(Chuck Muth) – It was 3:39 a.m. my time when I started writing this. I couldn’t sleep. When I went to bed last night, I inadvertently left a crack in the blinds to my hotel room and a sliver of light from the lamppost across the street lasered its way across my pillow and into my eyes as a VERY early train just rumbled by. The sound wasn’t quite as bad as that scene in “My Cousin Vinny” (if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend; hilarious), but the clickety-clack/clickety-clack from the tracks was no lullaby either. Plus, I was pretty darned excited for this day to begin. Greetings from Arlington, Virginia – just across the river from Washington, DC. Years ago, I remember someone at a marketing conference I attended saying, “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.” So even though I’ve been training candidates all across the country for more than two decades now, I applied to enroll in the Leadership Institute’s “Campaign Leadership College” (CLC). No one knows it all. You can always learn more. And should. That’s what I teach. And I’m following my own advice. CLC is a 9-day course. 8:00 – 6:00 every day, plus homework every night. The instructors are among some of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and successful political professionals in the conservative movement today. So I’m DEFINITELY not the smartest person in the room. There are about 50 students in the class from all over the U.S. – and a few from other countries, as well. Met two great guys from Mongolia at the welcoming reception last night! In flipping through the course agenda, here’s just some of what’s going to be covered over the next nine days…
- Writing a campaign plan
- Basic research
- Persuasive communications
- Social media
- Digital advertising
- Polling
- Setting vote goals
- The communications grid
- Scheduling
- How to handle negative information
- Storytelling
- Working with the media
- AI (artificial intelligence) in politics
- Television advertising
- Voter contact mail
- Building coalitions
- Campaign budgeting
- How to hire a consultant
- Finance compliance
- Personal solicitation fundraising
- Fundraising events
- Direct mail fundraising
- Grassroots field operations
- GOTV (Get Out the Vote)
- Election Day activities
As you can see, the program is quite intense. This ain’t entry-level stuff. The tuition to attend is $5,000. The roundtrip airfare was around $1,000. And the hotel room charge is about $200/night for 10 nights. Plus food. So this is a pretty significant investment (not cost) for those who made the trip. If you’re deadly serious about politics and winning races, I highly recommend attending this school. You’ll learn more in nine days than you’ll learn in nine months at some Ivy League poli-sci course. But in the meantime, here’s the next best thing… We’re scheduled to get a couple half-hour breaks each day. And during those breaks, I plan to write up a short recap of the “Ah-hah!” moments I jot down in my notes. And I’ll share them via email with my monthly Psephology Today newsletter subscribers over the next nine days. It’ll be like when you missed a day in grade school because you had the sniffles and “cribbed” notes from a fellow student. Not as good as being there, but certainly better than nothing. Wanna see mine? If you’re not yet a Psephology Today subscriber, lemme make you an offer you can’t refuse… For just $1 you can get a 30-day trial subscription to Psephology Today, along with a dozen special reports that’ll help get your campaign off the ground and on the right track. If you like what you see (you will), you can continue your subscription – monthly or annually. If you don’t, you can cancel at any time, no questions asked, and keep all the special reports. And this is the ONLY way to “crib” my notes from CLC over the next nine days. For a lousy buck, what do you have to lose? Don’t think about it (this is a no-brainer for serious candidates). Don’t put it off (he who hesitates is lost). Don’t delay (the first “crib” email will go out later this afternoon). Just click on the link below RIGHT NOW so you don’t miss a thing!
Well, daylight has broken. Another train just rumbled by. Planes from Reagan International have started taking off in the distance. It’s overcast. Drizzling. But I’m as excited as I was as a kid wearing new sneakers and a bright yellow raincoat while waiting at the bus stop for the first day of school. Want to join me? Just click on the link below. It’s only a buck. And guaranteed to be the best investment you’ll make in your campaign all year.
Class is now in session!
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