Some of the Kansas / Missouri Kossacks know that from today until May 30, and then picking up in June, several of us are going to every county, getting pictures and talking to people. In June, the same thing in Missouri.
I'm fortunate that we have funding for this silly adventure and that I and a lot of others can devote time to it. Before I talk a bit about today, I want to offer a few caveats.
There won't be a lot of photos or video. People who were in Topeka know I'm carting around this huge TV style camera thing and editting video or getting photos off of it takes time and I'm exhausted. I'll have a couple camera phone photos at the end that make a bit of a joke.
Second, do not take anything I say here as any sort of 'strategy' that you can use anywhere else in the world. These are just experiences, that's it... they may be funny, cute or whatever, but it is just my personal experiences.
I have been corrected on this next one a couple of times. I use "We" a lot, when it's just me in a car. It goes back a long time to a different job I had in the IT world. But I thought about this, and even when it is just me on the road or my friend in Wyandotte today, it is really still 'We". So many friends and groups made the introductions to get people who would talk to us. A lot of Kansas establishment took time to talk to us to help get us in the door. State legislators directed us to the right people. It is a "we" because I most certainly didn't do any of this alone, and by the time we are done I'm probably going to owe a lot of Kansas Kossacks more than a few meals.
So, with those caveats out of the way, let me talk about why Kansas Kossacks and outsiders should try to be upbeat about our state, despite the odds.
Before I left this morning, I sat through a few phone calls with people I really trust who are trying to win the races for their candidates with what resources they have. One of the subjects came up was that a person who wants to run - pretty much a kid straight out of college (I'm not naming any names until or if he files) was thinking about running and he would be coming to KC anyway... though not for politics, just a Royals game, but maybe I could talk to him to see if he really would want to run. Since most groups in Kansas are small, he must have known someone and passed on a phone number and said: how do I do this?
Let me explain how candidate recruiting here in our state works.. from my experience. This is not a primer for how to do it elsewhere, God I hope elsewhere has a better system than this, and again, do not take this as advice or strategy. In general, the state party and political groups have a list of candidates they would want to run. They may pitch them directly. In many urban districts, they try to develop a 'bench'. This can be retired teachers, school board members, attorneys, business people, anything. Someone who is a friend of a friend or has helped back them before with donations or effort, or someone who has expressed interest.
When areas are bright red, there isn't really a bench. I shouldn't say that. If there is a bench of any sort I sure don't know of it.. maybe someone somewhere does - which I concede is completely viable - but for the rest of us it just looks like 'well, if anyone shows up from X talk to them because we have nobody.'
Talking to someone who is thinking about running is tricky. It is a bit like an interview. If they are on a bench, you may know a lot about them. "31 year business owner who is thinking about turning his business over to his son and would like to run" "18 year teacher who has been on the school board since X". But on someone coming out of nowhere you have NOTHING. This can be good, bad or funny.
My next point: if you think I have any power to say someone shouldn't run or I have any power to tell a state party anything and they would listen to me, then you have vastly overestimated my power with anyone. If they go to the party, I'm sure the party figures it out. If it gets to where some outside group is asking some idiot like me to talk to them, it means that either someone passed on them or he contacted them directly or there isn't interest or who knows what reason.. maybe someone from there knows him or his parents.
With that made perfectly clear, I'm still at least a volunteer who they know who they at least think can talk to someone and they will take my opinion as meaning slightly more than his best friend calling and saying he's a good dude. You do it because if they are a crank.. which is often a single issue with no knowledge of anything else like:
"I'm totally opposed to the limits on how many deer I can shoot!"
Ok, I know you may run against someone who has a position on X, what do you think?
If your next answer is 'What do you think'.. then you sit polite and you talk. You're glad they are motivated. If they want to pay the filing fee they pay the filing fee. You call back to the people who said 'talk to him' and you say 'I probably wouldn't bank on this'. Again: I have NO power to make that decision.. if someone decides they like this person, or he/she is the kid of someone who they know, or any other number of factors than I am just one of probably a lot of people giving them a piece of information. That's it.
