PARTY BUILDING 101
PLANNING TO BECOME A CANDIDATE FOR OFFICE
FOR THE AMERICAN INDEPENDENT/CONSTITUTION PARTY
I. At
the outset, consideration should be given to the threshold question:
What is the purpose of a political party?
While
there may be many aspects of a political party, its main purpose
is to offer candidates for public office who support the principles
stated in the party platform and to elect those candidates to
office. If a party does not offer candidates for office then it
ceases to be anything other than a discussion group or, perhaps,
an educational organization. Only by offering candidates can an
organization justify its existence as a political party.
In parties,
such as the AIP/CP, there is often an emphasis on the office of
President, at the national level, and Governor at the statewide
level. This usually occurs because (1) these offices are higher
in visibility and attract more interest, and (2) the party often
needs to secure a certain percentage of the vote for these offices
in order to its maintain ballot status in the state. The latter
reason is one that cannot be ignored and is of utmost importance
that we run candidates for these offices. We must remember, however,
that it is at the more local level, where our candidates will
have a better opportunity to make actual contact with the voters,
that we have a more realistic opportunity for success on election
day. For that reason we must recruit candidates who are willing
to run for State Legislative and Congressional seats and local
partisan races as well as for statewide and national office.
II. Qualifications
Are you
qualified to run? Don't sell yourself short! The founding fathers
and those who followed their lead kept the requirements to run
for office very basic and generally limited those requirements
to age, residence and citizenship. The purpose of this was to
encourage the average man (and later) woman to participate in
their government. We are supposed to be government of, by and
for the people, not the elite.
Some
AIP/CP leaders, when recruiting candidates have put it this way,
"If you are breathing and have a pulse (and meet the technical
requirements) you are qualified to run for office!"
III.
An active campaign or "a name on the ballot?"
The suggestions
set forth herein and in the next installment generally assume
that you are planning to wage an active campaign for whatever
seat you decide to target. Obviously, from the standpoint of the
AIP/CP, the optimal situation is for its candidates run active,
responsible and visible campaigns to generate positive attention
to and interest in the AIP/CP and to elect its candidates to office.
This is certainly the preferred scenario.
Sometimes,
however, the circumstances of the situation may require that our
Party settle for something less than what is considered "preferred
and optimal" in order to make sure that we have candidates
in as many ballot slots as possible. Therefore, if you are asked
to be a candidate for an office and are willing to put your name
on the ballot as a service to your party, but know that you can
do little or nothing in the way of waging an actual campaign,
and the party has no other viable option for having a candidate
in that district, by all means go for it. While it is better to
have candidates running for office who are actively promoting
their candidacies, it is likewise much more preferable for the
party to have candidates who are listed on the ballot and who
will win votes by virtue of that alone and establish a "presence"
for the party on the ballot in that election, than to have a blank
spot on the ballot. One of the saddest parts of fielding calls
in the Party office is to receive a call from a voter who wants
to vote for a AIP/CP candidate in his or her district or state
and having to inform them, "I'm sorry, we don't have a candidate
running for office in that area."
In the
end, everyone must do what their conscience and good judgment
dictates is right for them. While everyone who is thinking about
being a candidate on behalf of the AIP/CP should consider doing
everything possible to run an active and effective campaign, it
is even more important that everyone understand how urgent it
is for our party to field candidates and provide the voters with
an AIP/CP alternative on the ballot!
IV. For
which office should you run?
In some
states the more local races, like city council, and various types
of boards, are non-partisan, meaning there is no party label designated
on the ballot. This may raise the question as to whether you should
consider running for a non-partisan position. On the one hand,
there may be a far greater opportunity to get elected to a local
office, where there is no "party label" holding back
a so-called minor party candidate.
That
person, if successful, then will get an opportunity to gain experience
and build credibility and recognition by holding public office.
Once voters have elected this person one time and, assuming he
or she has done a respectable job while in office, they will be
more likely to have confidence in that person and vote for him
or her for further office, including one with a partisan AIP/CP
label on the ballot. That is certainly one way to gain credibility
and respectability both for the candidate and the party.
