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Anyone ever worked in politics?

by socialentry
8 replies
Hello,

I would just like to know if anyone ever worked for a political campaign.

what is nescessary to get a foot in the door,
what is the most useful position to be in or skills to have?

I have relatives who did fairly well for themselves in politics in Asia so I'm pretty sure if I play my cards right, I can at least get a foot in the door without too much menial work. I don't want to run for office, I just want to position myself so that I can be useful.
#politics #worked
  • Profile picture of the author mianfarhanraza
    Yes, I have been volunteering in General Election 2013 (Pakistan). Just not sure about your question exactly to see if I can help.
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  • Profile picture of the author Aaron Doud
    I have talked slightly with some local campaign people and county party leaders but nothing firm.

    Foot in the door was literally a friend of a friend and a good presentation. Not sure what will come of it or if I want to get too involved but if you do just talk to people and get to the inner circle.
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    Aaron Doud - Sales & Success
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  • Profile picture of the author NewParadigm
    move to Washington DC if you are in the U.S.
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    In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    Volunteer for the candidate or party of your choice and work your way up.
    Eventually you'll get to do what you want when you have the expertise.
    Political consulting can be lucrative.

    At least in the USA, be prepared for firm holding to the party beliefs and platforms.
    For example, if you like about everything about the party A platform except for their view on abortion, then it's probably best to keep your personal beliefs to yourself.

    Dan
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    "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

      Volunteer for the candidate or party of your choice and work your way up.
      Eventually you'll get to do what you want when you have the expertise.
      Political consulting can be lucrative.

      At least in the USA, be prepared for firm holding to the party beliefs and platforms.
      For example, if you like about everything about the party A platform except for their view on abortion, then it's probably best to keep your personal beliefs to yourself.

      Dan
      I disagree, some of the best political consultants set their views aside and work for the other side of the aisle. It definitely depends on what you want to do... do you want to be a campaign manager? Do you want to be a consultant? Do you want to be a lobbyist? I've done some stuff locally and for someone who was running for a US senate seat(who lost, but that was because he couldn't keep his mouth shut over a very controversial issue). Never did it as a campaign manager and I don't think I ever will, that's not my cup of tea. I was able to get my foot in the door in 2007 when I worked for a company that did some marketing, and we had Ron Paul as a client and one of his PAC's which included a 100M person email marketing campaign and some other stuff.

      My advice... since we're approaching 2014, and mid terms are coming, contact some campaign managers or PACs for different house reps, state representative or even US house, they are more likely to allow you to get your foot in the door. Offer ONE specific service. Politicians need reputation management, all the time. But, you would be screwing them and yourself if you approach it like a lot of people approach ORM. Real reputation management is very different than what people offer online.
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      • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
        Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

        I disagree, some of the best political consultants set their views aside and work for the other side of the aisle. It definitely depends on what you want to do... do you want to be a campaign manager? Do you want to be a consultant? Do you want to be a lobbyist? I've done some stuff locally and for someone who was running for a US senate seat(who lost, but that was because he couldn't keep his mouth shut over a very controversial issue). Never did it as a campaign manager and I don't think I ever will, that's not my cup of tea. I was able to get my foot in the door in 2007 when I worked for a company that did some marketing, and we had Ron Paul as a client and one of his PAC's which included a 100M person email marketing campaign and some other stuff.

        My advice... since we're approaching 2014, and mid terms are coming, contact some campaign managers or PACs for different house reps, state representative or even US house, they are more likely to allow you to get your foot in the door. Offer ONE specific service. Politicians need reputation management, all the time. But, you would be screwing them and yourself if you approach it like a lot of people approach ORM. Real reputation management is very different than what people offer online.
        About the personal beliefs, I was thinking in terms of OP working
        for a party or candidate he believed in. A long time ago, a friend
        of mine was doing work for the Young Democrats or Republicans
        (I forgot which party). She expressed some views that differed from
        the party beliefs and just about had her head cut off. Can be a
        passionate field.

        You're right though, I guess at any level he could possibly put his
        personal views on hold and just do the work. From a purely analytical
        point of view, the Obama campaign was excellent.

        Dan
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        "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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        • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
          Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

          About the personal beliefs, I was thinking in terms of OP working
          for a party or candidate he believed in. A long time ago, a friend
          of mine was doing work for the Young Democrats or Republicans
          (I forgot which party). She expressed some views that differed from
          the party beliefs and just about had her head cut off. Can be a
          passionate field.

          You're right though, I guess at any level he could possibly put his
          personal views on hold and just do the work. From a purely analytical
          point of view, the Obama campaign was excellent.

          Dan
          Well, that is the tricky part of doing consultant work in the political arena. You are not hired to express personal views, you are hired to perform. That's all.

          I'm not an Obama fan, but you're absolutely right. The Obama campaign was excellent, more so in 2008 than 2012. In 2008, specifically the primaries, the efforts and ground work of the campaign was beyond groundbreaking. In 2012 he lost against his 2008 campaign, but with the power of the White House, it didn't matter. Romney ran a fairly standard campaign but with a vicious primary couldn't get the base excited enough for him to show up and lost cross appeal before hitting the general election. Obama's 2008 campaign is one that I don't think will be matched for a while, from an organizational standpoint.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ron Lafuddy
    Originally Posted by socialentry View Post

    Hello,

    I would just like to know if anyone ever worked for a political campaign.

    what is nescessary to get a foot in the door,
    what is the most useful position to be in or skills to have?

    I have relatives who did fairly well for themselves in politics in Asia so I'm pretty sure if I play my cards right, I can at least get a foot in the door without too much menial work. I don't want to run for office, I just want to position myself so that I can be useful.
    Yes. I passed out Goldwater for president flyers way back when.

    I was a kid and at a penny a piece, I thought it was a quick ticket to some easy money.

    As luck would have it, I was working in a solidly Polish neighborhood. Think blue collar, UAW and democratic. All the things Barry Goldwater was not.

    This was in the summer. Women didn't work outside the home, in those days. They were there. Nice houses, no air conditioning, so the front door was opened for ventilation. I had to attach my flyer to their screen door as best I could and go on to the next house.

    The flyer was rolled up with a rubber band around it. Attaching it on the door sometimes proved to be a challenge. It could take a minute and some focus to make it stay. Just enough time to for someone to see me, come to the door and ask me what I was attaching to their door.

    I learned after the first couple of houses, not to say anything about Goldwater.

    I was cussed at, yelled at, swatted at and threatened. They also threw shoes and whatever else they could reach, at me. I managed to evade those efforts, by leaping off porches scrambling over railings, and racing down the street. My bag full of flyers in tow.

    I finished putting out all the flyers and just about crawled back to get paid. The guy couldn't believe I was done so fast but he paid me.

    I decided against a political future that day. JFK had been assassinated the year before and I had been physically threatened with all kinds of violence, just for passing out a flyer. The political world can be a dangerous place
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