When Campaigns Irritate

I took a class once on campaign management. Several of the instructors had managed major political campaigns and they told fascinating tales of campaigning pitfalls.

Over the past few weeks, I have been reminded of one of their rules: Don't use a tactic that irritates voters. The primary in my district has 10 candidates for Congress. Several of them are using automated phone banks. As a result, it is not unusual to get four or five calls in an evening. Several of the campaigns have called more than once.

We have also been swamped with mailing pieces, although those are less of a bother than a phone call. Run across the room, bump your knee against the end table, and then get to hear a recorded political pitch and you'll understand where I'm coming from.

I also noticed an interesting twist in one candidate's campaign brochure. She is claiming to be the only candidate with "real" private sector experience. Since one of her opponents has worked as a management consultant, I assume that doesn't meet her description of "real" private sector experience. Not a wise move. As a management consultant, I'd advise her to drop that line.

One of the memorable stories from the campaign management class was that phone banks should never be used in a place like Las Vegas. Why? Because the many residents who work at night are sleeping during the day. Waking them up is not an endearing act.

We might want to expand that advice to areas outside of Las Vegas.