The downside
of this scenario is that it may take awhile for this process to
play out. In the meantime, and in the short run, the AIP/CP does
not receive the exposure or recognition or any other tangible
benefit from this candidate's efforts.
The foregoing
is a dilemma for which there is no easy solution. One must balance
the pros and cons of the particular situation. One important consideration
is whether a person has an immediate prospect of being elected
to office as a non-partisan candidate. If not, the benefit of
running "non-partisan" as opposed to running as an AIP/CP
candidate is reduced dramatically. Sometimes, of course, non-partisan
elections are held at different times than partisan elections
and then there is not necessarily a conflict making it an either/or
proposition.
Generally
speaking, the AIP/CP needs candidates who are willing to run under
its banner to give the party visibility and recognition; to carry
the party's message to the voters in that district; and build
a foundation for future electoral success in that district.
In deciding
which office to run for, you should think about 1) Where the party
needs a candidate, 2) What type of issues are most interesting
to you, and 3) The opportunities provided by circumstances in
particular races?
Certainly
the answer to the first question is that the party needs candidates
for all races, legislative, Congressional, partisan local races,
and all statewide races.
If your
interest is primarily on national issues, then, if possible, you
should probably think about running for the United States House
of Representatives or perhaps, the U.S. Senate, where those issues
will be the focus of the campaign. If you are more interested
in local, regional or statewide topics then it might be better
to focus on a state legislative or statewide constitutional office.
Our party has general philosophical underpinnings which can apply
to any office, but you should have some interest and knowledge
in the issues which will be the focus of your particular campaign.
While,
in the optimal situation, our party should run candidates for
every available office, there are two types of seats which we
should always consider targeting. First, is the occasional open
seat. You will find that candidates will "come out of the
woodwork" to run in the Democrat and Republican primaries,
but most of the time these candidates will not be all that well
known. The AIP/CP candidate, who runs an active campaign, who
participates in the debates and who holds the other candidate's
feet to the fire can make an important impact for the party in
this type of election. While the major candidates usually will
spend a great deal of money in the primaries for an open seat,
the AIP/CP candidate can usually save at least some resources
for the general election. The chances of getting attention during
the campaign and a more sizeable vote in the general election
in this type of race are better simply because the public more
than likely has yet not developed a great passion for or against
one of the major party candidates.
The other
type of election which should be targeted is one in which the
incumbent is known to be corrupt or has taken very unpopular position
on an important issue. There have been several cases lately of
congressman who have been exposed for corruption in terms of either
morals or financial ethics. In most cases these officials have
been forced to resign creating what is tantamount to an open seat.
There are also situations where there are clouds of suspicion
hanging over the head of an incumbent, but there has been no indictment
or pending resignation. In these cases voters who are disgusted
with that particular incumbent may desire to register their protest,
but be hesitant to vote for a member of the opposing majority
party. This is a situation where a AIP/CP candidate may have an
opportunity to register a significant percentage of the vote.
The same
is true where the incumbent politician is not necessarily corrupt,
but supports positions that a large segment of his or her own
party strongly disagree and where our party is in agreement with
the views of these disillusioned voters. An example of this can
be seen last year in Utah, where Republican Congressman Chris
Cannon alienated a significant portion of his constituency because
of his support for open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens.
In his circumstance, his GOP primary opponent received well over
40% of the primary vote. Obviously there was significant discontent
with this incumbent among the voters of his own party. Our CP
candidate, Jim Noorlander, who waged a strong campaign, was able
to secure over 10% of the vote in the general election against
Cannon, and certainly would have done a great deal better had
he had more money to spend to get his message out.
Still,
when our candidates, such as Jim Noorlander, start receiving double-digit
percentages of the vote, particularly in three or more way races,
we start to be taken seriously by the media and when that happens
we will have suddenly develop a great deal more credibility with
the public.
V. Deciding
to run and preparing to run…early!
