The Daily Bray 8/14/2025

Old School Campaign Manual Introduction

Archive 2/2012

When I coached baseball and basketball our motto was, “No matter if you win or lose as long as you have fun; it’s just winning is a lot more fun than losing“. It’s time the Republican Party of Oregon begins to have some fun and we have found the way to help do it.

We began a walking campaign that stumbled onto one of the most effective ways to reach voters and change minds. We had a town that had voted Democrat for the previous 8 years and a State Representative who was targeted as the easiest seat to change from Republican and not only did she win it but our town went Republican.

In addition to her seat, we nearly switched the long time State Senate Leader with a woman who had never run for a position before. He was so terrified by our forest of signs and enthusiasm for our candidates he increased his usual $200K campaign to over a million dollars to retain his seat.

Many believe his being forced to protect his seat cost some others theirs, brought us from their super majority to a tied house and cut the Senate to a one-seat advantage. We did all of that without any training or organization from the Party. The DNC threw everything from the unions and students to vicious ads as they targeted our town and a group of amateurs was able to beat them with a system so simple yet so effective it has to be repeated.

The one thing we didn’t do which needs to be done is to go on offense. As a Conservative in one of the most liberal states and cities in the union you become used to being defensive. When Republican candidates are questioned on Conservative issues they naturally take the defensive position and try to explain why they don’t hate children and puppies rather than showing how their beliefs are actually a benefit to children and puppies. For example, when Julie Parish told us she was called Sarah Palin early in her campaign she was offended and began explaining why she wasn’t Palin in a defensive manner. I told her rather than go on defense simply turn it around and give them 3 things she agrees with Sarah about and embrace them to turn their attack around.

By the end of the campaign, they were calling her Mama Grizzly and she took that term on and had fun with it disarming their attacks.

The bottom line is most levelheaded and independent people agree with Conservative values, which is why liberals try to be Conservative during the campaign. Rather than being ashamed of conservatism it is time to wear it as a badge to be loud and proud.

The key to this program is bringing God with you on the campaign and embracing Conservative Values while you change minds in five minutes on a person’s porch. You don’t need to bring religion up but when it is brought up, there is no point being embarrassed about your faith it is what many of us have in common.

Rather than copying the Democrats digital campaigning of lies and deception we need to go Old School and meet the people where they live to change their minds. The Dems own the digital media whether it is the TV media and shows or the Hollywood celebrities and spokespeople, the Republican stereotype is already defined. Over the decades, they have painted Republicans as the evil racist, sexist, homophobes who are rich old white men that hate the poor. There is no way to overcome this stereotype with a few 30 second commercials and phone calls since those will simply be ignored if you ever reach them in the first place.

A better way to change opinions is to go to peoples’ homes in your neighborhood to overcome those well-worn clichés. When you talk to someone face to face and they realize you actually are a human being and not the monster they have been taught to believe the worn-out clichés go out the window.

Soon they find themselves agreeing with you on more than they disagree and the seeds are planted so they realize they may actually not be as liberal as they believed they were. First thing you know and they acknowledge that Conservatism and the Republican Party are common sense principles whether they agree with everything or not. Moderates by definition want to follow and your visit gives them a reason to follow our candidates and beliefs.