Translation of excerpts from Robert Heinlein’s book, Take Your Government Back - part 22

Campaign Headquarters

It doesn’t matter how gorgeous the headquarters office has been repaired and furnished, voters are completely damned, and they will never go there. A phone call from a home device sounds exactly the same as a call from a phone in a chic office. All you need for headquarters is a typewriter, filing cabinets (even shoeboxes will do), inexpensive file folders, a notebook, access to the document reproduction technique (it is not necessary to buy it), a separate phone, and nothing else. Nothing at all!

For furnishings, use the furniture that is on hand, or build a homemade board. Your headquarters can be placed in any free heated space that you don’t need to pay for. For example, in your spare bedroom, an unused children's room, or a free office above a store provided by one of your supporters.

For offices of election campaigns, very often they rent premises facing the prestigious business streets. The benefits of such headquarters, if I may say so, are highly doubtful: they do not add electoral votes, compared to offices in the back. If you can get an unused store building for use, or at least a free snack at a store owned by a supporter of your candidate (in both cases, of course, for free), and if you find volunteers for the office who are ready to answer visitors' questions and give out campaigns while completely unwilling to engage in bypassing polling stations, then you can call such an office "headquarters", and spend money on flyers and advertising with its address. If you didn’t find such an office, then it’s better to wait until the main elections, when the party will allocate a large common office for all candidates for nomination.

In the absence of a luxurious public office, there is one big advantage: your rivals will not consider you as a serious threat to their primacy, and before they take you seriously, you will advance so far that it will be difficult for them to catch up with you: electoral campaigns that go around pass as unnoticed and look as harmless as a cancer in the initial stages of development. In addition, if your office looks modest, then street vendors and Headquarters Headquarters will not get you right. The latter are harmless, but very common, akin to parquet generals and kitchen politicians, a lower form of life, flying to political offices, occupying chairs and working hours, loudly chatting, and grabbing everything free of charge, from glasses of water from coolers to flyers.

If your headquarters is not located in a private house, then make sure that your telephones are unavailable to visitors, and if this cannot be provided, take all the phones under lock and do not give anyone else the key to the room where they are located. Take over the practice to take into account all outgoing and paid incoming calls. (Headquarters regulars will see this as a terrible tyranny, but this is necessary if you don’t want to splurge on visitors ’calls). Many do not consider this necessary, until they receive a stunning bill from the telephone company for other people's telephone conversations. As a rule, it is possible to do without all these calls: there are very rarely situations when a call really necessary for your work cannot be made from your home phone. So the best solution to the problem of telephone communication is a paid payphone, and a small reserve of funds in your subscriber account at the telephone company, the expense of which is controlled by the office secretary. After taking all these precautions, you yourself will be able to freely use the telephone: your election fund will not exhaust your calls. And your secretary - you can put an additional paired phone.

And now let's talk about, in fact, the campaign fund. It should be stored in the bank, issued as an account of a non-profit organization. To audit it, you must appoint a group of three distinguished members of your organization who do not control the costs of the fund. Checks to receive funds from the fund for their cash out must be signed simultaneously with at least two signatures - for example, the treasurer and the campaign manager. The candidate you nominate should not sign these checks, although he may reasonably demand the right to prohibit them from paying by check, as a condition of his participation in the elections, but we hope that he is not one of those.

The following expenses must be planned in the campaign budget:

• registration fees for candidates
• printing agitation literature
• postage
• telephone charges
• expenses on the banquet on the night after the election
  The following categories of expenses are not so necessary, although a truly large-scale campaign will require some of them, and perhaps even all of them - this:
• rental of billboards
• newspaper advertisement
• professional propaganda propaganda
• salary to the press secretary
• secretary salary
• money for lunches for volunteers; petrol costs for their cars, or rental cars
• radio advertising expenses
• additional expenses of the candidate
• campaign manager extra costs
  Having shown some resourcefulness, some of these expenses can be avoided, but not only by abandoning the types of campaigning behind them, but by organizing these works for free.

