YOUR Thoughts on Russell's Campaign

Here's what I wrote to the National Republican Congressional Committee web site Tuesday night. A new column ("Politics and 'the Wave'") will be up noon on Wednesday;

There will be several fierce races in PA this year, including my own district (the 4th) with Melissa Hart versus Jason Altmire and in the 12th, with Lt. Col. William Russell running a very imaginative and effective campaign against John Murtha. In many cases, Republicans will NOT be able to outspend Democrats, so we need to come up with other ways to win. Those other ways include effective use of the Internet (electrons are basically free, unlike TV ads) and heavy reliance on volunteers, especially young people attracted to a campaign like Russells. Can the blogs really make a difference? Check out the Huckabee Campaign, which has been largely blog driven. And check out the almost unbelievable accomplishments of Brad Marston on behalf of Senator McCain. We all know about "The Wave" at atheltic events. I'm going to write tomorrow about how we can create the political equivalent of "The Wave" to support Republican candidates. Come visit me at http://stevemaloneygop.blogspot.com or http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com and give me your own thoughts on creative ways to win elections. "The Wave" begins with just a few people and ends up including tens of thousands of people. -- steve maloney, 4th District PA


Note: This blog is different from most others. They generally offer tidbits of political gossip (gleaned from CNN) -- or poll data that will be out-of-date within a week. The emphasis here is on HOW -- on how candidates in tough races can raise enough money and build enough support to win. Politics is not about idelogical preening. It's about taking practical elections that lead to celebrations on Election Eve. If you don't win elections, your complaints and suggestions will fall on deaf ears.

One of the great things about the campaign of Lt. Col. William Russell against John Murtha is Russell’s willingness to be creative – to “think outside of the boss.” Also, the campaign is very willing to consider ideas from voters, both those in the 12th Congressional District and outside it.
All the campaigns I’ve endorsed (see the names above) will be uphill battles. It will be difficult to prevail in them, but at the same time, all of them could be winnable with excellent political tactics.

I’m asking all bloggers and their visitors to put on their thinking caps. When I get ideas from you I’ll pass them along to the candidates. I’m starting with the Russell Campaign, and these are the questions I’d like you to reflect on. You can leave the comments on this site or e-mail me at TalkTop65@aol.com. Here are some key questions:

• First, how would you suggest Russell go about raising significant amounts of money given Murtha’s penchant for seeking revenge against those in his District who support his opponents?
• Second, Since most people don’t contribute to campaigns is there an approach that will change that fact?
• Third, what issues – three at the most – would you suggest Russell emphasize in his campaign?
  Fourth, how would you go about attracting conservative Democrats, a huge group in the 12th District, to vote for Russell? (There are twice as many registered Democrats in the District as Republicans.)
• Fifth, what are the best ways for Russell to communicate with voters: face-to-face (hard because of the size of the district)? Television? Radio? Bumper stickers? Buttons and Tee-shirts? Yard signs? If all of them, which would you stress?
• Sixth, to what degree would you emphasize by name the lobbyists and other special interests currently pouring money into the Murtha campaign?
• Seventh, would you discuss Murtha’s close links with Nancy Pelosi and other far-left Democrats?
• Eighth, are either Murtha’s advanced age (75) or his 34-year-reign in Congress significant issues?
• Ninth, what’s the best use Russell can make of the many bloggers from around the country who are advocating his candidacy?
• Tenth, how much should Russell make of the fact that Murtha will refuse to debate (almost a certainty).
  

I hope everyone who visits this site – or for that matter, your own site – will speak out on one, two, or more of these questions. They’re all very real for William Russell and his supporters, and the answers are not always completely clear. Please help out. It doesn’t matter where you’re located. Remember, my e-mail address is: TalkTop65@aol.com. I'll tell you the results soon.

