Ok, I'm really nervous

[Radical Activist]

I'm meeting with an area Dem party person tonight about running for local office. I don't know how receptive he will be yet. ugh

[Jersey Devil]

1. Don't be so nervous - they may need you more than you need them

On a local level sometimes they have to beg for candidates. Been there. Done that.

[Radical Activist]

7. True. Sometimes they do here

I don't really want to run against another Democrat.

[JohnKleeb]

9. Yeah I dont blame you

Good luck anyhow.

[xray s]

2. Tell him you have 66, 088 DU'ers on your side

That'll make him think

[Radical Activist]

8. hehe I like that thought. n/t

[Robb]

10. 66,087

...I'm the contrarian control group. :silly:

Good luck! :toast:

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. Probably rather receptive.

On the other hand, YOU need to have your shit reasonably together and get it more together, on the real issues for your campaign, every day.

[Kire]

4. Is that really why you're nervous?

Or is it because you're guilty. GUILTY! GUILTY! GUILTY!

[Radical Activist]

12. Yes, I am guilty

Did you see my post about the high school cheerleading squad yesterday?

[Kire]

21. Nah, I could just tell.

Only guilty people are nervous.

[bilgewaterbill]

23. I can't wait until you get elected.

We'll be sure to use that post against you.

[HEyHEY]

5. Jerk him off!

No I kid I kid.

Just don't care about his reaction, other than not being a total idiot.
Be the you you want to be if elected...if he don't like it... :shrug:

[Radical Activist]

11. ew!

haha I don't think so.

[DebJ]

6. We have lots and lots of offices with no Dem candidates at all

here in York County, Pa. In one area, as of a few weeks ago, a Mayor opening had neither a Dem NOR a Repub candidate....how's that strike ya?

[Radical Activist]

13. That happens here sometimes too.

I'm hoping for the best.

[Radical Activist]

14. Ok. Time to go.

Wish me luck! Thanks for the good vibes!

[Maddy McCall]

15. Good luck! I'd vote for you if I could. :-)

[Radical Activist]

16. Thanks!

[RevolutionaryActs]

17. Good luck uncle RA!

:evilgrin:

[Radical Activist]

19. Thanks

Little RA. :D

[Radical Activist]

18. It went ok.

I'm talking about '06 and they're still working on the off-year elections happening next month. He obviously took me seriously though and I'm encouraged about my prospects.

[JohnKleeb]

20. Excellent

[JimmyJazz]

22. I'm sure it went better than okay!

I'm sure you were great! :hi:

[Radical Activist]

24. aw shucks

:D

[Kire]

25. I met the chair of the neighboring county committee tonight.

I went to their HQ to support the announcement of their Assembly candidate (who is fantastic traveled to my town to talk about Kerry last year), so admittedly it wasn't my night.

I wanted to introduce myself to the county chair and tell him about the Yahoo! group I moderate (big deal, right) which I named after the coalition he formed with the chair of my county committee and one other.

After I introduced myself and told him about my Yahoo! group, another guy by walking right in front of me, but that's what those kinds of events are for. He started saying something about the candidate, and I didn't even realize that I hadn't said anything about Thom so I said, "Yeah, he's great" and put my thumbs up, and they looked at me funny and I backed right out of there and went home.

I had thoughts, bitter thoughts about how well off they are, and how they are going to carry our counties thorugh this Coalition, and "Whoa is me." But, hey, I sent a message. Even if it's forgotten, my conscience is clearer than it would be if I didn't even introduce myself.

That's my story. Thanks for the thread.

[Xithras]

26. How "clean" is your background?

I once considered running for a local office, but was warned off when it was pointed out that there are investigators who specialize in digging up dirt for political mudslinging. I have a few dark spots from my youth (including an arrest when I was 17 for possession of more than a few hits of LSD) that I didn't want to see dragged into the public spotlight and ended up deciding not to run.

Just be aware that any reasonably decent PI can dig up every arrest record, financial problem, conviction, and shady transaction you ever took part in. If you smoked pot with friends as a kid and one of those friends grew into a rethug, you should expect the press to discover it. If you've ever pissed anybody off and your opposition really feels like fighting, you can expect them to march every Tom, Dick, and Harry that you've ever rubbed the wrong way before the TV cameras.

Also, your profile says you're from Chicago, so if you engage in an actual campaign it probably won't be hard to connect your DU id to your real name once it gets started. Keep in mind that freepers troll this board daily and will no doubt take endless delight in emailing every "controversial" post you've ever made to your local press and campaign opposition. Even your Che Guevara icon could become the subject of debate.

I, personally, decided that it wasn't worth it, but you'll have my unending respect if you ignore all of the personal dangers and continue on anyway. Good luck!

[Radical Activist]

27. I'm not running for President

You're talking about the level of disclosure that is usually reserved for competitive Congressional elections or other major offices. Local campaigns may get ugly, and accusation will get thrown, but petty details of a persons past rarely play into races for local office. I know people who hold local office and state representative seats that not only have dark pasts but are living pretty sordid lives right now, and they still get re-elected. Rumors will circulate but it doesn't get into the local paper.

I don't have a criminal record so I'm not worried. If you have a record for something you did while as a minor then I'm sure you could get it expunged so that it isn't available to the public.

[Xithras]

28. Maybe politics is just uglier out here

I was only looking at running for a city council seat and went as far as doing a couple of consultations with a campaign management firm (highly recommended if you're serious...they can handle everything from phone banking to creating your banners and campaign literature, allowing you to concentrate on the campaign). One of the services offered by the firm I used was called "candidate vetting", where they basically did a cursory background check on me to see what kind of "mud" they could dig up in just a few hours of searching...we're talking research that wouldn't cost your opposition more than a few hundred bucks. I was shocked when she showed me a list that included everything from my arrests (that wasn't my only one, but it was by far the most serious) to late payments that I made on credit cards years ago. Tack onto that the fact that I'm a bisexual male married to a bisexual woman in an unconventional marriage and living in a relatively conservative area, and you can begin to see why the adviser warned me away from politics. Both my wife and I are teachers, and it quickly became obvious that a determined opponent could (and probably would) not only destroy me politically, but also do significant harm to my personal life and career. When I stated what you said...that those typed of political moves are typically reserved for federal and state offices, the advisor's response was blunt "You're a very progressive liberal running against a Republican in a conservative area, they're going to pull out every gun they can find the moment they see you as a threat". My political career ended right there.

Like I said in my first post, I immensely respect anyone who knows this and goes into politics anyway. I do recommend, however, that you find a reputable local campaign consulting firm and have a long discussion with them about the political realities in your area and the types of things you can expect when running for office. Maybe you'll have an easier time of it in a larger, more liberal city than I had out here in mostly Republican, pop 200k, Modesto California.

[Radical Activist]

29. For Newspaper articles and TV ads

They usually stick to things they can prove on paper. An arrest record can be a problem since that is well documented. I'm sure living an openly alternative lifestyle can be an issue in a conservative area. Luckily, those won't be problems for me. All the shady things I've done are undocumented and difficult to prove. I've lived a boring enough life that I don't have to worry.

Thanks for all the suggestions though.

Honestly, I've worked on enough campaigns that there isn't anything a consulting firm can do for me that I can't do myself or ask from a friend.

[fleabert]

30. hope it went well! Keep us posted, we will help all we can! nt