I do not disagree with you.
Sadly, it is next to impossible, in this day and age, to make this system work. Why? Not only because there just aren't enough motivated people left out there who are willing to make those calls, but also because if EACH candidate on the ballot uses this system, the voters are still swamped with calls, and the voters still get honked off the last week before the election with calls from each candidates organization.
Yes, each County and State Party COULD organize and implement a program of this kind. But getting the candidates to agree to cooperate, and NOT swamp the voteres with calls, recorded messages, what have you is just not going to happen.
I've spent the last 15 years inside the WAR ROOMS of various campaigns. The biggest problem I see with the entire system is the "White Knights" sent in at the last two weeks to attempt to save a campaign. Generally, they screw things up so badly, it can't be saved. LOCAL people, who understand the locality, should be making the last minute decisions.
I've seen more candidacies tanked in the last 10 days of a campaign because of some outside EXPERT, who doesn't understand the local mindset, than I care to think about.
All Politics is Local. And successful campaings are local, too.
What works in a metropolitan area does not work in a rural area.
It does in the Democratic party. My family has been heavily involved in doing it for at least 140 years in both rural and metropolitan areas of ohio.
Even the Republican party is more organized in Ohio than it has been at any time since Ray Bliss was in control. In our last election Rove saw to it that in effect the national party controlled all advertising down to the state Representative level here in Ohio. They controlled it by paying for it. Bush raised millions and Rowe set the rules for getting it. At the state representative level for the first time since 1928 my state rep is a Republican. Republicans had precinct workers going door to door and local calls just as I described for all Republican candidates in 2002. It was organized state wide. They did not waste resources on areas they could not win.
It just takes a strong national and state organization to lay down the law on how candidates are to behave. A party starts exercising control of candidates at their first run for office. Candidates are not allowed to play by their own rules period even when they are low level candiates.
Your point that it can't be done in small comunities completely ignores the power and discipline exercised by the Teachers Union in Iowa. Tell the NEA that they can't effect candiate cooperation and force candidates to play by party rules. They do it in every state in the nation.
Making the point that you and campaigns you have worked with failed only makes the case that parties and candidates fail. You are not making a case that it can't be done. You are making the case that it can be done. Americas defeat in Viet Nam does not prove that we lose all wars. ... Nor that people can't be motivated in Iowa. As I mentioned the Democrats do it with the Iowa Teachers every election.
There were some important lessons learned in the last election. Bob Smith and a lot of other Republicans learned that it is not nice to screw with the White House. The implementation of national discipline is also underway in California. Simon got zilch from the national and lots o money sourses were dried up. Any others dumb enough to revolt against the white house will find out the consequences.
I am anxious to see if Schwarzenegger does go on the ballot in California. Pat Buchanan predicts he will. Bush and Rowe want the Democrats to have to live with the mess they made. The runigades want the Repubicans to thake the blame for the democrats actions.
In 1968 the Democrats were dying from the Viet Nam War when Nixon came in to take all the blame for rats. I wonder if Schwarzenegger is willing to play that role for Democrats too.
In the years I did turnarounds there were always people from the existing organization telling me how it was different at this station. I had to understand this was not like the place I had just turned around. There were problems I could not solve because they could not be solved.
In every case I found the ones who had tried and failed were mot persuasive enogh, determined enough and ultimately not mean enough. to make the station go from losing money to making money. I never failed to effect a turn around.
And dont tell me volunteers are impossible to get. If Yaser Arafatt can get people to strap bombs to their bellies and blow them selves up for the muslim movement, I can get people to haul other people to the polls to vote on election day.
Precinct workers have to get some perks. At the local level there is still enough patronage to let the precinct workers have power over patronage. People who try to get people to do things for no compensation will fail. If the compenstation is good you will have to fight off applicanst for precinct worker.
Nuts andbolds organizing of politicl races is a do alble thing. All ti takes is a good suply of carrots and whips.