Getting ready to campaign, looking for some help.

[LittleClarkie]

One of my weakest suites as a campaign worker is articulating the candidate's stance on the issues coherently. So I thought I'd try something new.

Take a look at my local candidate's stance on immigration. Tell me what you think. Good points. Bad points.

I'm already running into people, Democrats even, for whom this is a hot issue.

US Immigration policy needs to be overhauled to reflect the values of a free and open society. We currently have discriminatory immigration policies that apply quotas unfairly to various regions and to specific countries. Mr. Sensenbrenner’s immigration reform proposals make things WORSE by encouraging xenophobia and by NOT protecting our borders. The REAL ID Bill, drafted by Sensenbrenner, gives sweeping powers to the Director of Homeland Security to nullify federal and state laws and it allows for the deportation of non-citizens without a hearing or judicial review. I do not believe that Americans are willing to surrender the legislative and judicial process to one appointed, politically-partisan individual. It does not reflect the values of this country to consolidate power and control in the hands of one or two individuals.

One of the most hotly debated portions of the REAL ID bill—the driver’s license provision—is the least of the offending measures in the bill. The irony of the provision, however, is that none of the 19 hijackers on September 11, 2001 had an illegal driver’s license. They were legally in this country. The problems that need fixed to ensure homeland security are with punitive and discriminatory immigration policies.

If I am our US Representative, I will support and actively fight for sensible, humane legislation, such as passage of the DREAM Act and the SOLVE Act. I will also protect our rights as citizens and the integrity of the independent judiciary.

I will fight for real immigration reform, by working to:

1. End the "visa lottery." (What rational society picks new members out of a hat?
2. Ensure that immigration procedures are the same across the board. We need to do away with regional and country quotas.
3. Make getting a green card easier and quicker. That is one way to stem the tide of undocumented immigration.
4. Implement a fair and consistent tourist visa policy. People who want to visit the US and spend their money here should be treated equally. After all, their dollars are treated equally once they are here.
5. Guarantee full and complete background checks on applicants for tourist and immigration visas.
6. Encourage family immigration and make it easier for families to enter the US together. We have seen that stable societies are founded on strong families.

Immigrant families invest in our society and they become a much stronger thread in the fabric of our nation.

[MissWaverly]

1. Look I am no Shakespeare but I would rewrite this

People don't respond well to negative statements, they want you to have the solution in your back pocket. What positive things do you want to do, make the country safer by having a real
screening process for immigrants that would be fairer and more thorough, easier to understand
and to comply with. Empower local authorities who handle immigrants to do a more effective
job and reduce the number of illegals. Something like that. I like your ideas but I think
you just need to reframe them.

[LittleClarkie]

2. Not my ideas. They're the campaign's. But I have to sell them to some

tough customers. It's a fairly red county, though getting bluer by the moment.

So you would suggest turning the negatives into positives? Not a bad idea.

[MissWaverly]

3. show how it would make things better

and get folks to buy in to your ideas, like if I supported that it would cut down on the illegals and the job market would improve...

[Totally Committed]

4. Rewrite it in your own "voice"...

But, as you do, reduce it to manageable bullet points you can remember and ad lib on.

Read up on it, too, and what I usually do is try to imagine some of the questions I'll be asked by those I'm talking to, and memorize some quick anwers to those questions as well.

If you are doing phone work, write yourself a script and READ IT casually... then go on to your memorized answers to questions if you are asked any. In persom... it helps if you are friendly and smile a lot.

Hope that helps!

TC

[LittleClarkie]

6. Good ideas. Would you suggest taking only SOME of the candidates issues

and concentrating on them? If so, which ones? The more meat and potatoes economic issues, or the more national security minded issues?

This is Wisconsin, btw. Purple battleground state, in a district that many consider safe Republican. Incumbant is Sensenbrenner. He's more vunerable than he has been, but still the immigrant issue is strong with him. So that was one of the reasons i thought I'd start with it, plus I rather liked his position. Is it better to go with Sensenbrenner's strength, or go for traditional Dem issues like the economy?

[MissWaverly]

9. I would have both

I would have statements on immigration to put out any brush fires but I would highlight the
economy. People are worried about the housing bubble, they are worried about losing their
jobs, and they are worried the cost of heating oil, gas for their cars and making do.

[mdmc]

5. why do they have such an in-depth immigration stance?

What position is this for?
All politics is local - where are you campaigning? I think that the immigration debate is a lose / lose deal; people either support the immigrants or they support "native American" rights.:eyes:

I've found that even within my local dems, the immigration debate has no rhyme or reason. People are all over the place on this issue.

[LittleClarkie]

7. US Congressman against "Mr Immigration Enforcement" Jim Sensenbrenner

I'm in one of the biggest counties in his district. He's considered safe, but we're going to see about that.

I sat at our Dem booth at the recent State Fair, and one Dem came up to me with fire in her eyes, all pissed off that the Dems weren't more for enforcement, and swearing that she wouldn't campaign this year because of it.

I only picked this issue to begin. He has other good ones on health care, the economy, schools et al. Would you suggest going more with those than this one? I need to pick a couple of issues to start to get my ball rolling. I'm not much on verbal campaigning, so I just need a place to get started. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew at first.

[MissWaverly]

8. figure out how to make talking points

don't get bogged down in long defensive statements, think of a commercial, that is about how
long someone will listen to you.