It is
never too soon to get started in preparing your campaign. Before
even beginning to organize your campaign there are many things
that a potential candidate should do.
1. Prepare
yourself.
This
entails sort of "clearing the decks" so that you will
be able to campaign for office without the experience being a
complete disruption of your personal and economic life. It is
very important, if at all possible, to have the support of your
family, even if it is only tacit support. It is likely to be an
unpleasant experience if your family views the campaign as an
unwelcome intrusion into the life of the family. Also, it is a
good idea to think about how you will allot time so that the campaign
does not interfere with the all-important business of making a
living, which most AIP/CP candidates must still do during the
campaign.
2. Get
to Know your District.
Spend
time in different parts of the district. Get to know about the
district in which you plan to run. In highly urban areas, this
takes little effort because the population density will probably
result in the size of the district being rather compact. In other
less populated areas, the district may be rather large and diverse
and it is worth the effort to visit and get to know areas outside
of that in which you reside.
(This
brings up another point: You do not have to live in the same district
in which you run for the United States House of Representatives.
Although it is not a requirement, in most cases, however, it is
a much better idea that you do run in a district where you live
if you intend to do anything more than put your name on the ballot.
There have been times when our candidates, in various states,
have run in Congressional Districts, outside of their own, so
as to ensure that the party has candidates in all of the districts.
This is an understandable reason. Just be aware, however, that
the issue of your location of residence might be brought up as
a campaign issue by an opponent.)
Research
important facts about the make-up of the district: Demographics,
major industries, important issues and so forth. You may have
a philosophy, but do you understand the district that you want
to represent? This will help immensely during the campaign. The
voters will be impressed if you seem to know your district and
will almost certainly dismiss you as a serious candidate if you
do not.
3. Research
and preparation.
Secure
election maps, voter lists, past election data, information about
possible opposing candidates, etc. as far in advance of the campaign
season as is reasonable possible.
4. Get
involved in community activities
By getting
involved in community activities you can kill two birds with one
stone. First, it helps you learn more about the local issues and,
second, it helps you get to know more people, and in many cases,
influential people which, of course, could be very beneficial
to your campaign. The fact is that people are much more inclined
to vote for someone who they know (or at least who they are familiar
with) than somebody they don't know. The people you get to know
at chamber of commerce meetings, or other community activity functions,
are very likely not only to be voters, but to have influence over
others as a result of there civic involvement. Your civic involvement
will greatly maximize your exposure and credibility with the voting
public.
5. Stay
on top of Current Events
It is
of utmost importance that the potential candidate stay abreast
of current events in the world, nation and in your district. You
should always be aware how these events may impact your district.
Remember, you don't have to support "pork barrel" politics
to care about what happens in your district and how your prospective
constituents may be affected.
6. Practice
speaking and develop your theme
In most
civic forums a candidate will be afforded a couple of minutes
to introduce himself and the reasons for his campaign while the
rest of the time is generally taken up in answering questions.
Think about the points you want to make in your introduction and
conclusion. What message will you want the voters to remember?
Practice ways in which you are most comfortable at expressing
that message. Generally speaking, keeping up on current events
will help you handle most question and answer sessions, but you
must have your reasons for running so ingrained that you a ready
to state them at any time. Don't ever get caught without an answer
to the question "Why are you running for this office?"
7. Start
your campaign preparations as far in advance as possible.
Ideally,
you should begin your preparations for your campaign at least
a year before the next election. This summary is being offered
in April, 2007 and this is a perfect time to start thinking about
and planning for running for office in 2008.
As you
begin your campaign you should start to make plans for your campaign
organization, recruiting volunteers and for fundraising. Of utmost
importance is the threshold issue of getting on the ballot. All
of your plans are meaningless if you do not get on the ballot.
While it is possible to run a write-in campaign they are almost
never successful, and are only in the rarest situations worth
the time and effort to the candidate or the party. This raises
the all important threshold question: "How do I get on the
ballot?"
