The primary election is done and we survived to fight another day. We accomplished the win without a lot of help. If we are to vanquish the opposition in the general election, we will need an organization to help with fund raising and “in the trenches” campaigning. Everyone knows that in politics, Cash is King! For the general election we will need to match the competition.
For the primary, we spent about $11,000. In the process, we learned that mail pieces cost a bunch. For the one mailing we did, we spent over $7,000 to send out 11,000 pieces. That works out to $.63 per piece. Campaign signs cost $5 by the time they are in the ground. We haven’t gotten to the cost of larger signs since we didn’t have any money for them, but I suspect they will be a ton. Anyone interested in contributing to my campaign by credit card, we can accept contributions at our web site; www.stevedana.us .
Typically primary elections are funded with vanity contributions from friends and family members who are excited about having a candidate in a race. Even when the candidate has no chance, the process of an election is a life changing experience. I have struggled with the thought that I was in one of those vanity campaigns where I was running just to say that I did it without a real expectation of winning. There is so much to do and no resources to do it with.
My support group in the campaign is mostly my family and friends that have been committed to Noreen and me in every endeavor we have ever undertaken. Win or lose in this election, I am a winner because of the faith those people have in me.
My friend Jim Mitchell told me recently that an election is the ultimate popularity contest. He said that I should spend less time talking about the issues and spend more time being likable. That may have been great advice during prosperous times, but when people are afraid about the future, sticking to business feels more comfortable to me. I want people to know that I am apprehensive about the future too and that I am committed to government not making things worse.
I knew this project was a huge challenge when I got into the race last winter, but I really hadn’t thought about how huge it could be. Let me tell you, it’s overwhelming.
As a former city council member, I had to campaign in eight precincts to get elected. The fifth council district is 157 precincts. For the primary, I door-belled in 14 precincts. For the most part, I worked by myself. My friend Paul Cowles, the former mayor of Bothell came out a few nights to help and I really appreciated his help. We will have to do much better in the general election if we have any expectation of winning. Representative Mike Hope can attest to the importance of personal outreach in the neighborhoods. His win last year was anchored by a serious door-belling effort. Maybe Mike will coach me.
My family and friends got together last night to celebrate, but we all knew the festivities should not carry on too long, there is too much work to do.
For the next ten weeks, we will have to do much better than we’ve done so far. We don’t have a well oiled machine running our campaign like some candidates. We don’t even have a broken down machine. We don’t have a machine at all. We need a machine.
Anyone interested in being a part of a machine working to elect Steve Dana to the Snohomish County Council contact me through my email address sdforscc@live.com or call my campaign phone number 425-327-5948. Then of course you can always contact me at The HUB in Snohomish (928 Avenue D is our address). I would appreciate all the help I can get.
No Loss for Words 
Be Careful What You Ask For!
by Steve DanaWhen Americans voted last November, the message they sent was that they were tired of George W and Republican leadership. They said loud and clear that Democrats represented hope and change. Remember that old adage, “Be careful of what you ask for because you might get it.” I only hope the change we get isn’t more than we can handle.
When Obama took office in January, he began a transformation of our country most Americans never dreamed of. That can’t be said for everyone, but for most.
The Liberal Democrats knew what they wanted and Obama represented the instrument of unprecedented change they could only dream of in the past.
After only seven months of Obama’s presidency, the Democrats have rocked the foundation of our country with sweeping changes they say are necessary because of carryover from the previous administration. The plan for the future promoted by Democrats from the highest levels of government to the grass roots in cities and counties will forever change the way we live.
The message Democrats got when voters elected Democrats last year was that America wanted government to take control of their lives, that Democrats knew what we needed better than we did. Now we may well pay for our failure to listen to what Obama and the Democratic Party were actually saying leading up to the election; more government, bigger government, more taxes, bigger deficits and on and on.
Democrats promised us it would be painful when they started because of the problems created by the Democratic Congress and George W. (No, they didn’t actually take any of the credit or the blame.) so we wouldn’t be surprised when the hurt started. The theory is that if you suggest something will be bad in advance, when it turns out to be bad, it’s not quite as bad as if you didn’t have the warning. And, sometimes the cure is more painful than the illness.
A sixty vote majority in the US Senate, a healthy majority in the House of Representatives and the Presidency give the Democrats the power to do anything they want to America and there is not a damn thing we can do about it until the next election. We need to make sure we are ready to act.
In our state, the Democrats have controlled the legislature and the Governor’s office longer than many can remember. Mike Hope gave us hope. Good Republican candidates can win tough elections.
In our county, the executive’s office has always been Democrat and for most of the years we have been a charter county Democrats have held a majority. This year we can start bending the curve back the other way by campaigning for Republican candidates. We can be on the leading edge of the swing away from Liberal Democratic control by electing John Koster and Steve Dana.
After repeated victories, the appearance is that Democratic candidates reflect the desires of the voters because they continue to elect more and more of them to office.
That trend has to stop.
For this year, next year and into the future, we need to give voters a reason to choose Republicans. The stakes are too high for us to concede election after election to the other party because we fail to offer credible candidates that appeal to the broadest number of voters.
Some prominent Republicans told us this year that they decided to support a Democrat because they thought it would be cheaper to work with the opposition than campaign to elect a Republican. They made a business decision that satisfied their personal economic situation.
In tough economic times, we sometimes make choices we regret later.
For the past two years, the county council has been controlled by the Democrats with a 4-1 advantage. That gives the Democrats a great deal of power. It allows at least one of the four to take a stand contrary to the majority and not affect the outcome of a vote. That creates the appearance that council members are more moderate than they really are.
Obama campaigned for a year telling Democrats who he was and what he stood for. That was the warning most of Middle America ignored. After he secured the nomination, he moved to the center to appeal to Middle America. And today, he has revealed that he is what he told the Democrats he was during the primaries; a liberal, left wing “I’m going to take your money” Socialist.”
The county council election this year, the congressional and legislative elections next year will be a test for local and state voters whether they have had enough of the Democratic party and the extremists calling the shots in that party.
Dave Somers has worked to appear more moderate by allowing his colleagues to carry the freight as he came into the re-election zone. Nobody remembers the votes taken three or four years ago like they remember last year’s votes. Realistically though, who believes that Dave Somers has suddenly become more moderate? I suspect it is just more of that wishful Obama thinking.
There is no doubt that it will require a maximum effort to turn back the Democrats, but can we afford to not make that effort? I think not!
Vote Republican! Vote for John Koster and Steve Dana in 2009!
Posted in Partisan Politics, Snohomish County Council, Snohomish County Political Commentary, Steve Dana Issues | 2 Comments »