Let's Not Repeat the Same Mistakes of the 2014 Democratic Disaster:

 Ten Brief Tips on Essential Targeting, Messaging and Media
for Democratic Candidates at All Levels in 2016

1. Forget the big picture, macro policy stuff. No one except committed strong Democrats (who are already voting for you) believe the Democrats are competent enough to handle running the economy or foreign policy. The strongest suit the Democrats have among critical swing voters, like most voters generally, is who they are for -- regular working and middle income people -- not how skilled and capable they are in governing.

We’ve all gotten the emails. Bernie, Hillary and Barack boasting about those days when they bring in a million dollars online. We read about the millions of people giving to their campaigns. And, some Democratic Municipal Officials have tried to make it work for them. They’ve hired consultants and staffers, paid them thousands of dollars a month. And, because they’re good at their job, many have seen returns. Many see modest raises of $600, $800, $1,200 even more a month. We see progress, but, month over month, we continue to pay that staffer or consultant more money than we bring in.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information: Dan Besse, 336-775-7877
danbesse@danbesse.org

NC DEMOCRATIC MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS RENEW CALL FOR HB 2 FULL REPEAL; CONDEMN TRANSFER OF FUNDS FROM DISASTER RELIEF TO HB 2 DEFENSE

Charlotte, NC, July 6, 2016 -

The North Carolina Chapter of Democratic Municipal Officials (NC DMO) today renewed its call for the full repeal of HB 2, calling the legislation “a welcome wagon for bigotry”, and condemned the NC General Assembly’s transfer of $500,000 from disaster relief funds to the legal costs of defending the legislation.

How do you get started when you're running for office for the first time, or re-launching your campaign for re-election? Here's our list to help guide candidates and would-be candidates during the crucial phase between "thinking about it" and launching. What you do now can give you the boost you need for a successful launch, and get you on track to win.

1. Your list is the heart muscle of your campaign. So strengthen and build it as much as you can before you launch.

I'm talking about your list of donors, prospects, volunteers and supporters - especially from past campaigns.

You'll want to pull together all the old lists you have (especially important to log everything at the end of campaign so it's easy to reuse later). Even if you're starting from scratch, you have a list: your friends, family, coworkers etc. Now is the time to be combing through stacks of business cards and inputting the info, getting your personal email address book, work email address book, and your cellphone contacts all synched. You'll wind up using this list for your announcement email, and also for your initial fundraising call time sessions.

NC DMO RESOLUTION CALLING FOR REPEAL OF HB2

WHEREAS, Democratic Municipal Officials (DMO) supports the dignity and rights of all LGBT individuals to full participation in civic, community, and economic endeavors, and to freedom from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and civil rights; and

WHEREAS, DMO calls attention to, and supports, the national Democratic Party platform plank which reads, “[N]o one should face discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status;” and

WHEREAS, DMO supports local governments’ authority to protect the dignity and civil rights of their citizens, and to forward their economic interests through the promotion of good jobs, wages, benefits, and working conditions; and therefore opposes state actions to pre-empt those local authorities; and

SOCIAL DEBATE: HOW TO USE FACEBOOK FOR  A CONTROVERSIAL CONVERSATION (AND NOT TRIP IN THE MUD)

Elected officials are no strangers to landing smack in the middle of heated discussions and differing opinions. With social media as our new leading form of communication, these moments happen in real time, all of the time, and in front of an eternal audience.

Still, don’t let that scare you from posting about controversial topics. If it affects your community or your constituents, you want to play a role in constructive dialogue. These intense back and forth discussions often lead to some of our most effective legislation.

DMO Resolution on LGBT Rights

DMO supports the dignity and rights of all LGBT individuals to full participation in civic, community, and economic endeavors, and to freedom from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and civil rights.

DMO encourages cities and towns, municipal leaders in general and DMOs in particular

• To advocate for the dignity and civil rights of our LGBT citizens and residents;

• To support laws and educational efforts involving them fully in our communities and protecting them from discrimination; and

• To actively oppose state-level efforts to pre-empt local initiatives in this area.

DMO encourages its members and supporters to consider adopting concrete local efforts in this area such as those discussed in the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index: http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/municipal-equality-index.

DMO calls attention to, and supports, the national Democratic Party platform plank which reads, “[N]o one should face discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, language, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status.”

Building an Online Presence for the Era of Perpetual Campaigning

It’s now more important than ever for Democratic municipal officials to maintain a consistent online presence. We’re living in the age of the never-ending election cycle, where attacks don’t end in November and competition for attention is always fierce. By engaging online, maintaining your website, and contributing to social media throughout your term, you can ensure that your constituents have the right image of you before you launch your reelection campaign.

Consistency is key to maintaining control of this image and your message as well. Blogging regularly, sharing news on social media, updating your website, and steadily building your mailing list are all invaluable ways of keeping on message. They also serve to solidify a positive image of yourself as a leader in your community.

While it is important to remain consistent, it is equally important to know which tactics are a constructive use of your time. The following pointers will help you start building and maintaining your year-round image and message.

Democratic Municipal Officials joins in celebrating today's major win for working families.  By a 4-4 tie vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has left standing a long-settled right of public sector employees to negotiate together for good salaries, benefits, and working conditions.  By upholding nearly four decades of Constitutional precedent and sound law, the decision in Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association benefits responsible public employers and employees alike.

Resolution in Support of Timely Senate Action to Confirm the Appointment of a Nominee to the Vacant Seat on the U.S. Supreme Court

WHEREAS, Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution of the United States clearly provides that the President shall nominate and appoint members of the Supreme Court with the Advice and Consent of the Senate; and

WHEREAS, the passing of the late Justice Antonin Scalia has left a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, the current majority party leadership of the Senate have publicly declared their intent to ignore their clear Constitutional duty by refusing to consider any nomination from the President to fill this seat; and