A recent NBC News article stated, “Republicans are spending million on turnout operations that are deeply flawed.” (Republicans are spending millions on turnout operations that are deeply flawed, insiders say). The gist of the article states GOP campaigns must hire people without allegiance to their candidates to conduct boring, but essential campaign duties of registering and canvassing voters and identifying supporters. In contrast, Democrats have built-up a network of volunteers to draw from.
Democrats have readily available blocks of door knockers through unions, community activist organizations (with their hordes of non-working welfare volunteers) and black churches. During election season, a good number of the latter turn into campaign offices for Democrats.
Volunteers may feel passion about a candidate, but they are not a panacea. Remember, they are volunteers and really can't be fired. (Of course, a campaign can theoretically fire a dysfunctional volunteer. But to do so risks repercussions from the volunteer damaging the candidate with retaliatory criticism in their church and social circles.) And the GOP did an abysmal job of volunteer recruitment because we’re more concerned about jobs, generating capital and providing for our families than volunteering.
Back to the welfare volunteers. I have personally seen community activist organizations mandate recipients volunteer for liberal causes and then bus them to the polls to vote. After a parishioner leaves the poll, he is rewarded for his blind devotion with a bounty of a meal, cash, whisky, or all the above.
In fact, a well-known Democrat tactic necessitates their candidates visit churches during a Sunday service to make a nice “donation” to the preacher. Then on the Sunday before the general election, Democrat operatives return to these churches to distribute ballots emphasizing preferred candidates.
I don’t buy into the hysteria Trump’s reelection was stolen. But I have no doubt the Democrats committed widespread 2020 election fraud. Poor dears, they can’t help themselves. It’s in their DNA. I’m not claiming the GOP is chaste in this regard. (Karl Rove and Lee Atwater are recent feral examples.) But the Dems have a long and contemptible history of campaign skullduggery abetted by Mafia controlled unions. A few of the more infamous examples: Boss Tweed, Charles Daley and LBJ.
A long time ago, I managed a Republican campaign’s ballot integrity effort. In one precinct that historically voted overwhelmingly in favor of Democrat candidates by a 95-to-5 margin, our poll worker reported a very disturbing incident. The opponent’s campaign manager entered the premise. On its face, this is a legal activity. But he was joined by his henchman who wielded a gun and threatened our poll worker to, “get the h**l out” of the precinct – a felonious violation of election law. Needless to say, our worker cut out like Speedy Gonzales.
Let’s face it: as Republican conservatives (well, at least most Republicans are), our tribe manifests that conservatism. Historically, we want to preserve society, not drastically transform it into a leftist utopia the way Jacobin liberals want. Put another way, we culturally tend to be temperate in our actions and thus do not rally to our causes with the same passion and energy as the Democrats. (It is extremely rare those on the right commit violence, such as burning and pillaging as those on the left.)
Hate him or love him (which I don’t), Trump ripped apart that paradigm with his readiness to hurl personal invective and a willingness to throw punches. His hoi polloi behavior earned him the affection of millions whose hearts previously were repeatedly crushed by milquetoast Republicans who campaign as candidates with ostensible conservative backbone. Then upon election turn into goons of the state and toadies for rent-seeking companies who benefit from corporate welfare.
This leads us back to the question: If volunteers can’t meet our need for voter contact and hired workers don’t have the commitment to our causes and candidates, how do Republicans combat the Democrats superior ground troop numbers?
My experience has been to recruit, hire AND pay those who are willing to volunteer for the critical jobs of door-to-door proselytizing and voter support identification. This ensures you have passionate workers and provides them the financial incentive to optimize their time doing campaign work, instead of limiting their involvement due to pursuit of other activities, such as jobs, pick up the kids from school, little league, volunteering for charity, etc.
In the past, I discovered motherlodes of available and willing campaign workers from home school associations. Members overwhelmingly are conservative. They are not obligated to attend an 8-to-3 conventional school schedule, which allows them more flexibility to meet campaign demands. A key tenet of the homeschool ethos is to engage in tasks that generate wages and help develop practical skills for the work place. And what better way to learn such skills than how to communicate and interact with people?
Another good source are private schools (I once witnessed the hiring of a high school band whose efforts resulted in a nice donation to the group to help fund equipment and travel to competitions), stay-at-home moms, Republican clubs, senior citizen groups (they like a nice diversion from shuffleboard and bingo), VFW, American Legion and NRA, National Wild Turkey Federation and Ducks Unlimited chapters.
I share all of this to make this point. Republicans will continue to get our teeth kicked-in if we don’t stop adhering to the conventional ways of campaigning (Stop posting yard signs at road intersections! Bad vote-to-time expended yield). Being more creative on how we deploy precious and limited campaign resources will bring us more victories at the ballot box.
Mike Gunn is a former Northside state senator. He lives at the reservoir.