Marines, Families For WILLIAM RUSSELL

Called "the most famous photograph in history -- by Joe Rosenthal, AP

WHY ARE WE IN IRAQ? I BELIEVE WE'RE THERE FOR HER . . . (From Michael Yon)

Column dedicated to Peter Domiano (USMC), Thomas Cartwright (USMC), Henry Ledford (USMC), Sandy Petromalo (USA, 101st), "Beaver" Becker (USA, 101st), Adam Giran (USMC), Matt Franchik (USMC), (USMC), J. J. Rodriguez (USMC) and Larry Stiles (USMC). The ones in boldface gave "the last full measure of devotion" to their country.

For All Who Love the Military

Many Marines and their Marine families will be visiting here in the next several days. I'm asking them to sign up for Bloggers 4 Russell (either leave a comment here with your blog name or e-mail me at TalkTop65@aol.com. Larry Stiles (listed above) is a Viet Nam era Marine who's managing the campaign of Lt. Col. William Russell against John Murtha. With your contributions and support, William can win this race against a very corrupt and well-financed opponent. What you need to do right now is to go the Russell site by clicking on: http://williamrussellforcongress.com/.

Then, come back here and glance through the many columns I've written on the Russell-Murtha race. Military men and women from every service are a critical constituency in this race. In the columns below, you will find an emphasis on exactly why and how Russell will prevail. Please give whatever assistance you can. And be sure to sign up as a Blogger 4 Russell! We now have more than 40 such bloggers, and we're aiming for 500. God bless you all.

(Note: Bev Paulson and her wonderful TheBandofMothers.com is offering great support from Russell. If you're a Blue-Star or Gold-Star mother, please look into her splendid organization.)

On my other blog site: http://camp2008victorya.blogspot.com, you'll find listed many Bloggers 4 Lt. Col. William T. Russell. Soon, the links will be transferred to this site and "blog-regated" in a way that you'll be able to have your own blogroll of Russell Supporters. My goal is to have 100 such Bloggers by January 1 -- and 500 by next autumn. The more Russell's name and ability get out there, the more likely people will be to visit his web site and offer support. With all of us working together, we will ensure victory.

If you'd like to use any of my columns (below) about Murtha, be my guest. There's always a lot of good material on William's web site. If you're able to make a small contribution, it will be very helpful in the "foundational" stage of what will be one "whale-uva" effort.

Steve Maloney (An independent force of nature backing the Russell Campaign).

Concentric Circles: An Army of Bloggers

Afterthoughts: On the need to get 500 Bloggers for Russell (and knowing, I'd secretly like 1,000-plus: I believe in the theory that former presidential candidate Gary Hart called "concentric" circles. It means that you don't win big races -- like Russell vs. Murtha -- by drawing large crowds of anonymous people. Instead, you find a lot of individuals -- bloggers and other activists -- who drop a pebble in the pool. Then, it goes in concentric circles including other people in the campaign. Then, those "others" drop their own pebbles. I know the Blog World, and those in it are great at dropping pebbles. I found another one of these "connectors" today: Samantha. The Russell Campaign will find many more.

In a political context, Connectors are people who reach out to others and discuss issues with them. Of great importance Connectors know -- and connect with -- men and women like them. So, when I met Samantha online, I knew I'd found someone who can play a significant role in the Russell Campaign.

I urge you to visit Samantha at: http://honeyandlace.blogspot.com/.

If you get enough of the connectors, the waves of support beging washing into Pennsylvania -- and the 12th congressional district. If William Russell's campaign becomes a matter of national importance -- as it is already starting to be -- the news won't be lost on Johnstown, Uniontown, Waynesburg, Monogahela, and Washington.

It starts with concentric circles, but eventually it will turn into a tidal wave of support in and around the 12th District. The 12th District is not the "Johnstown Congress." It's a part of the United States Congress. And its' the entire USA that's going to prevail in this race that is looking more and more like it just might be winnable.

So, keep tossing your pebbles into the Blogosphere!

I hope everybody will read Samantha's comment and my reply in the column underneath this one. She strikes the right nail!

RUSSELL ON BLOG RADIO MONDAY AT 8 P.M. (EASTERN)

Jenn of the Jungle, a BlogTalkRadio powerhouse, will have Lt. Col. William Russell, who's running hard and well against John Murtha, on her radio show at 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10. Jenn announces her show will be "Skewering Leftards like shrimp on a barbi . . . Jenn's Jungle Radio supports our troops and their mission. Bring it Moonbats." She's good. She's funny. And she just may be the girl your mother warned you about!

