Update on My Campaign Strategy

Well, the election is now less than 3 months away, and my campaign strategy is more or less set.

I have discovered that there are 2 ways my candidacy gains currency:
1) personal self promotion
2) a wide web of electronic precincts run by voters and supporters in my district

In order to promote #2, I have endeavored to make my website a primary source of information and thought from the politically conservative point of view.
Well, #1 is the usual sort of campaign activity, of which I am engaging in the usual variety, but I am beginning to realize the limitations of this in the absence of a well financed media buy strategy, even more since I have decided to forgo the usual political fund raising as being unseemly.

Thoughts on Karl Marx

I finally read (the relevant parts of) ‘The Marx-Engels Reader (Robert C. Tucker, ed.)’. I found this book to be most illuminating, and recommend it. Why spend so much time on this? If you are going to defeat the enemy, you must first understand his core philosophy.

The introduction was quite useful: the editor gives you Marx’ philosophy in a nutshell. ‘Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844’ was also important. Here, you will find his beliefs on free will, the proletariat, private property, communism, and science as god. Strangely, the selections from ‘Capital’ were only marginally useful: Marx attempts, with little success, to rewrite the tenets of capitalism. Going from this work to the ‘Communist Manifesto’ was jarring, inasmuch they seemed to be written by different people (e.g. Engels).

Another point I realized: you have to trace the development of communism. Marx was the solid, German philosopher. Engels was the PR/application arm of this team. Do not confuse this pair with Communism as implemented by Lenin and the Bolsheviks, the subsequent changes by Stalin, and further changes by Khrushchev and Brezhnev. The flavor of Communism in China by Mao is different still, and much closer to that of Marx than the Russian variety.

Final word: just because Communism was a practical failure, do not dismiss it so lightly. It has a solid, difficult-to-refute philosophical basis.

Hegel, Feuerbach, and Marx - Phooey

Funny: I read ‘The Marx-Engels Reader’ (Robert C. Tucker, ed.) in an attempt to understand the radical left and their Marxist roots. Yet, my epiphany was reading the editor’s introductory explanation, specifically section I of the Introduction on pages xvii-xxii.

According to this, Hegel postulates a movement by mankind from self awareness to a higher plane of existence (God), or whatever he calls it. Feuerbach goes the opposite direction; he goes from God back down to the individual: care, love, and worship (humanism).

Marx makes the key equation: God = political economy = capitalism = accumulation of wealth = private property = man as simple commodity = producer = self estrangement. He then moves from here back down to the individual (socialization and release of the creative powers of the proletariat). He postulates a movement from Man’s self-estrangement back down to his natural state of existence.

Yes, I know: those of you who actually know something about philosophy are probably laughing into your sleeves by now. However, for the first time, I have that warm, fuzzy feeling that I have some inkling of understanding.

As a Buddhist, I view humanity as a dynamic, uncontrollable, and ever changing stream flowing through one of those Zen gardens. Sometimes, a calm, tranquil mirror. Sometimes, a happy, gurgling, babbling brook. Sometimes, a fierce, angry demon destroying everything in its path. Anyone who thinks that they can control this human river is a fool. As such, Hegel, Feuerbach, and Marx are about as valid as The Great Pumpkin.

About Advertising

There has been a thought buzzing around the empty space between my ears for a while. It has finally landed and I can put words to it.
In the 70’s, consider an industry with several prominent competitors. At that time, a lack of advertising was considered to be a sign that there was real competition between them. The thought being advertising could only be afforded by a competitor who was well ahead of the others, and that they had such a large portion of the market, that they stood to benefit most from the ad. In the absence of advertising, the impression was one of intense competition. None of the competitors could afford ads, nor be assured that they would benefit from any effects of the ad rather than one of its competitors. One possible trick is for a monopoly to never advertise, implying that there is genuine competition in its industry.
It occurred to me that simply refusing to do ads or assorted media buys could, by itself, be a significant statement. Course, it could also be taken to be the actions of a poorly supported campaign. Advertising could be construed to be an act of desperation in a lopsided race.
I do not know if my decision to not do media buys up to this point is correct, but we shall see.

What the Hell Kind of Campaign Are You Running, Anyway?

Well, now that I have won the primary and my campaign is well underway, it is time to answer this question. Activists, party regulars, and consultants have wanted to ask this question, but have mostly too polite to ask in such a blunt way.
OK, I will answer.
There are several elements to a traditional political campaign:
*fund raising
*campaign headquarters
*phone banks and robocalls
*precinct captains and workers
*bumper stickers and yard signs
*radio ads and other media buys
*slate cards and door hangers
*fundraising envelopes
Thus far, my campaign has none of these, and it seems that it never will. Those who have run in my district before have tried all these to little effect. This time, I am trying something different. The centerpiece of my campaign is this blog along with my website and a Facebook page.
Will it work? We shall see.

I Won the Primary!

Well, OK, I was uncontested. I will take victory any way I can get it. The number of voters who voted in my district was barely 25% of the turnout in the 2008 General Election. If the vote in November is identical to this Primary, my opponent will get 85%, and I will get 11%. This % is in line with the past half dozen elections in CD9, where the Republican gets 9-13%. The interesting point is that these were very different people with very different campaigns, but yet the results are all pretty similar.

Truthfully, I am having a blast. More seriously, right now my voice carries weight. What I say and what I believe matters, and I can influence people’s thinking. That is why my position papers have top priority with me. I am doing the best job I can to clearly and unambiguously lay out the conservative position on as many subjects as I can, especially the primacy of the Constitution. Planting the seeds of conservativism is easy; caring for the seedlings and nourishing them into mighty trees is another story.

What effect has the campaign had on my personal life? Well, I suppose you can be hyperactive about it, but I have a regular job, and my campaign fits comfortably in with my personal life at nights and on weekends, although my hobbies have been crowded out for the time being. Running is much easier than I anticipated (of course, winning is more difficult), and I recommend it highly to anyone who cares about our country and the future.

In CD9, it is important to be realistic about what is possible. This is the most Democratic district in the entire state of California, and one of the 10 most Democratic districts in the entire House of Representatives. So, if some districts do turn Republican, my district is dead last in line.

Election Day Math - a Roadmap to Victory

This is roughly how my district breaks down:
Dem = 64%
Rep = 8%
Decline to state = 20%
Ratio = 8:1
So, if we assume that the D/S are the same ratio, an election result of 85% to 10% is what we would expect in November, just as it has been in the past half dozen elections or so.

More interesting:
40% White
30% Black
15% Asian
15% Hispanic
The registration % among the last 2 groups is 5% each.
That is where the opportunity lies. Sadly, my campaign is a shoestring operation, so cannot afford fancy election consultant analysis. However, even I can see that the chance for Republican victory is Hispanic and Asian voter registration.

Currently, there are about 29,000 registered Republicans in CD9 which has a total population of 600,000, total registered voters is 350,000.
Total estimated Hispanic + Asian = 180,000.
If Republicans can register 16% of them as new Republicans, the number of registered Republicans in CD9 would double.