I might be running in my first election; any tips?

[jabf2006]

I live in Nova Scotia and am a member of the Atlantica Party. This party has a strong libertarian streak in its platform and was founded in 2006.

I was asked to run as a candidate for the party in a by-election to represent the Cumberland-South district in the provincial legislature.

I'm very hesitant to say yes because I have near to 0 experience campaigning. I'm sitting down with the party leader tomorrow to talk about what this will involve and to determine if it's really something I'm up for.

I joined the party because I agree with a lot of their platform and I figured during the next round of elections, I could volunteer with some phone banking or door-to-door, and see how it goes. This proposition caught me off guard.

Any thoughts?

http://www.atlanticaparty.ca/

[jabf2006]

bump

[johnrocks]

Network, raise as much money as possible, pray.

[Travlyr]

Trashing your opponent seems to work pretty well, but it sucks for the rest of us.

[jabf2006]

There's three establishment political parties in Nova Scotia: Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, and the New Democratic Party.

The Progressive Conservatives recently elected a new party leader who doesn't currently represent a district. What they've done is asked the gentleman who has represented this district for the past 12 years to resign and allow the new party leader to run in the by-election which they think is a sure bet.

So basically, they're replacing the long serving representative, with a banker who lives in Halifax (our provincial capital), simply because the district is a PC stronghold and this guy needs a seat somewhere.

[james1906]

1. Appearance. If you don't have a couple good fitting suits, buy them. You can get quality suits for cheap on overstock.com, then get them tailored. Have orderly hair. Treat your life like a never ending job interview.

2. Network. Businessmen's breakfasts, fairs, festivals, luncheons... Set up a booth, and if you can't do that, just walk around and talk to people. Volunteer to be a guest speaker, even if the crowd is only a dozen people. Be active in community organizations.

3. Google your name. Clean up your Facebook page. Your date with a witch in high school should be dead and buried.

[surf]

stake out your position on certain issues and be prepared to contrast your liberty based proposals to those of your opponent. do research and find out what you, in your position, can do to improve liberty in Nova Scotia as a representative and let the people know*. get your friends involved and have them get their friends involved, etc.


know who you're talking to and be able to provide (sincere) examples of how less gov't is much better for them. Canadians seem to be more in tune than their counterparts here.

mention Sydney Crosby as often as possible

and, if the party has some kind of media expertise than can assure that you are involved in all the big events and reviews, use them.

good luck.

* it's amazing how many Obama and D supporters in the US don't know that he could end these wars and bring troops home. they tend to blame it on the generals and "resistance" to ending the war from others and view O as a man that wants to end the war. in essence, letting people know what you can do and what you will do is important and ethical, imo.

[BamaFanNKy]

Change your name to Tim Horton and just drink Maple Syrup.

Did I nail a couple Canadian stereo types?

The best thing to do is go to every small political group that might support you. Build the grassroots buzz. Then email me and I will promote you on my blog (If I like your views) and get as much a ground buzz as possible. Maybe make some Youtube videos stating your opinion that you don't mind being attached to you for life. etc etc

[jabf2006]

Tim Hortons, Maple Syrup, and Sidney Crosby. Got it!

[aravoth]

I'm not familiar with Canadian politics, but in general, some things you should seriously consider.

Appearance: Dress business style, or business casual. That means suit and tie, or slacks with a tucked in button-up shirt and no tie. SHAVE SHAVE SHAVE, or at least be very neatly trimmed. A good pair of shoes, that MATCH YOUR OUTFIT. Color coordinate. As men we have issues with this, which is why you have a woman do it for you. Do not wear pink....not ever.

I absolutely cannot stress the above enough. It's been said that if you want to play in the big leagues, you have to wear the uniform. This is doubly true in politics.

Presentation: Practice becoming a wordsmith. Learn how to enunciate certain words to rile a crowd. Speak at a steady "just quick enough" pace. Faster and more fluid than your opponent, but not so much so that you loose your audience.

Honesty: You have no reason to lie to the people. You have no reason to promise them everything they want either. The current system is a result of politicians doing just that. Make fun of your opponents for supporting a system that has brought the world to it's knees.

It's ok to tell people that they don't deserve a government mandated retirement. There are common sense ways to structure a sentence to make people realize that. For instance....

me :"No I don't think the taxpayers should pay for a public retirement system"

opponent : "So Hard working police firemen and teachers don't deserve a retirement?"

me : "They deserve the opportunity to build their own retirement, yes. But no one has the right to tell a hard working man in the private sector, who can't even afford his own retirement, that he has to pay for someone else's. Is that fair?"

opponent : "well..."

me : "[interrupting] ... Because the only way that man working in the private sector will ever afford to pay for his own retirement would be to stop paying for everyone elses. Then what? He'd get thrown in jail for not paying his taxes., all because he wanted a comfortable life when he gets older. Tell me, how that is morally justifiable?"

opponent : (grumble, grumble...)

Don't put up with political bullshit, the current system is the most immoral pile of shit on the planet, it's easy to put yourself above anyone that would support it.