Find Jenn at http://blogtalkradio.com/screwliberals. The call-in number for her show, and I hope you will do so, is: (646) 478-5334. She's a strong and effective supporter of our troops.

If you're impressed by William Russell -- and yes, you will be -- go to his web site and make at least a small contribution for this good man: http://williamrussellforcongress.com/. I did!

"DOWN GOES MURTHA, DOWN GOES MURTHA"

"DOWN GOES FRAZIER! DOWN GOES FRAZIER" (From a famous boxing match between "Smokin' Joe Frazier and Muhammed Ali.) Lt. Col. Russell will play the role of Ali.)


I sent the following to Chris at http://thehotjoints.com/, the most recent person to join “Bloggers for Russell”

Chris, Thanks very much for joining the Bloggers for Russell. On William's web site there will be a steady stream of releases and comments over the next 11 months (yikes! that's a long time). It's critically important at this early stage of the campaign that everyone who supports Russell make at least a small contribution.

I'll have everybody up on The Bloggers for Russell-- there are about 40 now -- within the next week. Much appreciate the support. As is happening with Huckabee in Iowa, the bloggers are going to be William Russell's secret weapon in defeating Murtha.

Chris, you’re right that Murtha’s comments on Haditha were outrageous. For political gain, he damaged our soldiers and provided propaganda for our enemies in Iraq.

My suggestion -- and I'm working on the "outside" and NOT a member of the Russell Campaign Staff -- would be with Issue #1 to rub Murtha's nose in Haditha on every possible opportunity. His comments were totally self-serving, designed to get support for him as Majority Leader among far-left, anti-military Democrats. Supporting our troops does not mean making statements that put their lives in danger.

Another big issue is that he's done nothing for 90% of the 12th congressional district (outside his home county of Cambria). As I’ve pointed out in previous columns, the Median Household Income in the 12th is one of the lowest in Pennsylvania.

A major reason for this is that Murtha has relied almost exclusively on government handouts – “earmarks” – and has done nothing to stimulate the growth of private business. Even in his favored place, Johnstown, Murtha’s actions have led to a steady population decline. The area is beautiful and the souls there are hard-working, good people, and I’m happy to live among them, but Murtha has done little for them.

On October 30, 2007, The Wall Street Journal had an article about how Murtha's earmarks had "rebuilt" home town. However, the Journal is wrong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources show that Murtha's "rebuilding' is an illusion -- a case of self-promotion.

In this century, the population of Johnstown, PA, has gone down by more than 7%. That's NOT the sign of an economy and a community that growing and thriving. Yes, unemployment in Cambria County has gone down, but that's because so many people who couldn't find jobs left the area.

The third issue is that he’s done everything possible to advance the power of Nancy Pelosi and others just as bad, which totally conflicts with his bogus image of being a "conservative" Democrat. Pelosi and her main supporters in Congress stand for everything that's detestible to voters in the 12t District. Murtha managed Pelosi’s campaign for the majority leadership and was one of the Democrats who voted for her as Speaker of the House. When the voters of the District figure out that Murtha and Pelosi are joined at the hip, they will react with revulsion.

A congressman can't be a complete backer of Pelosi and a supporter of things that matter to voters of the 12th District. He says one thing to his constituents and something else in Pelosi's quarters.

Pelosi believes that Murtha is “a good man.” Well, he might be a good something but he’s not a good MAN.

Is the approach I suggest “too negative?” Actually, it’s important for a congressional candidate – William T. Russell in this instance – to indicate both why he should be elected – and why his opponent should not. It's NOT negativity to tell the truth about Jack Murtha’s many failings, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. (Scroll down to see fact-based criticisms of Murtha.

One thing Democratic guru Joe Trippi says that I agree with is that the essence of a campaign should be on a single three-by-five card. The three issues I highlight will fit on that card. I hope the Russell Campaign focuses on basic points that emphasize exactly WHY Murtha must go.

