100 Days to Victory

Every presidential campaign has a moment when the urgency of the struggle becomes undeniable. Four years ago, George Floyd’s murder, the mass demonstrations and Donald Trump’s deployment of federal officers on to American streets that both elevated the importance of the race and focused the minds of voters; still occupied by still-early Covid-19 epidemic.

The 2024 campaign began last Sunday when President Joe Biden chose to put country before self and step aside as the Democratic nominee and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Millions of Americans’ sigh of relief filled Harris’ sails with energy and enthusiasm, that of this writing continues still.

We like to say that presidential campaigns aren’t sprints, they’re marathons. With just 100 days to go, we’re more in the 1500 Meter range (hey, Olympic reference!) The distance seems like a long way, but you’re still running hell-bent for leather.

The Stretch Run

At this point, too, it’s crucial for campaigns and organizations to make their final calls on message, strategy, and corresponding tactics. Ironically, that Vice President Harris’ campaign only has a few days or weeks to make these decisions is beneficial.

Presidential campaigns are often guilty of paralysis by analysis as so many of them, even today, are dominated by the crushing worry that a given decision will be the wrong one. There isn’t time for such dithering. Make a call and go with it. If it’s the right call, good. If it’s the wrong call, do something else.

Once a decision is made, it’s important to have someone in place who prevents the inevitable urge to re-litigate any and all messaging decisions. No time! With support from the candidate, the campaign manager must be given the leeway to make the necessary calls, even if that upsets the chattering classes and strap-hangers that appear at the campaign office as Election Day approaches.

Tactics and Tools are Not Strategy

I’d wager that 99% of the people listed on television as ‘political strategists’ are in fact tacticians. Nothing wrong with that, as far as chyrons go, but it misplaces what matters in a political fight.

Ads are a tactic.

Direct mail is a tactic.

Field programs are a tactic.

Data is a tool.

Polling is a tool.

None of them alone will win a campaign, but relying on any one of them too much can help you lose one. Among the many things I’ve observed from my Democratic allies is their reliance on, and deference to, the idea that “big data” can accurately identify and motivate voters.

Wrong. And 2016 should have taught you that.

Voter data, like polling is a tool for understanding if a likely voter is available to you, where they live, what other consumer data you can smash together to decide where they live on your target list. That is all fine, as far as it goes.

Politics, though, is an emotional endeavor. Someone said to me the other day that a vote for President of the United States is the most personal political decision an American will make. This is 100% correct.

Campaign Like You Want to Win

Therefore, once you’ve identified the voter you hope will cast a ballot for your candidate, it is essential to create messages and content that will motivate them to participate. Kamala Harris’ campaign cannot and should not be predicated on “issues.”

Instead, her campaign needs to make the case for why her presidency is transformational (literally and figuratively) and that her sitting in the Oval Office prevents the accession of Donald Trump and JD Vance (R-Sea World) to the White House. Let your friends and allies who focus on particular issues spread the word about why a Harris presidency is the right thing for the country.

The campaign must be big, optimistic, and dynamic. When attacked, Harris 2024 must strike back hard and fast. The misogyny and race-baiting has only just begun. Meet the attacks where they are and remind America who Trump is and what he wants to do.

For the ad makers and rapid responders, this should be cat-nip. You don’t have to anything other show voters Trump and Vance’s words and illustrate their beliefs. It’s not necessary to embellish or twist facts to meet a narrative. They tell you want they want to do and what they want to do is broadly unpopular with voters.

Don’t worry about “blow back” or any of that horse hockey in your ads. Make your positives cinematic. Make your negatives sharp as a razor.

It Will Take All of Us

The launch of Kamala Harris’ campaign has supercharged a Democratic Party in desperate need of a spark. Tens of thousands of people are joining organizing calls. Tens of millions of small dollar donations are rolling in. This is all good news.

As we approach the Democratic National Convention next month, the campaign must keep the excitement level high, but steady. Americans previously tuned out, are now fired up. We must channel the excitement and euphoria into groups and places where it will do the most good.

In the nearly-five years I’ve been in this fight, I’ve met hundreds of leaders and dozens of groups who are chronically underfunded and understaffed, but they get up and do their jobs everyday. They are dedicated and efficient. Meeting with volunteer leaders in key Electoral College states after last month’s debate, there wasn’t one person ready to throw in the towel.

Most of the noise, the hue and cry, and the fury comes from the coasts where the media, donors, and commentariat are clustered. The fight will be one, though, in the states, in the counties, the cities, the towns, the precincts and at the doors. We can and will win this race, but only if we all work together - Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

We don’t have to agree on EVERYTHING. We have to agree on ONE THING.

GET INVOLVED!

If you are looking to help out on this fall’s campaign, please go to JoinTheUnion.us and sign up. We have more than 1700 volunteer opportunities, updated every day and more than 100 partner groups that NEED YOUR HELP!

While you’re there, if you’re willing to part with a few bucks to help us build out our infrastructure between now and November, I’d be eternally grateful.