As a spokesperson, you need a good public relations professional. If you do not find such a volunteer, it is necessary, at least part-time, to take an employee. It’s the same with the office secretary - if you don’t find a well-typed volunteer, then you need to take a hired secretary, although it’s still better to find a volunteer.

The need for the remaining costs from the second list depends on local conditions. Be extremely economical with respect to costs from both lists. In political work, there are many ways to spend money, and there are many well-intentioned welfare who, shaking their own experience, will convince you that you need to spend money on an action, they say, absolutely necessary for a self-respecting campaign, but not both of the above lists of required expenses. And I am sure that every time it will be people with experience of participating in campaigns that are not based on a bypass. With regard to such campaigns, I can say that money can be invested in them as much as you like; I used to spend more than $ 30,000 in a single type of action in such a campaign, in less than thirty days. However, no other way of campaigning compares in efficiency with a round of the voters, and it almost does not require expenses, they may be needed only sporadically, and are completely uncharacteristic of this type of campaigning. Here, the proverb is literally confirmed: “All the best in life is free.” Having a lot of money in the fund, it is not difficult to carry out an election campaign, but any expensive campaign can be defeated by a well-organized campaign, the money in the fund which is barely enough to pay for print advertising and mailing.

In addition to the headquarters premises, which are the center of campaign coordination, the candidate and the campaign manager must allocate a rest room, or, if they are of different sexes, two rooms to avoid the gossip of enemies. For this, an unused room in the house of one of the supporters will do, especially if there is a telephone with voice mail that allows you to leave a message without disturbing the recipient. Because, in the midst of a campaign, sooner or later it comes to the fact that only an afternoon nap, or half an hour of rest from hard work, will help the candidate and his manager to maintain clarity of mind, sobriety of judgments, and maybe even health. A room overlooking the backyard, in the same building where your main office is located, is also suitable for a rest room.
Detachment of agitators: training of agitators and their management

Suppose you, even before the start of the election campaign, formed a detachment of agitators with the help of your political club. Suppose also that you have as many agitators as you need for congressional elections, that is, there are so many that the campaign manager is not in a position to direct them personally. This means that there are more than 10 people - the maximum number of volunteers who can be managed directly. Therefore, you need to appoint the commanders of the departments agitators. Where to find them? Talents - where you find them. The clear structure of the organization of agitators created in your imagination will crumble at the very first meeting with reality, because you will not find enough leaders to whom you can delegate powers and who are able to fully lead the branches. Many of your squad leaders will, in fact, be couriers able only to pass on your instructions to the squad entrusted to them.

In order to make communication with agitators as direct as possible, it is necessary at your central headquarters to hold a general meeting of agitators of all departments weekly, at the same time. Remember to stock a collection of coffee and donuts. Make sure that the candidate’s time is set aside for these meetings, because their goal is not only to instruct your volunteers to get information about the situation on the ground from them, but also to inspire them by allowing them to hang out with those they support. Make the event as informal as possible, like a family party - without rows of chairs and a stage with a podium.

Another weekly event held after, or in front of it, should be the meetings of the executive committee, where you will discuss the strategy and tactics of your actions, and the general state of affairs. At these meetings, you yourself must be, and your candidate may not attend them.

Always remember that your agitators are your most valuable asset, which is hard to get and hard to keep. They are not just names on the lists of members of your political clubs, and not your hired employees — a similar, callous attitude towards them does not contribute to the creation of a successful electoral organization. You found your volunteers during your entry into politics, sifting out thousands of people you met, those who express their political views in deed, rather than idle chatter. And when you find such a person, you value him (or her), train and inspire him, take care of him and take care of him.
Do not think that as soon as you lead the campaign, volunteers will immediately reach out to you. Some candidates and campaign managers seem to think that volunteer agitators are growing on trees! If you have not yet got your supporters who believe in you, are ready to follow you, and work under your leadership, then you are not ready to independently conduct an election campaign for elections of such magnitude as congressional elections, and have not yet passed the beginner stage politics.

