Who asked for your vote?

In this week's column for the Waukesha Freeman, I tell the voters, let's not ask which politician to vote for, but ask which politician asks for our vote. It's my plea for more candidates to actually go door-to-door to campaign, and not just at my house.

Years ago when I first learned about political campaigning from the Republican National Congressional Committee, we were told the most important asset to any campaign was the candidate. Not because we could mold him or her to our will as political consultants, but because the voters were much more likely to vote if asked by the candidate.
Think about your own experience as a voter meeting a candidate and how often you were more likely to vote for that person even after just a two-minute conversation.

In a similar vein, Dave Diamond explains why he "sucks" and decided not to go to the polls, Linda Clifford didn't ask him.

Y'see, where I live there was one and only one primary on the ballot, state Supreme Court. And Linda Clifford hasn't asked me to vote for her. Everyone else on every Dem mailing list I'm on has asked, but I've yet to get an e-mail or phone call from the Clifford campaign. Thus I couldn't vote for her, because I have a personal rule about not voting for people who don't ask me.

Given the Big Red Dog is going to need every vote she can get out of Dane County in April, I suspect Dave will be hearing from her soon.

And in the "Great Minds Think Alike Department", it's purely coincidental my use of American Idol as an example of Democracy in action and this discussion between Ann Althouse and James Pinkerton. But it's fun just the same.

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