Out-of-the-box campaign ideas

Steve and I were chatting at the potluck. I mentioned two sources of ideas for his up-coming campaign.

One is Wellstone Action. They provide a range of trainings and tools for authentic candidates. Next Camp Wellstone sort of nearby is May, in Virginia.

Camp Wellstone
5/9 - 5/11/08		Camp Wellstone: Virginia This Camp will open for registration six weeks in advance.

More about the training:

• Electoral Campaigns: Tools and Tactics for Success
• Citizen Activism: Grassroots Advocacy and Organizing
• Being a Candidate: How to Run and Win a Progressive Campaign

Each track has a distinctive curriculum (see below) taught by some of the nation’s leading experts in grassroots politics and organizing. In each track, we draw from Paul and Sheila Wellstone’s distinctive and innovative approach to politics – something we call the Wellstone Triangle. The three elements of the triangle are: progressive public policy, which lays out an agenda for action; grassroots community organizing, which builds a constituency to fight for change; and grassroots electoral politics, which provides tools for influencing and holding decision-makers accountable.

The other resource is the idea of using community service events to promote a candidate and an issue. Chris Carney did this at least once in Sunbury. I recall in the 06 cycle that there was a PAC making this tactic their central push. A google search now is fruitless to turn up the website. Maybe Jim Buck recalls the specific name. I thought it was ServicePAC.

UPDATE: It was called good works PAC. Site now seems defunct. Here is a Kos diary explaining it: Post.

It would be good to see if they thought it worked and if not, why not?

I thought it would give you good free press, humanize and ground more progressive candidates, and help to uncover new contacts and volunteers as you build a netcentric and grassroots campaign.