Dear North State political candidates,
As I’ve found myself driving to the ranch in the early hours
of the morning over the last month I have started to see a change in scenery to
the landscape. I’m not talking about the almond and walnut trees gaining
foliage and becoming greener as we move from spring to summer or the rice field
metamorphosing from bare dirt to being covered with a shallow layer of water as
the baby rice plants start to pop through the surface. No, the change I’m
referring to are the political signs that are popping up at a rapid rate across
the north state. From your neighbor’s front yard to empty lots on street
corners across town, there is no getting away from them. Along with the streets
signs come the radio and television spots which in the infancy of the campaign
tout who the candidate is and rattles off their extensive resume but as it
moves closer to the election turns into a hate filled 90 second blurb having
nothing to do with the campaign but everything to do with one candidates hatred
for the other. With all these positives it makes me wonder who doesn’t love an
election year!?.....Not being a political consultant but always willing to help
the current candidates along with potential voters, I wanted to lay out my
version of a successful campaign and how you could possibly sway me to vote for
you and it’s very simple:
1.
I don’t care if you’re a farmer, rancher,
plumber, stripper (ok, maybe just a little) etc. What I do care about is how
you are going to straighten this Titanic we call the state of California. Partaking
in one of these professions or any other doesn’t mean you share my beliefs or
that you are a fiscally responsible business person. Repeatedly saying you’re a
conservative, liberal or all things in between doesn’t encourage me to vote for
you, your actions do.
2.
Marketing 101: Don’t spend your money on ads
geared towards a demographic that you know will more than likely vote for you. Reach
out to the voter on the fence who could sway the election in your favor.
Spending precious campaign dollars letting us know your feelings about “a fish
the size of a French fry” doesn’t make me want to vote for you, it makes me
want to go to McDonalds. Educate the public on what the Delta Smelt is and why
it has a negative impact on agriculture and the billions of dollars it
generates for the economy.
3.
Don’t use famous people such as Ronald Reagan in
your ads. You did not know him and thus he is not endorsing you.
4.
Do not charge $1,000 and higher for someone to
come meet you and learn about who you are and what you stand for. Normal people
who vote can’t afford this and people like myself who can would rather put it
to better use.
5.
Be honest. Simple and to the point folks.
These principles can work on the local, state and national
level no matter what your political affiliation is. As the primary elections
approach on June 3rd I’m going to offer an alternative to the many
races....Me! Farmer. Fiscal conservative.
Honest. Funny. Drinker. Full of scandal. The one for you!……Shoot, I’m already
breaking my own rules…..
PS. Happy Friday peeps on this Memorial Day weekend. Make it
a great one and remember…..Vodka is Russian for I can do anything.
#california #election2014 #empireliving
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