Wanted: Progressive Hero Candidates

I am looking for a few progressive heroes to run for office. I am looking for one progressive hero for every office. I believe that the only reason the we have won in many places, is that we have yet tried in a progressive grassroots way. Here is a overall quick sketch of how a progressive campaign might work:

0) Start early.

1) First ask, who am I? First find your core values, and how all your proposals link back to those values. Speak in value sandwiches of value-proposal-value. Find a metaphor, a framing that totally triumphs the Republican metaphor. Drop Republican metaphors entirely (left/right/moderate fear/war etc) and never ever respond within a Republican metaphor (framing). Develop different versions of the basic speech. Develop a story arc for your whole campaign. Speak from the heart, speak simply and connect with your audience.

2) Second, find the core people of your campaign. At the beginning of the process, find the opinion leaders, the innovators, the people able to cause political earthquakes and personally ask them to believe in you, your values, your dreams and in your campaign. Each one of these people should represent a powerhouse of change and political influence. Take the time and effort to persuade them. Not just persuade them, make them true believers, be united in goals, dreams and spirit. Note that the people that you should avoid is permanent political campaign losers who speak the old ideas of triangulation, left/right/moderate, polling run campaign, etc. Look for energy, core values, ongoing commitment to working for the common good.

3) Now from your core group, take the most time available 10 people and send them to Wellstone training. Take the next weekend, make a plan and a beginning campaign organization. Send yourself on a speaking tour. Send other good speakers on your behalf on tours and go everywhere. At every point, recruit more people. Be a strong grassroots campaign, relying mostly on ground work. With a core group of people, recruiting more people, who are recruiting more people, you should now be at significant growth. Say thank you often.

4) Create excitement and use innovation to have fun and grow momentum. At this point, you will start getting the negative onslaught from the other universe. Always respond from your framework, from your metaphor, from your story using hope and dreams. Show courage and bravery. Numbers will now fluctuate. Stay positive, be the hero that everybody wants.

5) The long stretch: Thank the volunteers, nourish your people and stay in there for the long stretch. Using grassroots plan to reach out to every person in someway three ways. Now (or earlier) is the time to use the tool of inoculation, inform your supporters that about negative campaign expectations and that media is biased.

6) End game. Keep yourself looking and sounding good - self care is more important than that extra stop. Look the leader, be the leader. Back to speaking values heavily. Work and coordinate with other campaigns for the best cooperative effort, especially the GOTV.

7) Round 2, win or lose, thank everyone and have a second stage campaign based on information and issues for people to transition into, which either helps your official political representation or your unofficial political representation as the loyal opposition. Leaders keep on going!

And finally I would say to the candidate, if you believe in a progressive dream and are willing to risk all for this dream, knowing that standing up for progressive values may not be politically easy, then you are my hero and I want unite on campaign of working for the common good, together.

Most of my ideas coming from applying the concepts of the book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell, which I heartily recommend. I will be posting more and I am also personally available. If I don't have answers, I have friends and fellow posters who have many answers. I will eventually have a book of campaign tips on this site.

Yea, the Republicans could read this and try it. Grassroots is based on trust, openness, respect, caring, principles of working for the common good, diversity and people power. For a Republican, that would be like turning into a Democrat.