Today, the person I had to speak to was young. A college graduate. Motivated. Political Science degree. Interested in at least trying. He is in a district that I don't think any kind of investment works. But you know what, I like him immediately. He's fun and talkative and motivated. Why the hell shouldn't he try. I don't know of anyone else trying. Why would I discourage this kid? So, I hand out my number and say: if you need help, call me. It's a long drive, but hey, I can help if you need me.
Let me get to the next point of being a volunteer. If you volunteer enough, groups in a state know you. It's easier to get people to trust you if one group can call another and say: "hey, is this a descent guy/girl". If you do it enough, no only do they know you, they might move from tolerating your idealistic rah-rah to actually saying: I kinda like this guy/girl. If you do it a few more times, they start to think: you know what, this person actually writes down the food order so I don't get mayonnaise because I hate mayonnaise. Once that happens, then those groups don't just tolerate you, they tend to like you hanging around.
Again, I'm talking to volunteers. Because a lot of us here on DailyKos are likely to gain the most by knowing that being a volunteer and doing it enough can be fun, rewarding, interesting. The more effort you put in, the more people you talk to it becomes much more of a jolt.
So, I get done with my morning phone call and get ready to head to Miami County. I give my second camera to a good friend who went to Wyandotte County, and as of 7:35 tonight has not brought the camera back, but I've known him for I think 7 or 8 years, so I am, at this point, not panicked about it working out for him. Knowing my luck he ate BBQ afterwards went home and is going to watch the Royals too.
Anyway, I pack up to head to Miami county and I receive email from my friends at two of the local PAC groups who have been working with me. One of them points out something that surprised me. Someone who introduced me to a candidate in 2000 - the first race I had any work at all on was actually using twitter. Outside of the fact I was shocked he wasn't dead (no offense if he reads this), I laughed because both of us at this point have such terrible memories that catching up would be entertaining. Again, let me put perspective to this.. in 2000, one of the first campaigns I had anything to do with.... it wasn't that I was tolerated and embraced and everyone loved to see me, I think my level of interaction with a campaign would be grunt at me and say: "hey, can you figure out email?" Yep. We setup an email list for a candidate. In 2000. To people who were mostly on CompuServe and AOL. I don't remember ever even seeing the candidate... maybe once.
On the drive to Miami County I had a long catchup talk with an old friend. I had met them through my first job here in KC, and I knew them for a year or two beyond as they built a small organization in KC at the time, called Mainstream Coalition. Mainstream Coalition is a unique bird. I'd love to say I had a lot of activity at Mainstream but I didn't. I think again, there I hooked up computers, they cut me a check and they took me out to lunch a few times. They did chip in on the bassinet for my second son. That was nice.
Life of a volunteer.. at that point, 14 years ago, having a long talk with someone who I have always viewed as a funny genius of the cause in Kansas would have been laughable. Them knowing my name and thinking I was at least not a serial killer was pretty good.
We talked for a while about the races he thought about, people he spoke to and how he was glad to be retired now.
I pulled up into Miami County around 11AM, and wanted to go to where my son goes to School, to try and figure out how I wanted to do this. Some of the people I have spoken with over the last few weeks about this sent me places to go and specific people to talk to. Interviews they thought I should build in. So, I did that. I had a good time too. Some fun conversations with people who are motivated. When you are a volunteer, the best part of your day is hanging around lunch or after a meeting and just talking to people who want what you want. Being a volunteer is like being part of an exclusive club. All it takes is your effort. If you treat these people well they can become good friends. Friends that, as folks from Game On say, show up when you need them.
While we were eating lunch at Subway, next to us a set of older Kansans began discussing politics. Of course, it was typical right-wing talking points. We aren't there to confront everyone.. it doesn't change votes and besides, lunch I just want to eat. As I'm biting into a sandwich, one of the guys talking though says something to the effect of "I mean, why the heck did he (we assumed Jeff Colyer, KS Lt. Governor) give $500,000 to his own campaign. The Job doesn't pay that much." Without missing a beat while I'm busy chewing, the person next to me who I just talked about roadwork with says: "Yeah, makes you think there is some sort of kickback or something doesn't it?"
