Yes, I need another blog like the economy needs another failed investment bank.

But as my young Republican friend Pat Powers at South Dakota War College winds down his excellent political blog—which started out as a political campaign advice blog—I’m gearing up my own version: Political High.

This new blog obviously has a narrow niche as it is targeted toward candidates, would-be candidates, past candidates, campaign staffs, campaign consultants, and those geeks who just enjoy the art and science of campaigning.

It is also bi-partisan and non-partisan (at least for the most part).  I’m interested in what works and doesn’t work in getting candidates elected.

So, whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Reform, or a whatever and you dig the process of getting elected, Political High is for you.

Like Pat used to do, I’ll try to use examples from my own and others’ campaigns to make my points.  It also depends upon you to comment and tell me if I’m wrong and what your experiences have been.

Here are some recent posts to give you a flavor:

I cannot tell you how many state and local Democratic meetings I've been at where we talked and talked and talked about how to get more people to register as Democrats in South Dakota.

Have ice cream socials; have house parties; canvass door to door.

What didn't come up with was pray that the Republicans completely screw up the economy.  We should have tried that earlier.

From KSFY and the AP:

As the November election approaches Democrats in South Dakota are whittling away at the Republican party's advantage in voter registration.

The Democratic party gained 11,000 voters from April through August of this year.

For the first time in my life canvassing for candidates, I am encountering homes here in Sioux Falls and Harrisburg that are in the process of being repossessed. These are not dumps.  These are nice, new homes in good neighborhoods that are going back to banks.

Unfortunately, it is taking near economic collapse for people to finally understand that their economic interests are better represented by Democrats than Republicans.

Also, another sign that people are paying attention to real issues.  Candidates I have canvassed with and have talked to say hardly anyone asks them about abortion or IM11.  This is in stark contrast to 2006 when it was the first thing out of a lot of voters' mouths.

It's now up to Sen. Barack Obama at the national level and Democratic candidates at the local level to close the deal with voters and remind them that Republicans just aren't any good with money. 

 

(Correction: Blogger’s note, 8:40 p.m., Jan. 3. 2008—The email I write about below DOES NOT come from the Edwards for President campaign but from a supporter who blogs and emails often about the Edwards campaign.  I apologize to the Edwards campaign for my misinterpretation and to you our readers.  I am leaving the original post up with this correction and clarification.  SD Watch strives to be accurate and regrets the error.)

——- 

I support Sen. John Edwards for President.  I have met John and my wife Donna and I found him to be a charming, intelligent, and down to earth person.  His views about corporate America, the Middle Class, the Iraq War, and health care resonate with me.  I think he will make a great President.

However, his staff has sent out an email that I think is at best, in bad taste, and at worst, a lame attack on the late Admiral James Stockdale, one of the nation’s most decorated Naval officers, a Medal of Honor winner, and Vietnam War POW from 1965 to 1973, in an attempt to get at Barack Obama.

Stockdale was also Ross Perot’s vice presidential candidate in the 1992 election.

Here’s the email I received today from Michael Conrad on the Edwards campaign:

The Audacity of… James Stockdale? 

 

It’s pretty clear that the Obama backers are going to use this tonight to argue that he is best positioned to beat the Republicans.

 

After a year of general election polling, when all you have is 1 or 2 freaking Zogby polls to make your case, it actually shows your weakness, rather than your strength.

 

John Edwards, on the other hand, has more evidence backing up his claim to be the most electable Democrat than anyone knows what to do with.

 

I actually think Senator Clinton best described Senator Obama (she just used the phrase in the wrong context) when she said that he was “naive, and frankly irresponsible”.

 

Do we really want to waste a one in a lifetime chance for a massive political realignment on a guy who, just this morning on CNN,sounded like Admiral James Stockdale (Ross Perot’s running mate in 92’) with his constant use of “Gridlock! The government is in gridlock!”? 

 

Sure Barack, it’s not the obstructionist GOPers who fight everything that the country needs, it’s that damn partisan gridlock.  I know it’s probably hard for the Obama campaign to admit that all of the money they spent on poll-testing every word he’s said was a waste, butI don’t know many people who are buying into this.

 

I hope Obama has his second Stockdale moment any time now, and asks himself the question that really needs to be answered, “Who am I? And why I am here?”

 

Technorati Tags: John Edwards, Sen. John Edwards, Sen. Barack Obama, Barack Obama, Adm. James Stockdale, James Stockdale, 2008 election, 2008 Presidential campaign, Michael Conrad

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Why don't advertisers consider advertising on S.D.'s blogs, particularly compared to the state's weekly newspapers?

In many cases, S.D. blogs have higher readership--or at least similar readership--to many well established weekly newspapers.

This is by no means a comprehensive study, but these weekly circulation statistics from the S.D. Newspaper Association (http://www.sdna.com) are interesting:

Newspaper		Weekly Circulation
Faith Independent		825
Tea Harrisburg Champion		874
Alcester Union		986
Dell Rapids Tribune		1158
S.D. Watch*		1300
Brandon Valley Challenger		1328
Pioneer Review		1357
Potter Co. News		1424
Vermillion Plain Talk		1668
Lawrence Co. Journal		1897
Sioux Valley News		1985
*Weekly unique visitors average for November per http://www.statcounter.com

Fellow bloggers, stick your stats in here and see where you stack up.  Some of you will have fewer unique visitors per week than me, some of you have more.

Whether you are Right, Left, Middle, or Uncategorized, it seems that all of us in SoDakBlogOLand should think of some ways to market ourselves to advertisers, particularly local advertisers.  We know we each have loyal core readers.  There has to be some way to tap advertising or some revenue stream besides Google AdSense. 

There is work behind the scenes to try set up some sort of S.D. blogging group.  The SDNA  lobbies on behalf of newspapers in S.D., regardless of ideological bent.  The newspapers have their own business and professional needs and legislation.  So do we.  Maybe our "industry" is now mature enough for a similar endeavor, or at least steps in that direction.  Hey, regardless of our ideology, don't we all like to make money?  (Ok, maybe not the High Plains Drifter folks, but the rest of us.)

Let me know what you think, fellow babies.

Give me $500 and a Sioux Falls address and I'll give you more than 2,808 votes!My friend PP at South Dakota War College has hit his groove again (even if he has taken my photo off his site).  On a post about former Libertarian U.S. House candidate Terry Began running for the House again as an independent, PP opines on how to run statewide on $500.

Whether you have $500, $5,000, $50,000 or 5,000,000, it's still good advice.  Here it is.  Thus speaks PP:

Without being silly, On a $500 budget, what advice would we have for Terry to raise his profile for a statewide office?

1. Go to Sioux Falls. And stay there. It's where most of the votes are. It's the Willie Sutton philosophy on robbing banks - "it's where the money is." You need votes. So go where there are votes. Cause there ain't diddley in Volin.

2. Start going door to door. It's free. $500 will get you a lot of Xeroxed flyers if you cut the paper in half. People like to see their candidates, and you'd be surprised how a 3rd party candidate could do if they actually did that. And door to door means residences and businesses. Visit the coffee shops. You need to constantly be on the move.

3. Two words - Free Media. If you're in Sioux Falls, just like #1, it's also where the media is. Stage events to illustrate your position. If Congresswoman Herseth trash talks you during the campaign, send out a press release and show up on the sidewalk in front of her congressional offices with a bucket of mud to return what she's been slinging. It would get coverage.

Op-ed pieces are good too. Bombard the papers with your press releases. Every other politician does.

Suggestions for better campaigning, from the Professor.  Great stuff, PP!