This
is a general discussion aimed at a national audience so no attempt
will be made herein to go into detail regarding achieving ballot
status for your candidacy, since each state's requirements are
different. Just be aware that this is absolutely of the utmost
importance. All of your other plans will go right down the tubes
if you fail to understand and satisfy the technical "nuts
and bolts" requirements of getting on the ballot in your
state. By the way, just because your state party may already have
ballot status does not necessarily mean that you as a candidate
automatically have ballot status. Most often the contrary is true
and there are further requirements that the candidate must satisfy
in order to secure a position on the ballot. It is imperative
that you research the rules pertaining to ballot access for your
candidacy and that you understand them and follow them.
VI. Financing
Your Campaign
Probably
the most famous and accurate statement ever made concerning political
fundraising was made by California's Jesse Unruh, when he said
"Money is the mother's milk of politics."
Every
campaign needs funds with which to operate. Those funds don't
appear by magic, particularly in an AIP/CP campaign. In order
to secure necessary funding some real work needs to be done. Successful
fundraising requires that the campaign in general and the candidate
in particular, spend quality time planning and executing a fundraising
plan. It is estimated that winning candidates on every level—federal,
state, or local— spend a minimum of 50% of their time fundraising.
You are
not alone if you find the idea of asking people for donations
unseemly or perhaps even a bit terrifying. If you plan to mount
a meaningful campaign, however, you must disabuse yourself of
such notions and/or fears. It is a task that cannot be avoided
if you plan to wage a meaningful campaign.
The number
one reason that people do not donate to a political campaign is
because they have not been asked to do so! Give people some credit.
They know that political campaigns are expensive and a reasonable
person will understand that you cannot be expected to fund it
yourself. They will not look at it like you are asking for charity
or welfare. While not everyone will say "yes", many
will, especially as you get better at doing the asking.
Your
campaign must figure out how much money it needs to carry out
the activities it plans and then it needs to figure out how to
raise the money. This is referred to as the fundraising plan.
By knowing what your campaign will entail you will be able to
better determine the amount of funding you will require. Someone
who may be considering making substantial contribution to your
campaign may ask you what your specific campaign plans and needs
are. If you cannot provide an answer to that question you may
not receive that contribution or may receive a far lesser amount.
As you
consider preparations for your campaign, and for fundraising in
particular, you should give thought to three basic methods you
will probably need to employ in order to achieve your fundraising
goals:
1. Personal
Solicitation
2. Mail Solicitation
3. Fundraising Events
More
attention will be giving to how to implement your fundraising
plan in the next installment of: Party Building 101.
WILLIAM KENNEDY SHEARER
CALIFORNIA STATESMAN PUBLISHER
AMERICAN INDEPENDENT PARTY FOUNDER
On March
3, 2007, California Statesman publisher and American Independent
Party founder William Kennedy Shearer left this world to claim
his eternal reward in heaven.
He is
survived by his sister, Sue Suratt of Brooklyn, New York; his
daughter Nancy Shearer Spirkoff; three stepchildren, David, Douglas,
and Dianne Lindstrom; nine grandchildren, and 25 great grandchildren.
Bill
Shearer was born in Marysville, California, on January 21, 1931,
to William and Eva Kennedy Shearer. He was a third generation
Californian. His father died as the result of an automobile accident
when he was only seven. He and his mother and sister made their
way to San Diego County, California, where his mother was a 6th
grade school teacher. For the most part, Bill resided in San Diego
from that time until his resent passing.
He graduated
from Grossmont High School in La Mesa, California; served in the
United States Army during the Korean War in 1953-54; earned his
B.A. degree at San Diego State University, graduating in 1955;
and received his law degree from Western State University of Law
San Diego (now Jefferson School of Law) in 1975.
From
the time he was in high school Bill had an insatiable appetite
for politics. In 1952 he was a precinct organizer; in 1953 and
1955-56 he worked in Washington, D.C. as a Legislative Aid to
Congressman James B. Utt. In 1956 and 1958 he ran as the Republican
nominee for the California State Assembly in the 77th District,
San Diego County. Then, in 1967, after having tasted both Republican
and Democrat politics, Bill worked tirelessly in California and
across the nation to get Alabama Governor George C. Wallace placed
on the ballot for President, and to establish a viable third party
in the United States, the American Independent Party.