[jabf2006]

I definitely appreciate the advice...thank you James, Surf, and Bama!

[jabf2006]

I'm definitely green when it comes to public speaking, but I'm sure with experience I'll do fine.

As far as appearance goes, I understand this to be very, very important.

If only I had some time to drop a few a pounds! :)

The vote is on October 26th.

[jabf2006]

Thanks Aravoth. One of my fears is making a completely valid point, but then getting tripped up with supporting evidence...or not positioning the point in a manner which people can relate to and empathize with.

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

I would say your party is schizophrenic and inconsistent and even contradictory in it's beliefs. That to me is going to cause the most problems, and something that should be addressed.


FREEDOM
1. Government must ensure high-quality infrastructure, health care, and education for citizens.
2. A social safety net that focuses on those who truly require it, one that does not promote unnecessary dependency.
3. Laws must respect individual freedom while holding the individual responsible for his or her behavior.
4. The constant improvement of Nova Scotia's economic, environmental, cultural and social conditions within a strong and united Canada.
5. A political system that encourages and protects individual liberty and freedom.

As you can see #1, #2, and the inference behind #4 all contradict #3, and #5. This platform simply will not work. In any event, I hope you buck #1 and #2, and promote #3 and #5.

I think you should run and run on your own beliefs. Do not get subsumed into the party apparatus. I also agree with the points aravoth laid out.

Also, don't be afraid to lose a few times before you win. While my detractors always say I am a proponent of now or never, the actuality is, I am a proponent of do it right or don't do it at all (And this means, that my time preference is usually much longer than theirs). Do it right, or don't do it.

[jabf2006]

I would say your party is schizophrenic and inconsistent and even contradictory in it's beliefs. That to me is going to cause the most problems, and something that should be addressed.



As you can see #1, #2, and the inference behind #4 all contradict #3, and #5. This platform simply will not work. In any event, I hope you buck #1 and #2, and promote #3 and #5.

I think you should run and run on your own beliefs. Do not get subsumed into the party apparatus. I also agree with the points aravoth laid out.

Also, don't be afraid to lose a few times before you win. While my detractors always say I am a proponent of now or never, the actuality is, I am a proponent of do it right or don't do it at all (And this means, that my time preference is usually much longer than theirs). Do it right, or don't do it.

I'm not afraid of losing. The goal on my part will be simply to earn some respect among the right circles, to not embarrass myself, and to spread a message of restrained government to a province with constituents who seem to be generally okay with large government deficits.

I understand the issues taken with these stated principles, and I completely agree. But there is no real party apparatus to be subsumed in. It seems Jonathan Dean and the party are trying to build this thing from the grass roots up and they've incorporated a very libertarian perspective along with it. Those points do not discuss how we obtain these objectives, only that the AP feels that government has some role, and it does. You have to put it into the context of the political environment as well.

Running on a platform that pushes for privatization of health care will get you nowhere here. Talking about allowing the private sector to compete with the monopolistic NS Power however will get you support; people hate NS Power. They're also pushing for more government transparency. Right now in the legislative assembly, when votes are casts, unless two members ask for the votes to be public, members vote anonymously. The party is also pro-legalization of marijuana and prostitution.

Most of the legit changes they talk about implementing, I can agree with, despite their rhetoric on government providing high quality health care and education.

[emazur]

Haven't ready it myself, but this book on running a local election - I've heard nothing but praise for it:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Local-Office-Step-Step/dp/0966830407/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232386276&sr=8-1

[Michigan11]

how about "let's cut our beer taxes eh?" as a slogan...

[jabf2006]

how about "let's cut our beer taxes eh?" as a slogan...

The retail sale of all alcoholic beverages in Nova Scotia is controlled by the Nova Scotia Liqour Commission. If they'd open the market up, prices would definitely come down.

[pcosmar]

Be honest.

:cool:

[Imperial]

I would say your party is schizophrenic and inconsistent and even contradictory in it's beliefs. That to me is going to cause the most problems, and something that should be addressed.



As you can see #1, #2, and the inference behind #4 all contradict #3, and #5. This platform simply will not work. In any event, I hope you buck #1 and #2, and promote #3 and #5.

I think you should run and run on your own beliefs. Do not get subsumed into the party apparatus. I also agree with the points aravoth laid out.

Also, don't be afraid to lose a few times before you win. While my detractors always say I am a proponent of now or never, the actuality is, I am a proponent of do it right or don't do it at all (And this means, that my time preference is usually much longer than theirs). Do it right, or don't do it.

Sounds like liberaltarianism.

[cindy25]

anything can happen, especially in a by-election

during WWII MacKenzie-King lost a Toronto by-election, in a sure district, because of conscription. an unknown party, NDP , won

[dude58677]

Start out with your principles and then when the campaign starts to take off, change your views depending on the crowd, etc. Then when you win, make up excuses on why you couldn't deliever your promises. Come up with a slogan by being at a curling rink and say "I'm going to sweep this election". Works everytime!:rolleyes:

[LibertyMage]

Read "Rules for Radicals" by Saul Alinsky.