She didn't say Brownback is bad. She didn't debate her guy, she just put the bug out there that: this seems fishy. He already believed it was fishy. So, I'm fine with him thinking his guy is kind of crooked. Will it be enough for him to vote for Paul Davis in the fall? Probably not. But will it make him less likely to openly advocate for his guy, while probably more likely to express to others that his guy is fishy? Maybe. And if he decides to back some third party, I'm OK with that too.
All she did was say what he was saying out loud anyway.
Here's the other nice thing about being a volunteer. As a married guy, as much as I love my wife it is fun to talk to other adults. Maybe people who aren't parents don't get this, but most of my conversations are with my teen boys or my wife and after 19 years of knowing here you cover a lot of ground, and so having a new conversation pop up at a Subway gives me story of the day material.
I had a few places in Miami County I wanted to see where county roads were reportedly suffering as the county had concerns about repairs since the loss of mortgage tax revenues, etc. The state doesn't have to cover these roads, counties do. Note: I had someone explain this to me today and it was the first time I really understood the problem. As a volunteer, you don't always have to be the smartest person in the room, but if you are willing to listen you might be impressed to learn something and say: holy crap, I learned something new.
So, I drove out to where there were some complaints about the way the road upkeep was. There will be some who may say I did this on purpose. I'm going to tell you I didn't because it was terrifying and because if you ever want to look like someone who is a total freaking idiot, do this. Thank goodness I was alone. So, I get out, I take my pictures and video, I get what I want I get everything loaded back up, and I pull back into the road to go. Coming my direction at maybe 40 or 50 is a nice pickup truck. I am driving my Toyota Camry as though I am an elderly person with a fear of a police officer behind me - in other words about 25 miles per hour.
As the truck approaches, I mentally think: this road isn't really two-lane wide it's a country road so I try to move out of the way. I catch the gravel on the road, and at least I'm smart enough to not panic I'm going fairly slow. My car bottoms into the ditch, hits a mini-pole thing (I have no idea what they call it, like a metal stick to mark the bottom of the ditch) and I come back onto the road.
To quote Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Damn those ditches so dangerous!
Yep. I bashed my front bumper and put a big streak all the way down my passenger side of my nice Camry. Lesson to volunteers: if you are a horrible driver, campaigns don't have money to pay for you if you hit someone, which is why I need to learn to walk more.
While I'm standing by the side of the road laughing because at least no airbags deployed and thinking: what a hell of a way to kick this thing off, I get an email from Game On Kansas. https://www.facebook.com/...
Heather Ousley, who's video I had in my diary on the celebration of Brown V Board shared a discussion panel with me for KNEA and AFT. I respect Heather because she isn't just putting her money into this issue - she is literally walking the walk. Heather's story is that she walked 60 miles from Merriam, KS - where my youngest son goes to school - to Topeka to give them the message from parents of students. I walk 3 miles and I'm winded.
Game On tells me they want to be part of this project. Meanwhile, I'm sitting at the side of the road in the heat. Now, let me give you another reason why being a volunteer is awesome. As a volunteer, when you do something really stupid a lot of people will eventually find out and it becomes how they remember you. They don't tease you in a bad way - in a friendly way that tells you that you are accepted. On Saturday during the rally in Topeka I was able to film the entire event from the main state thanks to KNEA. This was great. The sun was beautiful. The camera worked fantastic. About three hours or so of setup and speeches in a beautiful park on a sunny, pretty day. So, what does this dumb volunteer do? I'm a middle age bald guy. Guess. Yep, I forgot to put on sunscreen on my head. Sure, my shoulders, not my head. Sunday night while I'm walking around saying I'm uncomfortable, my wife points out that I have sunburned the top of my head and have a couple of small blisters and that is what I find frustrating. Rather than keep this choice information to herself to cloak my foolishness, like all loving wives who treasure their husband she immediately online commented to a shared friend about my foolishness.
So, it was no surprise to get my next call while I'm waiting to see if my insurance has somewhere to go nearby. I'm sitting and reading email from two Kansas groups I really respect - one of which being Women for Kansas. On Thursday, Women for Kansas are making their area available to me and a group of volunteers who will tag along and put up with my music selections so we can tape and get interviews (FYI, if you are a Kossack who wants to come let me know free ride and lunch). So I'm reading this and low and behold, someone who has run campaigns who is the kind of mastermind I wish I was calls. Damn! Maybe he's going to give me some advice, tell me what he would do.. damn I need that advice! First words out of his mouth: "So, I hear your the idiot who forgot he's an old man and burned his head up." Followed by lots of cackling.
