Okay, I've put it off as long as I can. The primaries were a cake-walk, as I was unopposed. But now, I have to pull together a plan. I thought I had one, but I find myself paralyzed; stymied by logistical issues I should be clearing with little thought.
1. Do I want to try and appeal to moderates & independents, or just be my liberal self?
2. Do I want to raise my name recognition via mailers, or just do it all in person?
My head is just not in the game. Maybe I need to change the game? Angsty analysis to follow ...
I have walked into a lion's den just by being a D candidate in a 70% R district, and I find myself not wanting to poke the lion. He could defeat me without even acknowledging my existence, which would merely be embarrassing. But if he decides to, he could dig up, spin, or just flat out manufacture dirt on me, and spread it via mailers, radio, news articles, whatever his deep pockets can afford. That would make me very unhappy.
I could just run as a Democratic Socialist against GOP wrong-headedness in general, rather than publicizing the incumbent's unremarkable party-line voting record. Maybe he'd ignore me if I don't aim at him in particular.
Just think how much fun I could have using my official nominee status to give fabulous rabble rousing speeches all over the county! I could call into talk radio shows, show up at block parties, sing at music festivals, and post it all on YouTube. Patterning on the Kinkster, that.
Concerned insiders are telling me that I should be fundraising (dialing for dollars), organizing (inspiring voter networks), and building a calendar of events to attend (build a reputation & troll for dollars).
The only way to reach ALL the voters is with paper delivered to their door. And unless I plan to knock on all 102,000 doors myself, I need to mail them. That's expensive, so it's not happening unless I go raise some money.
The fact is, I'm embarrassed to ask for campaign donations, given the hopelessness of my race. I can give a great speech and present a positive attitude to a group, but I can't seem to maintain the cheerful optimism one-on-one; the reality of my situation keeps distracting me.
I want my fairy godmother to come turn the neighborhood stray cats into competent campaign staff. But what's really going to happen is I'm going to sleep on this conundrum and experience some personal growth. I'm just not yet sure what sort.