We managed to have beer.
The Oakville Democratic Organization’s usual meeting place has a bar with Mike – our friendly bartender – selling 16 ounce aluminum bottles of beer at a very reasonable price.
This past Tuesday the club met at the large picnic pavilion in Bee Tree Park where, of course, no one could sell beer. (Oakville’s always been a friendly club and several folks brought coolers of beer to share.)
Among our friends that night: ten candidates and a pair of surrogates promoting campaigns.
This year poses special challenges to candidates…
Lack of local media
The Oakville Call used to publish weekly. Now it comes out once a month. The South County Times, like the Webster Kirkwood Times, stopped publication. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, meanwhile, keeps forgetting that south county exists and probably has a less than 10% penetration rate down here.
No-Knocks
Back in 2016 I rapped my knuckles on the vast majority of door jams in the 95th state representative district. This year that’s not a good idea. Yes, the many dogs in the district remain friendly but I doubt if most voters want strangers at their door.
Lack of community events
Running for office at least got you some free meals at Chamber of Commerce lunches, ladies’ clubs and service organizations. Plus, in most areas groups held candidate forums or debates. Not in 2020.
Fewer political events
Yes, talking to the Oakville or Tesson Ferry or Lemay Democrats means preaching to the choir. Yet, politically active citizens support candidates. It’s harder to make a connection (or get a check) over Zoom.
Trump and Parson
The train wreck and the accidental governor burn up almost all the political oxygen. The non-involved voters near me go on at length about those two, yet, probably can’t name our current state rep.
Still, the term “running for office” is very apt. In a relatively short period of time a candidate has to make an impression on as many voters as possible. For those lower on the ballot that’s always a challenge. And, for Democrats in my region there’s the extra high bar of Republican inertia – ‘we’ve voted for Republican for decades, why should we change?’
Plus, incumbents get taxpayer-paid help. Note that Congresswoman Ann Wagner suddenly, in July, started spending federal government dollars on radio to advertise that she can help with COVID issues. Between now and the November election I expect to get a Community Directory from the current 95th district rep.
What should candidates do?
I’m really short on answers.
Yes, I get scores of emails and hundreds of facebook ads for candidates every week – and I ignore 99% of them. Every one is on social media but few take it seriously.
Mailers, literature drops and phone calls? Yes, you can do that. In my area a House district mailing costs better than $5,000. A good door piece probably costs around 20¢ each (and you may need 10,000). Either probably gets, at most, five seconds of attention.
Phone calls, of course, no longer work. Caller I.D. and the switch to cell phones (even my mom calls my cell) means dialing for voters gets little return.
What’s left?
Radio advertising and prayer.
If I was a state rep candidate this year I’d spend every dollar I could scrounge on radio ads. Buy across the spectrum – talk, oldies, country, rock. Keep the message simple: my opponent won’t support you on CLEAN, Medicaid Expansion, education and other issues important to us.
And, of course, prayer. Ask for help pushing back the forces of darkness.
Oh yes, the Oakville Dems are meeting in Bee Tree Park on August 12. I bet we have beer.
Glenn