The procedures
for ballot qualification in California were extremely difficult.
To qualify a new party for the ballot required 66,059 voter registrations.
Under Bill's capable guidance, over 100,000 new party registrants
were approved when filed with the Secretary of State. This was
the birth of the American Independent Party of California. Although
the new party went through many a transformation at the national
level, the California party that Bill founded has, after 40 continuous
years of ballot qualification, become the nation's third largest
and fastest growing political party which now boasts well over
300,000 registered members.
In 1955,
Bill met the love of his life, Eileen Mary Knowland, whom he called
"Her Ladyship". In 1956 they married, and Bill and Eileen
worked side by side from that time until God called her home in
December, 2003. Their love was admired by everyone who came into
contact with them. Bill was often heard singing the following
love song to Her Ladyship:
"Oh lassie
come and dance with me when stars begin to shine,
Oh lassie come and dance with me and say you will be mine.
With our arms around each other, we'll be happy as can be.
I'll never love another, lassie, come and dance with me."
In the
early 1960s Bill and Eileen took over The Oceanside Banner, a
local newspaper which launched Bill's career as a journalist.
In 1926, Bill began publishing The California Statesman, a job
which he so enjoyed, he continued to do it for the rest of his
life.
Bill
loved music. Growing up on the border, he was especially fond
of Mexican mariachi music, which could be heard emanating from
the Shearer home seven days a week. Bill also took great interest
in Gilbert & Sullivan opera which he could recite word for
word. He could sing in half a dozen foreign languages and loved
all the folk music of the world.
An ancient
near eastern history buff, Bill was writing a chronology of the
kings of Egypt when he died. His personal library on ancient near
eastern history exceeds that of most libraries in California and
the nation.
Bill's daughter Nancy
gave the following eulogy at her father's funeral on March 9,
2007:
"Dearest Friends
and Family:
"I thank you
all for coming today and honoring my father with this incredible
display of affection represented by your presence, and all these
beautiful flowers.
"As you all
know, I took my parents care very personally and people seem
to be impressed by my performance, so I thought I'd let you
in on my secret, as it may be helpful to you in your lives ahead.
There are two keys.
"First, is
the Fifth Commandment out of the Bible: ‘Honor thy father
and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which
the Lord thy God giveth thee.'
"And, the other
is something my God Mother told me: ‘Don't deny yourself
the privilege of walking your parents to heaven. You'll have
no regrets.'
"On the day
my father was diagnosed with cancer I found out what true unconditional
love was when the first thing he said to me was: ‘Oh no,
I'm so sorry. I don't want you to have to go through this.'
"That was the
day my dad and I fell in love all over again. After many years
of working together, and doing a good job of trying to respect
one another while standing on two opposite shores in the same
room, that day, unconditional love became the rule.
"Taking care
of my dad, as many of you know, was no easy task. He had irons
in all the fires, all the time. Trying to keep up was the order
of the day.
"There is no
way in the world I could have taken care of my father, by myself,
since he moved home from the law office to his new library.
I would now like the following people to rise and be recognized
for the exceptional part they played in caring for my dad: Beatrice
Espinoza, no one knows exactly how long she has worked taking
care of my mom and dad, but it has been at least 15 years; Ann
Thomas, who now knows more about where things are in my dad's
office than I do, and can type an entire set of newsletters
in one day, especially if it means we can stay longer in Mexico;
and Joline Anderson, who only lapsed on me one day when she
decided that her duck's broken foot was more important than
dad. We had duck for dinner.
"Seriously,
ladies, you have my undying gratitude. I thank you from the
bottom of my heart for your friendship and comfort. We are the
ring bearers. All for one, and one for all!
