What I have Learned Thus Far

I remember the day so clearly it's as if it just happened. I met my good friend Brad Richardson at Young's Plantation Inn for my very first Florence County Republican Party meeting. There also was a newcomer like myself, Renee Woodberry. Together the three of us sat and observed and after we took it all in, I for one kinda liked it. I viewed politics as the perfect vehicle to carry my ideas and thoughts of change for our country and our state to the next level. I was hooked. Am I still? Read on....

It's been a few years now and I here I sit, still involved, still active. Lately it's been more from the perspective of campaigning as opposed to local politics but still interesting and educational nonetheless. And while I still proudly wear the label of volunteer, having not broken through the threshold of being a full time paid staffer yet, I find it fascinating to watch these "paid guys" in their natural habitat. Whatever I thought I knew about campaigning before this, boy was I wrong. It's a world like no other. The people, the sights, the sounds; all have been full of surprises both good and bad. And sometimes indifferent. (And slightly bizarre)

The first poignant observation from this up and coming, non blue blazer wearing (except for that one time and no, it wont happen again) shiny new politico is this. Everything you need to know about campaigning is not contained in a book nor a classroom. You can't take a course on how to win over voters or read through the chapter on how to persuade people to donate to your campaign during these tough economic times. Because that chapter doesn't exist. While I commend those who spend the majority of their adult lives obtaining advanced degrees in politics, public administration and the like, I have found that when talking with these people, they have lost touch with reality. The world we live in is made up of those who care more about how they are going to make their mortgage payment as opposed to hearing about the history behind the political process. While I think that advanced education would come in handy in Washington writing legislative briefs and press releases, when it comes down to the nitty gritty grassroots efforts needed to actually win, you need to have lived and currently live in the real world to understand what the average voter wants, needs, and desires from a campaign and candidate. As Carrie Bradshaw once said, "When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep on walking" Yeah... I went there. 

We are only a few short weeks from the June 12th primary. Campaign signs are being erected, our television sets are being taken over by candidates stating why we should vote for them (thrown in with the occasional baby, bible, and hard hat), and our mailboxes are beginning to fill up with palm cards, invites, and even pairs of scissors. As an outsider looking out from the inside I still hold on to the same ideal I wrote about many moons ago. At the end of the day what matters most to your average voter is not who had the most campaign signs out or who had the slickest commercial, what people want is simple. And free. They want to be part of the process.They want to know they matter. What they think, what they want, what they need. They want to know all of that matters to someone. If you can truly touch someone and make them realize you honestly care about them and what they have to say, you have not only gained one vote, you have accomplished what the goal of any campaign should be. You gave a voice to the people. You became an advocate for those who, throughout their lives, have been longing to be heard. You alone gave them something to believe in. And that my friends... That is what wins elections.

So in closing, while this campaign season is far from over, I have learned a lot. The experiences I have had and the people I have met have been priceless. While not all positive, campaigning is like life. You take the good with the bad and in the end, you hopefully wind up a little smarter. A little wiser. And with a new found respect for those who dedicate their lives to using the political platform and process to give the people, the masses, something to look forward to. Something to put their hopes and dreams into. This is bigger than us, my friends. This is our future in the making.