Now, normally I would take this as a slight. But you know what I needed some levity. I hadn't yet told my wife I screwed up the car, so having someone poke fun at me in the middle of the day while I'm in the boonies Kansas was A-OK for me.
I finally, after reading through all my email and talking to insurance get in my car and call my wife. I could have said: "Hun, there was an accident, I did something foolish". But an insight into how guys think. My response to her was: Honey, there was a car charging at me and I was lucky I pulled our vehicle into the ditch and saved my life from a head on collision.
What, you think I'm going to tell her I panicked and felt like I was going to wet my pants for no reason while doing 25 miles an hour because I have forgotten how to drive on gravel?
Get real.
Here's the best part about being a volunteer. All of that big picture strategy meetings? Those plans for how to spend the money? Those state wide planning sessions? If you stick around as a volunteer you might get into a few of those. It is exciting and fun. You know what else is great? Knowing on the big picture national and state scale if they ask my opinion they can very easily say: This guy is an idiot, let's trust the guy with a Harvard education over some dude who is an in-state schooler who took several years to piece together the last of his credits, I mean come on. Then, if you have one or two pieces of advice that they take and say: wow, you learned a lot from (whoever they assume you worked with in the past) it makes your day. You can walk out and say: Damn! Holy hell! That is mine! They took something of mine!
And if the take nothing of your suggestions but sit and nod quietly, you an feel great because not only did they at least listen without throwing things at you, they are going to trust the opinion of someone they are putting a lot of money in and if there are any stumbles along the way, at least no one can say it is your fault. Plus, as a good volunteer if you work hard and you work with their directors on what they want you to they will remember you. For those younger than me, it's 'experience points'. Just hang around, follow instructions, people will like you.
I'm writing this diary a bit long and for fun because today WAS fun. Sure, messing up my car wasn't so fun but you know, things happen.
Heather Ousley may be able to walk 60 miles, but in 7 months I've invested 24,000 miles. So, I'm claiming that as my spiritual victory for the day.
Yes, if you stick with this long enough and people like you enough maybe eventually a few people pay you. That's pretty nice. You might even get others who don't just feed you they offer you clothes. Now, admittedly they are often branded with campaign slogans and specific years, but if you need clothes you can build up a wardrobe of t-shirts, caps, I've even got some sweat pants somewhere though the campaign name rubbed off now so I can't remember what that was even for.
Here's the rules of being a volunteer:
Show up.
Listen to what your campaign or cause wants.
Represent them as much as you can, defend them if you can.
Be nice and pleasant to everyone you meet, including idiots who may want to swear at you or insinuate bad things about your genetic heritage.
Smile a lot.
There will be a hierarchy of people making decisions. But the great ones will talk to everyone to find out how to use you and get ideas. A campaign director took time out to talk to me today and ask me what I thought. Now, they could take what I thought and just throw it in the trash, but I'm a volunteer. The fact that they asked is good enough for me.
Be happy you contribute.
You, a volunteer... no matter what your candidate or cause decides, you are the part of the strategy that meets people and makes friends. You build a network. You make your party and your candidate strong.
I had a great day in Kansas today. Yes, I took videos and photos of things that were disappointing, but I met a lot of democrats who I hope by the end of the season I can count amongst my list of friends. They want what I want.
We are all volunteers. And damn glad about it.
I'm going to be away until Thursday, I have to leave tomorrow to go to South East Kansas with a lot of stops along the way. So after I leave tomorrow at 5AM in my busted up hooptie of a hybrid in the morning, I'll say goodbye until after we do Women 4 Kansas.
Margie Wakefield announces her filing in Topeka on Thursday at noon. On behalf of her campaign, if you can show up, show up. Margie is a good candidate and her staff are good people who are working damn hard.
http://wakefieldforkansas.com/
So, I had fun today, and I'm not going to be negative about Kansas. I'm going to say: I'm proud to be one of the volunteers. I'm glad others will join us. Whatever role I can serve, whatever role I am asked to serve, I am always happy when someone asks. Thank you to Miami County.