Lunch with the nutty professor. (me)
I had lunch with Todd Epp today in Pierre, and we had a nice conversation. I suppose it was a little awkward for both of us, since we've just e-mailed back and forth before, and now we're sitting down for lunch in person to shoot the bull, and speculate who Blog Watch Man is.
It must be what internet dating is like.
We talked about a number of topics, and politics in general. One of the things I think we both agreed on is that those in the other party are not the enemy - they are our opponents.
It's ok to be fiercely competitive, but it does everyone a disservice to consider the opposition evil or immoral just because we might disagre with their point of view. And consider it more than a disservice - if you're in the heat of competition, it might just hurt your campaign.
I pick on Frank Kloucek a little in my blog, because politically we're worlds apart. But that doesn't mean I dislike the man. In fact, I've run into Frank at the grocery store during session and he remembers my wife's name, and asks about my family - which is better than some of the people on my side of the aisle - and Frank is as cordial as can be.
As much as I might pick on Frank, I don't consider him a dullard. He may have a folksy way about him, but don't take that as not being sharp. I consider Frank a cagey student of the political craft.
It's a lot like Columbo was on television, with his rumpled overcoat, and his cigar. Asking mundane questions and ambling along. The criminals all thought him a fool, but he was just working things out in his head, and figuring out how the crime was committed. And in the end, he gets the bad guy.
If your dislike for your opponent has you convinced that they are a dope, you are bound to base strategic decisions on that, and ignore what they might have up their sleeve.
You might see your opponent ambling along and doing nothing in their race, and you pace yourself accordingly. Then two weeks before the election, you're blindsided by a blitz of advertising paid for "The Committee for Civic Beauty," which just happened to be a Political Action Committee your opponent used to hold his funds in an quiet, innocuous manner.
When my friend Brock Greenfield first ran for the state Senate, I don't think people in either party gave him much of a chance, this kid fresh out of college at Northern. But he ignored the pundits and became this tireless campaigning machine which went door to door in one of the largest district in the state.
He put up dozens of 4x8 highway signs (which I made the template for, thank-you-very-much) and was constantly hitting the trail. I don't think I'd ever seen anyone who worked as hard for a legislative seat.
First, he beat a Democratic House member, Doug Kazmerzak, who wanted to move up to the Senate. In the next election he ended up being re-districted into the same area with long-time Senator Charlie Flowers, Who had yet to be beaten. And this relatively new Senator retired Charlie as well.
When you are running for office, you owe it to yourself to not let yourself be guided by your feelings. And give your opponent some regard. It's better to overestimate their chances than underestimate them.
It must be what internet dating is like.
We talked about a number of topics, and politics in general. One of the things I think we both agreed on is that those in the other party are not the enemy - they are our opponents.
It's ok to be fiercely competitive, but it does everyone a disservice to consider the opposition evil or immoral just because we might disagre with their point of view. And consider it more than a disservice - if you're in the heat of competition, it might just hurt your campaign.
I pick on Frank Kloucek a little in my blog, because politically we're worlds apart. But that doesn't mean I dislike the man. In fact, I've run into Frank at the grocery store during session and he remembers my wife's name, and asks about my family - which is better than some of the people on my side of the aisle - and Frank is as cordial as can be.
As much as I might pick on Frank, I don't consider him a dullard. He may have a folksy way about him, but don't take that as not being sharp. I consider Frank a cagey student of the political craft.
It's a lot like Columbo was on television, with his rumpled overcoat, and his cigar. Asking mundane questions and ambling along. The criminals all thought him a fool, but he was just working things out in his head, and figuring out how the crime was committed. And in the end, he gets the bad guy.
If your dislike for your opponent has you convinced that they are a dope, you are bound to base strategic decisions on that, and ignore what they might have up their sleeve.
You might see your opponent ambling along and doing nothing in their race, and you pace yourself accordingly. Then two weeks before the election, you're blindsided by a blitz of advertising paid for "The Committee for Civic Beauty," which just happened to be a Political Action Committee your opponent used to hold his funds in an quiet, innocuous manner.
When my friend Brock Greenfield first ran for the state Senate, I don't think people in either party gave him much of a chance, this kid fresh out of college at Northern. But he ignored the pundits and became this tireless campaigning machine which went door to door in one of the largest district in the state.
He put up dozens of 4x8 highway signs (which I made the template for, thank-you-very-much) and was constantly hitting the trail. I don't think I'd ever seen anyone who worked as hard for a legislative seat.
First, he beat a Democratic House member, Doug Kazmerzak, who wanted to move up to the Senate. In the next election he ended up being re-districted into the same area with long-time Senator Charlie Flowers, Who had yet to be beaten. And this relatively new Senator retired Charlie as well.
When you are running for office, you owe it to yourself to not let yourself be guided by your feelings. And give your opponent some regard. It's better to overestimate their chances than underestimate them.
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