will literally touch every single neighborhood in the district. There is about a 2 week period after the canvass is complete to focus on GOTV and for any recanvasses that are identified as crucial. The order was specifically chosen to progress from least-populated/lowest-probable-votes in the early days, into most-populated/most-likely-votes in the late days.

Also, NCCivitas has run a study on the leanings of the various State House Districts, and D49 is the fastest moving district in the Republican direction in the entire State. In 2008 D49 was 3 points Dem. In 2004, D49 was 10 points Dem. That puts me on schedule to be dead-zero competitive for 2010, making 2010 the first time D49 has been TRULY competitive for R's in a century.

The key is going to be working the district. I plan on giving it 40hrs a week starting from the first signbomb on 28 December, and 80hrs a week once things really start to heat up end of February up until the election itself.

How much followup we get will depend entirely on how much manpower we get. Some of the things I am trying to innovate on is to combine a traditional canvass with a kind of polling operation "who do you support, why do you support them, what are your issues, what can a candidate do to win your support" etc, as well as incorporating a GOTV effort from day one: "will you be needing a ride to the polls?"

And as far as Google goes....I *own* the front page of Google! :D Seven of the 11 links on the front page of Google belong to me. :D I often joke around that the CEO of Ciba Vision must be crying in his Wheaties. :D Not to mention the poorly mentioned TV actor...

[brandon]

I agree you should try to work on the domain name of the website.

Also, put a link to your site in your signature, it was a pain for me to find it. (Edit: nevermind I just realized clicking on the pic takes me to your site)

I just sent you some money. Good luck with the campaign. Thanks for doing something.

[GunnyFreedom]

I agree you should try to work on the domain name of the website.

Well, I had someone agree to set up my site, and it would have rooted to glenbradley.net but months went by and I desperately needed some place to send people, so I ended up building a quick one myself out of iWeb :(

I am able to do web development even though it is not my forte, but my ancient copy of Dreamweaver 2 died with classic.

However, my mother (a Pauler, btw) was elected chair of Vance County in 2009, and I ended up setting up a Drupal CM site for her over here: http://vancencgop.com/

That was my first time ever working with Drupal (I just built the thing last weekend) and I am very impressed. I am now considering setting up a Drupal site for my campaign on the glenbradley.net root.


Also, put a link to your site in your signature, it was a pain for me to find it. (Edit: nevermind I just realized clicking on the pic takes me to your site)

Yeah, sorry, I should probably make that more clear...


I just sent you some money. Good luck with the campaign. Thanks for doing something.

Thanks! I really do appreciate it more than I can say. I hate the idea of functioning on donations, as I have always been the sort of type-A self-sufficient that makes it a point to be reliant on none but my own two hands, but it is slowly sinking in that in politics running for office that's basically impossible without marrying a ketchup heiress. :D

And since I make it abundantly clear that my votes cannot be purchased by lobbyists, I don't expect major PAC money; and the State GOP has already made it clear that I should not expect any material support (nevermind that I am in a competitive district and the State Party is raking in money this year hand over fist...)

I really do believe that we have more of an opportunity to affect a restoration of the Constitutional order from the States than we do from the Federal government. Especially in 2010. The ramifications of taking over a majority in the NC State house will produce a much more representative redistricting plan, which will in turn allow more conservatives to get elected to the US Congress. A prime example of this is CD12 and Mel Watt. He is basically invulnerable in 2010 on account of gerrymandering, but if we can take a majority in both houses (could happen in NC for the first time since reconstruction) then we will MAKE him vulnerable by making his district fair.

So even these State House races have an impact that will reach nationwide for at least a decade.

Thanks again, I very much appreciate it. I can assure you that I am using your money as efficiently and thriftfully as I know how. It would be beyond awesome if I end up winning my district with a smaller warchest than any of the races in NC...and a real boot in the face for the State establishment partisans who have managed to retain control in 2009 by less than 1%. :D