The life of a campaign staffer
This is likely the third or fourth post in recent months I’ve begun with the words “It’s been awhile since my last post.” I’m now roughly producing just one post a month, likely an all-time low since I started writing on the web eight (or so) years ago. I’ve always had a good excuse for why I haven’t been writing, but this time I’ve got the best… I’ve become a campaign staffer.
First, I should update those of you who are curious about the result of my last “life update” post. The Vegas job didn’t come through, and while I’m still considering a move to Vegas, or elsewhere, it’s been put off until at least November. Should we win this election, it will be put off indefinitely.
In late February I took on the task of working on the campaign website for Rick Dancer, a Republican candidate for Oregon Secretary of State. While I have a working knowledge of Oregon politics, and am an amateur web designer, I have never taken on a project of this scale; and what has made the project all the more exciting, if not completely daunting, is that I was to work with a clean slate and create a web strategy for a campaign from scratch.
I got hooked up with Rick through Epinoia Café, an online community that my pastor and I formed about two years ago to discuss our questions about God, religion, and life. Rick, then a lead news anchor for one of the local television stations asked if I could help him create a personal blog. I acted as his webmaster up until his announcement to run for office, which is when he asked if I’d continue to work with him.
Without any hesitation, I said yes. I’d been dying to get a true web client to add to my portfolio, as well as a deep desire to get back into the world of Oregon politics.
Rick, while running on the Republican ticket, is a very independent thinking individual; you have to be if you’re a public figure from Eugene, Oregon. Many journalists and bloggers think of him as the “republican sacrificial lamb,” since the last non-democrat elected to one of the states’ three highest offices (Governor, Secretary of State, & Treasurer), was more than a decade ago. But, he is no such thing. As a journalist for more than 20-years he investigated the legislature, politicians, and government agencies. He also strove to give people a voice in their community.
The Secretary of State is most well known for overseeing elections and auditing of the government; the same things Rick did as a journalist. He is committed to ensuring, and increasing, public participation in the governing process. He is no politician; and while most political insiders see that as his weakness, it is his greatest strength.
What it all boils down to however, is Rick is in an uphill battle. He is running as a Republican in a State that hasn’t voted for a Republican in over a decade, in addition to it being considered by media pundits around the country a very bad year to be a member of the party. Additionally, the Oregon Republican Party is in no place to give Rick the financial support it would take to win a statewide seat.
However, I believe that Rick Dancer is the real deal. Not only as a candidate, but as a human being, who more than anything cares about people.
What began as a simple and typical campaign website, turned into a multi-media platform. I’m proud of the strategy that we’ve come up with which has formed rather organically.
My roll has grown from being “the web guy” to “communications guy” to now something more. Spending nearly every hour of my day (save for when I’m working my “real job” at the newspaper) at the campaign office or on the campaign trail with Rick.
It has been a truly awesome experience, and one I plan to continue to keep my blog readers up to date on in the future.
May 26th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
This is gonna sound corny, but your excitement reminds me of the episodes of The West Wing when they’d reminisce about the early days of the Bartlett campaign. I loved reading this!!!
May 26th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Wow, that’s great timing with your West Wing comment, I just finished season six of The West Wing today — which is important because it was the last of the episodes I hadn’t seen. It took me two and a half years, but I’ve finally watched every episode… and with it, a little piece of me died.
It’s true though, there are a lot of moments, at least one a day where I feel like I’m Josh Lyman. I definitely don’t have his brain, but if I could be any real or fictional character I’ve ever come across, it’d be that guy. Freaking genius, doing a job I’d love to have… both as Deputy Chief of Staff, and Santos campaign manager.
Speaking of the Santos thing… Rick to me is Santos to Josh or Bartlett to Leo. He’s “the guy.”
Have I ever told you how much I love the West Wing? It should have, and could have gone on with the Santos administration. We’d be two years into Santos’ first term… What could have been?!
May 27th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Josh,
Great job on Rick’s site, and thanks for taking the time out of your life to work with him. I wish I could be more involved in the campaign, but I guess I’ll just continue as a cheerleader from the sidelines!
May 27th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Okay, you have to pick a different WW character to want to be. I was completely in love with Josh Lyman and….well, that’s just too weird.
I need to get that whole set of DVD’s. I have NEVER loved a show like that. TV has not been the same for me since it ended…….
I can tell how you feel about Rick - it shows. I am excited to see where he is ten years from now. In my deepest political fantasies, this appears on the screen when he is on tv: Rick Dancer (D) Oregon
Speaking of politics, and this may not be the space to discuss it, but how ’bout dubya’s former Press Sec’y coming out w/ his tell all? Wow.
May 27th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
I’ve got seasons 1, 3, and 4 on DVD… which is funny because I think if it came down to it, seasons 2 and 7 were my favorite. I heard a lot of people say seasons 5, 6, & 7 were worse because Aaron Sorkin left… and I’ll admit, there weren’t as many “oh my God I love this show”/”How do they keep doing this?!” moments, but the show was still a very high quality. (I have all seven seasons on my computer in iTunes).
To be honest, I would absolutely LOVE to be Sam Seaborne, or hell… just Rob Lowe, lol. But I don’t have the looks or charisma of his character. Actually, cool little trivia nugget: Bradley Whitford was originally cast as Sam. I think it worked out much better the way they did it.
I’m not sure you’ll ever see (D) by his name… but it’s possible you’d see an (I) or even nothing at all if we can reform Oregon elections to be non-partisan and open primary.
Any place is a place to talk politics… but to be honest I haven’t heard anything about Bush’s former Press Sec. Which one? Ari Fletcher? Unlike Bartlet and CJ Creig (& Will Bailey), Bush has had several.
May 28th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
McClellan.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Yeh, you should try being the staffers boss.
August 2nd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I don’t know why I never saw this comment, but Rick, you may be the name on the ticket, but trust me, Aaron, Betsy and I boss you around way more then you ever get to boss us.