If you don’t have time to campaign, or circumstances prevent you from doing so, read this chapter anyway, because the principles described here are applicable to a large extent and even if you don’t head the campaign but work on its committee. Knowing these principles, you can at least keep your steward on the right track, advising him how to act, and possibly contributing to turning defeat into victory, if your steward, as often happens, is smart and energetic, but inexperienced.

The organization of volunteer agitators never looks as slim and beautiful as the organization of hired agitators in professional politics, but it will be better suited for winning the election. Napoleon said: “In war, the consciousness of one’s righteousness quadruples the forces,” and I think he was still careful with the assessment. The main advantage of a volunteer over a hired professional is his sincere enthusiasm. The proportion given by Napoleon in politics increases to one to ten. A volunteer works for a campaign twenty-four hours a day, not because he was ordered, but because he cannot do otherwise. Pre-election work is part of his flesh and blood, he is a political partisan, acting in his own mind, demoralizing a superior enemy army, and instilling new hope in a desperate civilian population. And, like a real partisan, a volunteer fights with the means he has, and he invents and does what he lacks. Your goal is to inspire and direct his enthusiasm - that is, to become the leader of your election organization.

Leadership is not some mysterious skill or innate quality. The leader is not the one who artificially injects enthusiasm with false-enthusiastic slogans, as the leading parties in clubs, television proponents, and radio hosts do. You just need to be sincere and not be lazy. Everything else you learn in the course of work, in accordance with your temperament pace. Those who are energetic, but who lack sincerity, can become leaders, because in the absence of other leaders, people will accept this.

As you lead political volunteers, be aware that people are not aquarium fish that you only need to feed in order to be happy. Patting on the shoulder, public praise for the work done, a badge of merit, an invitation to have dinner together, a thank-you letter, a post-election party, personal contact with the candidate — all this motivates employees much better than monetary incentives, or appointments to a government post. When people have already earned their daily bread, they have a new basic need - to be recognized by society. And it is precisely the need for recognition that makes us behave in such a way that in the eyes of society we look as who we want to be considered.

If you don’t like the definition of “recognition by society”, use another one to your taste, but I’m sure that with the growth of life experience you will understand that the basis of all human aspirations, except for those caused by simple animal reflexes - hunger, lust, and fear, there is a need for that elusive thing that will satisfy the ideal self-image of the person. Even animal reflexes weaken before this need, otherwise the soldiers would not go under the bullets, the guests at the dinner party would be interested only in food, and the men would not be embarrassed in the presence of women, but would drag them to the bushes. Even people are so much interested in people, rather, not because of the simple need to fill their belly, but because of the recognition of society associated with financial wealth. Someone is looking for a good income to provide a family, education for children, and live in a good home, and someone wants to feel successful. That is, in this we are driven by a feeling that cannot be touched, no matter with the possibility of acquiring what material things it is connected with.
And in politics, this powerful motivation is encouraged by simple praise in various forms.

Most Americans in the country want to be considered worthy citizens of their country because they have been brought up like this. And after you explain to them that the election work is the highest manifestation of their civic qualities (and this is true!), They will be able to fulfill this need bypassing voters. Let everyone around you know that no other political work is so honorable and prestigious as the pre-election one, and that the most important asset of any political organization is its agitators. Always show that although all the other employees of your campaign — clerks, speakers, and the like — are great people, but agitators are her elite. Therefore, never allow those who donated funds to you, dictate what you should do, and take their opinion into account to a lesser extent than listen to the advice of your agitators, even the most seedy ones - they just know what they are talking about because they know with the situation on the ground, and donating funds to you - only theorizes.

