New Media and Campaigns

You are insane if you are in politics but not following this carefully. You are missing a huge opportunity if you are not actively participating in it. Both parties have exciting developments so there is room for everyone to find a niche and play.

How the Republicans Won the Internet--Washington Post

Goldstein & Franklin on Corporate Campaign Decision

A few thoughts on the Supreme Court's "Citizens United v. FEC" decision.

Supreme Court and Corporate Advocacy

First the legal analysis:



And then the two sides get their say




The Court's ruling is here, though it may load faster from here.

Discuss: How broad is this decision? Will it affect only federal elections, or state also? What is a "corporation" within this context? What limits still apply to corporate political spending? How is this different from what corporate Political Action Committees (PACs) could do already? If you were CEO of a corporation, say Bank of America, would you authorize corporate money to be used to advocate the election or defeat of an incumbent member of Congress? Would you advocate in an open race? Who is helped and who is hurt by this ruling? Why?

Making Sense of Polling

I gave a talk at the Capitol last week for legislators and staff on "Making Sense of Polling".

Here is the video link at WisconsinEye is here.

And my slides are here.

Your candidate just lost. What do you say?

Coakley Pollster Defends Campaign Against White House

Discuss: Better or worse than silence? Better or worse than blaming your own candidate? Despite CYA, is the analysis right or wrong about what moved voters?

Dems on HCR: Now what?

CongressDaily - Democrats Consider Backup Plans

Discuss: If Brown wins, the Dems have about 10-15 days with 60 votes in the senate. Enough? How bad does it look to force the bill through prior to seating Brown? Would failing to pass anything look worse?

Mass Sen Finger Pointing (Dems only)

Coakley adviser memo: D.C. Dems 'failed' Coakley - Ben Smith - POLITICO.com


Dem Party Responds to Coakley memo


Ahhhh. And the votes aren't even counted yet.

Discuss: Could a better campaign have saved Coakley? If she miraculously wins, how bad do these folks look? What accounts for the sudden crashing of Coakley and the surge for Brown? Can a seat ever be taken for granted? Is there a just God?

Marquette example of research/teaching spinoff

Lab learns to predict gas demand - JSOnline

This is a really nice story of how university research can both create a business and provide valuable training for students.

Discuss: What aspects of this business make it work in a university setting? What types of business might not be as well suited? How could this scale up if it left the university? Why do students who get involved in this kind of project get better jobs when they graduate, as discussed near the end of the story? Is it them, or the job, or something about both? Could such enterprises become significant in the state economy or are they niches that have little prospect of real growth and impact?

BTW: The Neumann campaign tweeted a link to this. Why? Should Walker and Barrett have done the same if they saw it first?

Becoming Obama's Voice

Obama speechwriter Ben Rhodes is penning a different script for the world stage - washingtonpost.com

This is a nice biographical look at how you can work in the west wing in 10 years.

Discuss: How big a role do the social advantages of being from the upper east side play? Did attending Rice take Rhodes off the fast track compared to attending an Ivy? How did he get his start in DC and why did that work for him? Is his policy knowledge deep enough? If you are Rhodes, why do you not want this story to appear, and why do you want it? (There is a West Wing episode on the perils of notoriety for staffers, if you want some entertainment.)

Midterm talking points

A nice article by Ron Brownstein with talk from David Axelrod with the Dem view.

National Journal Online - White House Readies Aggressive Midterm Push

A three short comments from the power house team at Public Opinion Strategies expressing the evidence for the Republicans:

On GOP Message

On Gloomy data for Dems

On Obama approval and the midterms


Discuss: Given the history of midterms, can a presidential party talk its way out of a midterm referendum? If the economy grows in the first three quarters, will that upset Republican campaign plans based on a "failure" of the Dem/Obama stimulus efforts? If you were a Rep strategist, what would your fallback be if GDP grows 4%? If you were a Dem strategist, what would your fallback be in GDP declines in the 2nd quarter suggesting a "double dip" recession?

Wisconsin’s economic recovery has begun

Wisconsin’s economic recovery has begun - BizTimes

Discuss: Implications for Gov. Race.

P.S. Here is the Wisconsin unemployment trend in perspective. Unemployment is not necessarily the best indicator of economic recovery, but is certainly not irrelevant to the question.

Neumann kicks off new year

Neumann calls for term limits, other reforms - JSOnline

After a very quiet fall, GOP Gov candidate Mark Neumann has started the new year with a five point plan for reforming Wisconsin government.

Discuss: Are these the best 5 points to lead with? What practical impact are they likely to have? What campaign strategies will they support in opposition to Walker or Barrett? How would you use these to push your candidate?

Preparing for Redistricting

Politics Magazine |
Preparing for the Ten Year Storm

Interesting overview of both party's plans for redistricting.

Neumann to shake up campaign

Politics Blog: Neumann to shake up campaign

Interesting that this is now being publicly discussed. The campaign has not developed a strong and consistent voice in social media, at least, since Neumann entered the race. Rumors of a shakeup have been around for several months.

Discuss: 1) If you are the candidate, is it a good idea to announce a shakeup or do you dismiss questions about your campaign staff? 2) Has the weak Neumann campaign operation helped the more well developed Walker campaign appear dominant? 3) Will there be pressure on Neumann to get out of the race, as was the case with Walker in 2006? 4) Do contested primaries help or hurt the eventual nominee?

A 20-Something Makes a Mint

A 20-Something Makes a Mint (and Sells It to Intuit) - Question - NYTimes.com

This is a very nice interview with insight into why startups can find opportunities and how they market themselves very efficiently. Note also the monetization strategy, still a weak spot with lots of internet startups.

I like it that he's 29. Why not think of your 20s as the time you build your business or your career into a powerhouse. A long slow climb may work for lots of people, but there are opportunities if you seize them. Note this quote from Patzer:

Once you have a successful business, it sort of demystifies the world. It gives you all the confidence in the world that you can set your mind to something and do just about anything. It gives you this rock solid self-confidence that helps in personal interactions and helps in selling your vision of the company to investors and new employees.