"On the day
my father went to heaven there was a reunion the likes of which
has never been seen. He ran into his father's arms, arms which
had not wrapped around him since he was seven. He was once again
with her ladyship, my mother, Eileen, whose relationship with
dad can only be likened to that of our second president, John
Adams, and his wife Abigail, of whom it was said:
"They married
in 1764 beginning one of the great love affairs of American
history. They were lovers, friends, counselors, and mentors
to one another into old age.
"My parent's
love affair was also one of the great love affairs of American
history because out of their love grew the third largest and
fastest growing political party in the United States, a party
which, for much of my life, has been my closest sibling.
"Being a Shearer
was never boring with parents running for Governor and Vice-President.
"Do me a favor,
don't remember my dad after his favorite quote was: ‘Well
I've been shot off the horse. I just have fallen over yet.'
"Remember him
the way he was described by Jeffrey Elliot in Community Social
Science Quarterly, Fall, 1973:
" ‘Bill
Shearer casts a giant shadow – a lean Cassius, he stands
6'3" tall and weighs 180 pounds. He is armed with a booming
voice, a contagious laugh, and a gracious smile. An ebullient
personality, Shearer's style is florid, his manner propulsive.
" ‘Unlike
most politicians, Shearer has tremendous chutzpah; never one
to cower in battle, he enjoys the perfume of combat. He has
led campaigns against open housing and busing, obscenity and
drugs, and government waste and corruption.'
"My father
was a great leader of the AIP people, and he guided them to
the best of his ability through the political wilderness for
40 years.
"Then, there
was my father's professional career as an attorney, of which
I'll tell you three of the many stories there are to choose
from.
"I worked with
my dad as his trial assistant for 20 years and I will never
forget the absolute glee of watching my father impeach a witness
on the stand.
"To hear
him say: ‘And that's your answer here in court today
Mr. Smith?'
"Mr. Smith:
‘Yes'
"Dad: ‘Mr.
Smith do you remember having your deposition taken back in
December in my office down here, over yonder?'
"Mr. Smith:
‘Yes'
"Dad: ‘And,
Mr. Smith do you remember what your answer was? Here let me
show you your deposition dated ______. Your honor may I approach
the witness?'
"Oh, to see
daddy get ‘em was quite a treat.
"One of dad's
partners, Bryan Snyder, used to say a Shearer trial was like
a three ring circus because my mother would show up and whisper
with me in gallery, and we would be passing notes to dad telling
him what questions to ask. The judge actually had to admonish
us at the breaks, after the jury was out, to keep quite. You
can imagine the fuss.
"Then there
was the Indian case, Short v. United States. The case was filed
the year I was born. Dad worked on it from 1976 to 2007. A case
in which we represented over 100 Indian plaintiffs, who eventually
won $86 million dollars from the government, but most of whom
had died trying to get it. In the end, when we filed the substitution
papers in Short v. United States, and there were still three
people left to be paid, dad and I had a good cry in the library.
He so wanted to complete the task, but his time to practice
law had come to an end.
"A few days
later a personal card arrived from one of the opposing attorneys
in the case, it read:
" ‘I
saw with regret the explanation of your Motion to Substitute
Bill Wunsch for yourself. Of course we don't object to the
motion. What a turn of events! I will never forget the courtesy,
humor, and professionalism you have shown throughout this
long case. Thank you and best wishes!'
"Several days
later, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Lawrence Margolis
personally called my father, and in one of the last meaningful
telephone conversations my father had, told him what an excellent
attorney he was, how much he had enjoyed having my father practice
before him, and how much he appreciated my father's sense of
humor.
"This time,
my brother Doug and dad had a good cry in the library, as I
was in Hawaii.
"When my dad
couldn't get to his desk, he was gone in five days. He leaves
many a legacy behind…
"I love you
daddy. Via con Dios papa!"
Bill Shearer was
an extraordinary man, a wise counselor, a steeped historian,
a wonderful husband and father, a good provider, an earnest,
honest, faithful leader, always for America first. Bill Shearer
was the California Statesman.
Click
Here For News & Views Archives
