Op-Ed: Politics is flooded with cash. Divert more of it to young campaign workers and supporters
As the nation awaits the results of Tuesday’s presidential election, I’d like to offer some observations, observations from a professional political novice, about candidates and campaign tactics that I have recently observed firsthand. And, of course, there is much you don’t know about these candidates or campaigns!
Here’s what I thought I knew about political campaigns:
A campaign is a series of debates—and the voters decide each week who is the winner and who the loser;
A campaign has winners, losers, and a lot of mediocrity;
The best campaigners are usually the ones who are able to win—in an individual contest, for a political party, or even a city or state;
Campaigns are like marriage—only not as exciting;
Candidates are chosen for their ability and personal connections to make the necessary personal connections—not their ability or personal connections;
Candidates do not have secrets. They show us who they are. We decide who we like.
My observations of political campaigns are incomplete and biased. For example, I do not include public opinion polls as part of my campaign observations, though they are part of the public debates. And while I have participated in almost 30 campaigns thus far, I do not make campaign decisions based on public polling.
This is because polls are biased; they are often wrong; and they will not help me make decisions. For example, a public poll suggests that Hillary Clinton could win; but after I see a candidate for the presidency, I am usually able to see a much better candidate who is not only better, but a better choice, if one is available.
So, let me offer my observations about campaigns. Here are my personal observations about politics.
1. A candidate is a winner. A political campaign is a series of debates, and each debate is usually about who is the winner and who the
