Ben Wetmore

Simple goals for any party at any level

I was asked a few times to strategize on the right goals and roles for a county party and a state party. And as one who enjoys getting to the point, or simply being pithy, I thought it would be good to outline what I thought as appropriate goals for a party of any size, in order:

1. Contest every election, heavy candidate recruitment
2. Increase the number of trained activists, and keep them busy
3. Set goals and look for results, try to engage and change the community
4. Use activism to support the goals, and give people smaller victories that will enable larger victories
5. Cultivate a donor class, to candidates, groups, projects, etc.

Granted these are pretty simple and intuitive, and the proof is always in the pudding-- in the application, but I thought these simple goals were worth writing out and saying since so few party organizations seem focused on doing these 5 together.

Labels: goals, mission, party, policy, politics

posted by . @ 12:01 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

Blog

So I find myself here tinkering around with my website, and decided to add a blog. Now, those who have sat through my former Student Publications Workshops when I worked for the Leadership Institute know well my hatred for all things blog. And so I'm going to try and lay down some ground rules for myself.

1- I won't tell you about my day, or about how I'm doing, or my relationships. I'll stick to the content that I can deliver that might be of interest: thoughts and observations on campus organizing, politics, Catholicism and the conservative movement.
2- I'll strive to be as thoughtful as possible in my posts, and strive for the highest standards of spelling, grammar and overall readability. One acknowledgment here, I think Dan Flynn does a good job editing his own posts.
3- I'll keep it pithy.
4- I'll try to write things not in a way that barfs back news, but in more of a feature-like tone, with a little more depth than you might find elsewhere.

Those are my goals, please feel free to let me know if I violate them.

Labels: mission

posted by . @ 4:41 PM 0 Comments Links to this post