Haditha, the Economy, and Pelosi: if Russell gets these three points across we all stay up very late on Election Night.

____________________
HOW TO WIN A CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION: ADVICE FOR WILLIAM RUSSELL

People keep asking me: "But how William Russell win against a powerful incumbent congressman (John Murtha) who's sold out to everyone with a huge handful of cash (lobbyists, basically)? And I keep telling them exactly how William Rusell can win -- and, I believe, will win. Russell symbolizes everything that's good and wholesome about American society -- being a soldier, a husband, a father of young children, and a thoroughly principled man.

In the 12th District, there are approximately 650,000 people and roughly 320,000 registered voters -- most of them, admitedly, Democrats. But they don't invariably vote for Democrats. George Bush, not the most popular guy in Pennsylvania, carried Murtha's home county (Cambria) in 2004. And Bush came close to carrying the entire 12th District (getting 49%-plus of the vote). p

To win the 12th District, William needs to identify at least 100 very influential individuals. Only a few of these people will be affluent people who will make large donations to his campaign. Trust me, most of the rich people in the 12th will support John Murtha, because he's the person who's played a major role in making them rich. Basically, he's helped funnel your tax money to them, and they reciprocate by giving him hefty campaign "contributions." In reality, they're giving him a cut of YOUR tax money. In contrast, the influential people making small donations to William realize that he's not for sale.

(Go to http://opensecrets.org/, plug in the name "John Murtha" and you can see how much money he's raised -- a year before the election! You'll also see exactly who's given it. They're mainly lobbyists and influence-peddlers, people described by John Brady (author of "Bad Boy") as "overpaid people who made their oversized livings with retainer fees based on influence rather than ability, people who could not explain what they did for a living in less than a paragraph.")

If you track Murtha's "contributions" carefully, and I hope you will, you'll find that most of his contributions are coming from DC, VA, and MD. That's where the lobbyists ply their questinable trades. Many of the Murtha contributions that appear to come from Johnstown actually have their origins in companies solidly embedded in the Washington Beltway.

So, since William is going to have a lot less money than Murtha, he has to rely heavily influentials that are real residents of the 12th District and are keys to victory. Here's how Internet guru Joe Trippi describes such people:

"In a place like Jones County, Iowa, you get Jimmy Hogan [a well-liked family farmer and local Democratic official] and you were halfway to delivering the whole [darn] county."

Trippi continues, "This is something not everyone realizes about our political system. Not all voters are created equal. Some people carry more influence."

"In his book on consumer 'epidemics,' The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell writes, '. . . the success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.' Gladwell calls these influential people, people like Jimmy Hogan, 'connectors.'"

Trippi adds, "In the [Howard] Dean campaign, we called them bloggers."

As I've explained in my discussion of Bloggers 4 Rusell -- now up to 40 and eventually to reach 400 -- the blogs will be a key NATIONAL factor in building support for William. Dozens of bloggers are making contributions to William's campaign -- and hundreds of bloggers will do so in the future. Many of the tens of thousands of people who will visit such blogs will do the same.

In terms of connectors -- people who are very social and seem to "know everybody," I've only been in the 12th District for about a day, but I've found four "connectors" -- and will find many more.

One of the connectors is Melanie, a greeter at a restaurant. Another is Rhonda, the outspoken sister-in-law of a soldier killed in Iraq. Yet another is the head of a local Republican Party. A fourth is an obvious choice, Diana Lynn Irey, who ran against Murtha in 2006 -- and garnered nearly 80,000 votes.

A tremendous blog effort is going to be an important factor, but by itself, it's not enough. There also must be an intense effort to find "connectors" and commit them to the Russell cause.

Connectors are people like ministers, priests, and rabbis, as well as barbers/hair stylists, local officials, police personnel, heads of organizations like the American Legion, and many others. They spend a lot of time talking about events of local significance, especially political campaigns.

Get the bloggers and the connectors -- and then you win the election. And you've struck a major blow for good government.

(Note: Material on this blog is NOT copyrighted. You're welcome to use it on your own blog or other outlet. Just be sure to give credit where credit is due. Thanks.)