Posted on 05/08/2008 7:48:48 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob
Many candidates in many primaries across the nation have written statements after their defeats. I may be the first to use a title like this.
In more than 750 columns I’ve been unstinting in praise of able achievements and honest politicians, (Yes, there are some of each.) And I have been merciless against incompetence and stupidity. I owe the same integrity in discussing myself.
My third and last run for public office ended this Tuesday. It was not a pretty sight. In a three-way contest for the Republican nomination for Congress from the 11th District of North Carolina, I ran third. The other candidates got 49% and 41%. I drew a mere 10%. And the fault for that is mine.
I did one thing precisely right. We candidates had eight live debates. Five were televised. My Internet guru posted them on the Net with click links on my webpage. In those debates, I demonstrated more experience, more knowledge, and better ability to serve, than my opponents.
That’s an extraordinary claim. I offer only the tapes as evidence. View any part of any of the debates. Reach your own conclusions about my qualities.
But if that’s so, why did I do so poorly in the election?
I had too little staff. Full time, or nearly full time, I had my fiancee, Michelle Mead, and my Net guru, best known by his screen name, MitchellC. Both gave their best, along with me, but that’s too little staff for any congressional campaign.
Connected to that was lack of money. On the FEC filing date, 20 days before the primary, I had neither raised nor spent the required minimum of $5,000. I exceeded that before the election. But that was effectively zero.
My lawn signs were among the cleanest, most readable for any candidates in western Carolina. Again, don’t take my word for it. See the design that is on the upper left side of my website. But again, critically, this was too little, too late.
One of the most famous quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson was, “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.” It’s a clever quote that seems to state a universal truth. But Emerson actually said, “If a man has good corn, or wood, or boards, or pigs, to sell ... you will find a broad hard-beaten road to his house.”
Those words are not as clever, but the concept is there. Quality will out, and he who offers it, will succeed. But two, absolutely essential elements are missing from that equation: marketing and advertising.
Half of the marketing is done in advance for all candidates. The North Carolina State Board of Elections will cheerfully sell the complete record of all voters in any district, by name, address, and voting history. Polling to find the political views of targeted voters is simple. But of course, that requires money – “the mother’s milk of politics,” as the legendary Jesse Unruh once said.
Effective marketing identifies who you want to reach, and in what order. Here’s a brief description of my District: about 40% Democrats, 39% Republicans, and 21% independents. Because many independents and some Democrats are conservative, this District has usually votes conservative.
In the era of satellite TV and the Internet, the possibilities for targeted advertising are clear – messages directed very specifically to very precise audiences . Add to that targeted mailings, and advertising on the many small radio stations, and it is easy to communicate with individuals with well-crafted messages. But again, that requires money.
Lastly, there are the no-brainer steps that every candidate knows. Ideally, he would cover every polling place for its 12 open hours with two people at all times, which means six people total for six-hour shifts, plus relief. All these people are volunteers. But it takes money to provide the transportation and communications support for these people, and equip them with materials.
In short, I not only lacked the funds and staff I needed, I knew two months out that those defects were likely fatal. By that practical standard, which has nothing whatsoever to do with either issues or personal qualities, I deserved to lose.
If I had gotten half of all the voters in my District to look at any of the debate videos, I would have had a chance of a possible run-off. Or, half of all the Republican leaders to watch those videos and tell others about them. But both of those were impossible.
So is there a moral or lesson here? It is this: ideas and visions, even very good ones, are necessary but not sufficient in elective politics. For the balance of my days, I will go back to being a writer. I’ve retired as a candidate, and turn that over to younger men and women.
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About the Author: John Armor has spent almost 40 years working with all branches of the federal government, plus state and local officials. He lives and works on a mountaintop in Highlands, NC. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
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John / Billybob
Maybe you were just a little too honest for the crooked world of politics.
John....to paraphrase 2nd Timothy
You fought the good fight
You kept the faith
You finished the race
Stonewalls, way up in the mountains of Ashe County,NC
Congressman, I hope you reconsider your position and run for office again in the future.
I sent in $25 to you and would do so again, and I’m in Illinois.
Continue doing the best you can, with what you have, where you’re are.
A thoughtful, well-written essay. Thanks for sharing your insight.
Sorry John. Thank you for running.
You’re a winner in my book.
Winner in my book as well!
Had I been an NC resident: I would have been honored to cast my ballot on your behalf, CB.
I’ve been a “poll pigeon” many times for people I know and like here in the Keystone State. Maybe I’ll need to head down the Blue Ridge Parkway two years from now....
sorry to hear about your loss.
At least tell us that you didn’t have a rally where you clapped along with the crowd like Hillary (imitating Ellen Degeneres). Or that stupid crossing of the heart and bowing like John “The Creep” Kerry.
Yes, please, please don’t quit yet … give it another shot. We need folks with integrity, win or lose … a message is sent, and I know you can win.
Keep your chin up, John.
Because you may have lacked experience playing the political game does not in any way diminish you or your ideas.
Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama and Ted Kennedy all have impressive political machines with the gobs of money that go along with them and the toadying staffers that will say and do anything if it helps their boss get elected.
But it still does not make them better people or more able leaders. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to engage in discourse with you on subjects from the silly to the sublime can see the quality.
Hats off to you for doing the best you could with what you had!
Very sorry to hear this friend. I hurt with you. Remember though, God does have a plan - a better one.
Your friend,
Kate
Look on the bright side. You could have been endorsed by Hamas.
Politics is about lying to the right people at the right time. You can’t be an honest person and a politician at the same time. Besides, even if you got into the house, you’d be run over like a blinded deer by all the professional liars.
It's a rather instructive tale of persistence.
L
I know why you lost.....because the public is an ass. All over the country the populace moans, whines and shrieks and complains about all the policies they claim are ruining their lives, incomes and security.
Yet, at election time, they march to the polls and vote back into office the very same liberals and RINOS responsible for the problems in the first place. This mass irrational behavior reminds me of Poe's short story, "The Imp of the Perverse".
Soon, only millionaires and corrupt, amoral crooks will be elected to public office because good men and women everywhere will not aspire any more to be public servants.
I think we're three-quarters of the way there already.
Keep fighting the good fight through the power of your pen, freeper friend. Bless you and thanks for displaying the courage it took to make this run for office.
You're a freeper hero as far as I'm concerned!
Leni
God Bless and Best Wishes to Cong. BillyBob, fiance and cat(s?).
And anyway, this might not have been your year. Obama is going to have down-ballot influence, assuming he has the nomination. Your district may very well go Dim this year. However, if Obama goes on to win the general, there will be a good opportunity to pick up several Republican seats two years from now. You can start preparing early. You know what to do now. It takes an average of three tries to get it right when starting up a new business, so maybe the fourth time is a charm.
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