You can organize the Club of Agitators, and organize its meetings weekly. Make participation in the election campaign a prerequisite for membership in this club, and if a decrepit and frail volunteer in a wheelchair wants to become a member of this club, then, in order to meet the membership condition, let him ring up the voters on the phone.
At each meeting of the Club of Agitators, remind that the club is for the elect, and the only way to become a member is to participate in the electoral round. And that John D. Rockefeller himself will not be able to get into the club if he does not work with voters, even if he offers large sums for membership in the club.

Such a restriction may restore against you some of those who could be useful to your campaign, but are unwilling or unable to bypass voters. But here it is better to show firmness, even if it causes some of your supporters to leave you - but this will strengthen the spirit and enhance the prestige of your agitators. When you create and lead such a club, it will not only benefit your candidate, but will also make you an influential figure in the district party hierarchy. Smart politicians will quickly see that you have real power in the district, and will reach out to you for support. You, in turn, do not neglect the help of their political organizations, which can later become a source of volunteers for your campaigns.

And, of course, your candidate, Mr. Chestnyag, is also a member of the club of agitators, because you have made sure that he contributes to bypass voters. Do not allow him to skip club meetings, even partially, even if the governor or the head of your party wants to see him this evening. Otherwise, your crop of votes may drop sharply. On the other hand, if the candidate is absent due to illness, you can use this fact to encourage the agitators to work more.

I already outlined in the previous chapter the main methods of campaigning, however, in order for your agitators to use these methods, they need to be trained a little, because many novice agitators have the “fear effect of the auditorium”. There are many good methods of training, and, perhaps, in addition to the methods that I will describe now, you will think up your own, just do not make them too complicated.
The most difficult thing about a visit to the voter’s house is the beginning of a conversation, when the host will open the door for you. The next one in difficulty is the continuation of the conversation, when the voter has already answered your first phrase - it usually follows one of a dozen scripts prepared in advance. And when you plowed through the first two phrases, the whole further conversation is much easier, because, in essence, we are all talkative monkeys. Therefore, it is very useful to distribute to your agitators sheets with blanks of several phrases to start a conversation.
For example, such:

Phrases to start a conversation

“-Hello, Mr. Krotchet! I am your neighbor, my name is Thomas Druzhinin (or Mabel Druzhinin), I came to you to ask you to support Jonathan Chestnyag for next month’s primaries. ”

“Good morning, Mr. Krotchet, my name is Tom Druzhinin. We are campaigning for the nomination of Jonathan Chestnyagi as a party candidate, I would like to tell you about him, and I hope to enlist your support for him. "

“-Hello, is this Mrs. Krotchet? Mrs. Krotchet, I am one of your neighbors, Thomas Druzhinin. If you could give me a couple of minutes, I would like to tell you about the civil committee that we created, in order to get the best representatives from our district to be elected to Congress. ”

Possible answers to these phrases and the continuation of the conversation:

"- You know, I am a supporter of Jack Hope."
“-I understand you, he is a decent person. And besides - also a candidate from our party, unless, of course, will achieve the nomination. Mr. Chestnyag has pledged to support him, and to participate in his nomination, so that we are, in essence, at the same time. ”
Depending on the response received, then comes the end of the conversation, or an invitation to attend a meeting of the local political club.

"-Private tenants moved, and we support another party."
“-Sorry to bother you. Then please be sure to come to the polls. As our candidate Mr. Chestnyaga says, if we all vote the way our conscience dictates, it doesn't matter if we choose Chestnyag or Chestnyag will lose the elections, in any case, the government of the country will be in safe hands. ”
(pay attention to the triple mention of your candidate’s name in your reply, this was done on purpose, and it may encourage your interlocutor to vote for him).

