DEMOCRATSKeep America Safe &Leave No Veteran Behind

DNC Veterans & Military Families Council

Campaign Boot Camp 2.0 Presentation

by Christine Pelosi

DNCC Sept 2012

7 CAMPAIGN BOOT CAMP STEPS

1 Identify Your Call to Service

2 Define Your message

3 Know Your Community

4 Build Leadership Teams

5 Raise the Money

6 Connect with People

7 Mobilize to Win

1. OUR CALL TO SERVICEOur Founders expressed America’s call in the Constitution Preamble:

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”Our democracy is a call to re-imagine the founders’ vision for America through the years. It requires a binding commitment between people that begins with the earliest actions in family, school, worship, and community. Our democracy thrives on a call to service in all Americans, and is impossible to maintain without the troops, veterans and military families who answer the call to protect and defend it.

Equality of opportunity for all regardless of race, creed, nationality, gender, sexual orientation & identity. Appreciation of our troops, veterans & military who keep American safe and free.9/11 generation of patriots come home to a society worthy of their sacrifice, with jobs, education, health care & housing. Leave no veteran behind in the community or at the ballot box.

A SHARED DEMOCRATIC VISIONINSPIRES OUR CALL TO SERVICE

2 MESSAGE: PRESIDENT OBAMA & DEMOCRATS KEEP US SAFE & FREE

President Obama assembled a bipartisan team of rivals with deep experience & proven judgement -- including primary opponents Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Bush administration leaders Robert gates and David PetraeusPresident Obama & Democrats ended the War in Iraq; are drawing down the War in Afghanistan; and have enhanced intelligence, military and law enforcement cooperation to prevent attacks, kill terrorists, and disrupt networksPOTUS ordered the bin Laden raid that brought the 9/11 terrorist to justicePresident Obama & Democratic Congress ended military discrimination with repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

2 PRESIDENT OBAMA & DEMOCRATS LEAVE NO VETERAN BEHIND

Democratic Congress passed legislation between 2007-2011 including greatest increase in VA funding in American history under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi & Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. President Obama & Democrats provided stable funding for VA, made mental health a top priority with more than 3,500 new VA mental health professionals since 2009, and a streamlined claims process.Democrats passed in 2008 & POTUS expanded the 21st Century GI Bill, so that veterans, service members, reservists, and Guard members get an in-state, undergraduate education at a public institution for no cost. First Lady Michelle Obama & Blue Star Mom Dr Jill Biden literally Joining Forces to urge 250,000 private sector jobs (to date) and to assist military families including the 1.5 million children of deployed parentsPOTUS signed bipartisan hiring heroes tax credits; established career centers for veterans, and most recently an Executive Order to extend access to mental health services (August 2012)

2 MESSAGE: DEMOCRATS WILL CONFRONT ONGOING CHALLENGES

 

Jobs: tackle unemployment challenges and employment discrimination; change local state and federal licensing qualifications to translate military experience in the civilian world

Education: 21st Century GI Bill; protect from funding cuts & protects veterans from fraud

Health care: physical and psychological injuries and treatments; addressing suicides

Family life: challenges including abuse, divorce, and alcoholism rates

Readiness: current membership in the armed services and status of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world;

Recruiting: military recruiting in communities and on campuses now that DADT is repealed

Cost: Pentagon budget and the cost of war, including VA & healthcare as costs of war

SWIFTBOATING All challenges can be eclipsed by nasty ads – so you must have MESSAGE ALLIES debunking the lies & pivoting the debate back to these policy challenges.

3 KNOW YOUR COMMUNITY

PEOPLE: how many veterans servicemembers & military families? VSOs?

JOBS: military bases, security infrastructure, related unions/networks, (un)employment challenges, vets in schools & voc ed centers

GEOGRAPHY: bases, VFW halls, VA hospitals, etc

TRADITIONS: deployments, coming home events, etc

OPINION LEADERS: VSOs (list),

POLITICS: vets/troops/Guard officials, voters, voting patterns, win #

CHALLENGES: readiness, recruiting, cost, jobs, PTSD/MST, family life

CONNECTIONS: who are allies & ambassadors in each VSO & network?

GUT CHECK: Can you go to these folks and galvanize their support?

4 BUILD LEADERSHIP TEAMS:BEEHIVES & BLACKBERRIES FROM DIFFERENT ERAS NETWORK TOGETHER

4 BUILD LEADERSHIP TEAMS

ORGANIZE people around a shared vision, work in a disciplined way & build a culture of service

Beehives & Blackberries from all service eras network together

Each member of the team is an ambassador for all

Diverse, homegrown leadership from the veterans & military families community serve on each team:

Kitchen Cabinet Finance Council House Meeting Hosts Volunteers Corps Election Protection Team

5 CONNECT WITH PEOPLE

SHOW UP: Outreach = Respect: “if you don’t respect us don’t expect us”

ENGAGE vets to vets phonebanks, mail & house meetings

USE ETHNIC MEDIA to reach people how & where they live

BILINGUAL ADS: Over 25% of Latino voters get primary info in Spanish & even more say they consider bilingual communication as RESPECT

SPEAK OUT at events, debates, media opportunities

LISTEN: keep an Open Feedback Loop

VARY your tools: call and write and meet and email

RENEW your connection with follow up and thank you

6 RAISE THE MONEY

REMEMBER your ask shows what you think of yourself

SHOW through transparency how you spend money

ASK people who are always asked

DEPLOY surrogates so vets are asking vets for support

BARTER time, childcare, space, food, coffee, etc

COMPLY with the laws and your own pledges.

7 MOBILIZE TO WIN RECRUIT volunteers by activating networks

KEEP volunteers with meaningful work

FEED them, optimally with bartered food

MENTOR with good training and encouragement

TRAIN with policy & anti-Swiftboating messages

TRACK their efforts and results

PROTECT THE VOTE & address Voter ID laws, military ballots, VA hospitals, overseas bases, students

THANK at every opportunity.