Campaign Manager Must's: Keep Perspective & Keep it Civil

(Note: Given the nastiness of the election cycle so far, I would hope Campaigns, Media Consultants & Staff take some ownership by their lonesome. Barring this sort of miracle, I do hope this post might influence at least a Candidate or staffer to conduct themselves as if they respect the office they are seeking.)

As a Campaign Manager you are advocating for your candidate. A political opponent is just that: Your opponent in a political contest. You are in the business of drawing legitimate contrasts between your Candidate & his opponent. You can better advocate for your Candidate if you're not preoccupied with your personal dislike for the opponent. Believe me, I know how tough it is not to take a jab when the opportunity presents itself.

A political campaign is persuading the electorate that your Candidate is the better person for the job because of a, b & c. Even if your Candidate isn't always respectful about their opponent in private, you have to keep proper perspective in public & in private for your Candidate, for the volunteers, for the partisans already on your side. Being the representative for the Candidate to the public, you help set the tenor & affect the level of civility or incivility in the atmosphere that surrounds your Campaign.

You are a public face for the Campaign &, win or lose, it is the Candidate's personal & professional reputation that is on the line. Remember that you & the Candidate have relationships here that you both value. You will take these relationships & your reputation to Salem & through the rest of your life.

This can be a very lonely job. This is one of the toughest you're likely to have in your working life. Few people outside of politics can understand the pressures & even fewer people will fully appreciate the inherent tensions that exist within a partisan Campaign.

Probably the most immediate thing to put together for yourself is an emotional & intellectual support system. You need trusted people around you to bounce ideas off of (not just a significant other). They will provide you, the manager, with moral & directional support so you can in turn keep the Candidate & the Campaign as a whole directed & working properly.

If you haven't already, try setting up a weekly meeting with Campaign Managers you respect. They could be friends, acquaintances, past or present peers. Vent to them. Problem solve with them. Eat & drink with them. This is a support structure that will help you to keep perspective as the election calendar eats up more & more of your time.

This is a hell of a job you're doing & it can be very taxing. This job can lead you to go into politics yourself (Haley Barbour) or lead you to diabetes (Joe Trippi). So, take care of yourself & enjoy.