$1,000,000 Proposition for Democratic Campaigns

ILLUSTRATED: $2,000 x 5 months x 100 campaign offices = $1,000,000 (and 300 electoral votes guaranteed!)

I started this blog because I think the weakest link in the Democratic machine is our ability to speak our agenda in a simple way that resonates with people. But I also care a lot about party building. Two years ago I wrote about if I was DNC Chair for a day.

I have been to many campaign offices in at least three states. What strikes me is how there is a lack of management in these offices, by all accounts, Republican field offices are better run. I hate to say it.

The going rate for a campaign manager/field office director is about $2,000-$2,500 per month. Now there are some talented people who do work for that, especially at the presidential level. But imagine the level of management talent you would get for $4,000 - $4,500 per month. You could induce professional program managers from industry to do jobs that are mostly...program management. A $2,000 raise in 100 strategic offices in the 5 months before the would dramatically improve the performance and organization of Democratic GOTV operations. These days for a presidential candidate, $1,000,000 is a drop in the bucket.

For a second drop in the bucket, you could focus on the same 100 precincts, pay 10 students, $10 per hour, to work 100 hours each. That's 1,000 person-hours in each precinct. Think of the number of registrations and vote switches that could happen. I would say two per hour equaling 200,000 more votes in these key precincts.