“-And how much do you get paid for this campaign?
“You know, we are not paid anything for it, these are independent actions of our group of voters. We organize campaigns and don’t get any money for it, but on the contrary, we pay the rent of the office ourselves, print leaflets, and everything else, throwing off a little each. We believe that only in this way can we achieve honest government. ”
"-I have no time to talk with you"
“-Sorry to have disturbed. Can I leave you our flyers and visit you later at a more convenient time for you? We understand that such busy people as you have no time to understand candidates for the primaries, but we would like to introduce you to our candidate Mr. Chestnyag because we know that your opinion is very authoritative in our city. ”

“-Do I never go to the primaries and other preliminary voting, only for the main elections in the fall.”
(In truth, this subject is hopeless, however, perhaps all is not lost)
“-It's like, if you wait until the fall, you will not get any chance to make your own choice. And this year the primaries are especially important. Maybe if we send a car for you and bring you to the polling station, will you still make an exception and vote? We really need your support. ”

"-I am going to vote for Mr. Chestnyagu."
“It's wonderful, very nice to hear that. Here you will find additional materials about Mr. Chestnyag, maybe some of your friends will be interested in them. By the way, Mr. Chestnyaga is invited to speak at our political club next Friday. Maybe on the way there I should pick you up? ”

Agitators will teach each other, sharing experiences in personal conversations, and in these conversations you will find examples of skillful conversation, even better than those that I brought you, and the best way possible to meet the conditions of your electoral campaign, in your district. One of the easiest ways to train an agitator is to send him for one day or evening to agitate voters with an experienced colleague. For a group of agitators, you can have a hands-on workshop that will be conducted by a couple of experienced employees, playing together the typical variants of conversations encountered in practice, like the extended version of the phrase list above. Let them demonstrate two options for each case - with the skillful conduct of the conversation and with the inept. And, by the way, this seminar can be the basis for the “skitcher” - an entertainment program at a party of your political club. Examples of inept conversation can be very funny, especially in the performance of a person with a medium acting talent. Imagine a similar sketch: an inexperienced agitator Joe Snapper speaks to the voter's door, smoking a cigarette, and begins to ring the doorbell, alternating the peal with a knock at the door, until it wakes up, or pulls the hostess out of the bath. When the door is opened to him, he begins to argue with the hostess on political issues, putting his foot in the doorway so that the door does not close. And so on.

As for other ways of teaching, I am sure that with recent striking advances in the field of education with the use of visual materials, both of our main parties will soon begin to shoot and send educational films to local political clubs that clearly show what I told you above. Such films will be very useful if you are advised by their directors to be real agitators, who in practice face the problem of a closed door. Otherwise, the agitators will not benefit from these films. So, when such a film is sent to you, watch it yourself before showing it to your team.

Make a habit of filing a card file with your agitators, for which you will hand them a pack of standard card files at the meeting, not forgetting to accompany the distribution with an invitation to donate to the campaign fund as many as you can. Show them your own filing cabinet and explain to them how much the benefits of their work depend on whether they have information on the election day about where the holders of the electoral votes they have gained live. Do not forget about the commanders of your offices. Some of them can show such talents that they themselves can inspire you to new ideas, while others will be just couriers, passing their instructions to your department and propaganda materials coming from you. In both cases, the squad leaders must themselves take on at least one polling station, otherwise they will not understand the problems of the agitators who are in charge and will ruin all the work.

There is another reason for everyone in your organization, including the candidate, to bypass voters: shortly before the Second World War, the US Army increased its combat potential by 30%, providing rifles and carbines, along with rank-and-file soldiers, as well as all officers - from sergeant to major inclusive. In organizing an election campaign, you can achieve the same result. I have often met pre-election organizations in which there were so many people in all kinds of leadership positions that there was almost no place left for ordinary agitators. And then they wondered why they lost the election! By the way, it was just the case when I got the experience that made me change my opinion to the opposite. In my first campaign, I liked to quote an aphorism from the old almanac, published by Benjamin Franklin: “The instructions of the head will do the work much more than his hands”. But now I would paraphrase this maxim in relation to politics in such a way: “The example of a leader will do much more than his instructions, add to him an understanding of the situation on the ground, and bring additional electoral votes that he personally obtained.”

It would be a good idea for your press secretary to also participate in the round of voters in order to feel the “taste of the campaign”, but only he rather would not agree, whether he is an employee or a volunteer. , !

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