The Scarlet Letter
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Maryland slaps disgraced Ehrlich consultant with hefty fine
by Sean J. Miller / May 30 2012
New Hampshire isn't the only state where political consultants could face hefty fines for making election-related calls.
Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler (D) won a civil judgment Tuesday that he said, "will make political consultants think twice" before violating the state's election laws.
A federal judge hit political consultant Julius Henson with a $1 million fine for 112,000 robocalls his firm made that discouraged black voters from going to the polls
The decline of primetime
by Chris Palko / May 30 2012
NBC’s recent decision to end the runs of “30 Rock,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Community” speaks volumes about the state of network viewership. Despite generating buzz, these highly rated series were not bringing in enough viewers.
For instance, the “30 Rock” season finale this year drew less than three million viewers. Twenty years ago, on the same night and the same network, “A Different World” was attracting an average of
The mobile payment debate enters a new phase
by Erik Nilsson / May 30 2012
Take it from me, a political fundraiser needs to be able to accept a donation in a way that incurs the least amount of trouble for the donor. The easier the process of making a gift, the more likely a donor is to give. It’s really that simple.
The mobile payment world is making great strides toward easing the transfer of funds from donor to candidate. Unfortunately, campaigns are still struggling with the problem
The political startup
by Sean J. Miller / May 29 2012
Sure, technology has changed politics by making organizing and communicating far easier. But it might not stop there. Outside-the-beltway political startups might just change the face of the political consulting business by shifting its center of power.
Until recently, the model for a large consulting firm had been to bring in some big names, identify some deep-pocketed clients, charge a hefty retainer and go from there. The critique is that it's not exactly
Egypt’s presidential vote offers U.S. consultants hope
by Tyler Harber / May 26 2012
Egypt’s first democratic presidential election in its 5,000-year history signals the opening of a new market for U.S. political consultants that work abroad.
The fact that Egyptians were able to hold this election within fifteen months of the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak is a positive sign and indicates the willingness of the population to accept a democratic process. More importantly, it shows the country has embraced modern political campaigns.
Egypt
How the residency issue sunk Sen. Lugar
by Rodell Mollineau / May 25 2012
In November 2010, Sen. Richard Lugar’s (R) campaign released an internal poll showing him to be the most popular politician in Indiana. Within 18 months, Lugar would lose a primary to state Treasurer Richard Mourdock. What happened?
Many attribute Lugar’s loss to the Tea Party’s opposition to his moderate policy stances. But as recently as January, Lugar still appeared to be a lock for reelection. Instead, his loss should be chalked up
Can Obama channel Reagan?
by Sean J. Miller / May 24 2012
Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama have a few things in common. Each rose to power on the strength of his charisma and, once in the White House, faced economic challenges in his first term. That’s to say that both presidents saw unemployment break 10 percent.
When he took office in 1981, Reagan was confronted with an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent, and the job shedding continued into the first years of his
Key tools for 2012
by Colin Delany / May 21 2012
1. CRM Platforms: If you’re trying to stay in touch with a few thousand (or a few million) people at once, you’ll need a database to do it. Fortunately, modern CRM (Constituent Relations Management) tools are up to the challenge. Many political consulting firms offer their own platforms, and campaigns can also take advantage of standardized toolsets like DLCCWeb (on the Left) and NationBuilder (nonpartisan). A good CRM automates the process of signing up
Why hybrid PACs matter
by Dan Backer / May 21 2012
The reigning narrative is of Super PACs dominating the 2012 elections. But elections are finite moments in time, before and after which the ongoing battle to shape policy continues. The story we may not hear until 2013 is the quiet emergence of Hybrid PACs as a tool of political operators who understand the difference between winning elections and winning policy.
Policy professionals know successful advocacy as a “3-legged stool” that requires three elements:
Twitter duels, faster politics, and the importance of integration
by Colin Delany / May 18 2012
Campaigns are turning to Twitter this year to ding their opponents directly. We saw some signs of this trend earlier in the cycle as Republican presidential candidates jockeyed for position. Now that Mitt Romney’s the nominee-to-be, his campaign and President Obama’s team regularly trade shots via Tweet.
David Axelrod and Romney campaign manager Eric Fehrnstrom have emerged as their respective campaigns’ primary duelists, but even Mitt Romney’s wife, Ann, took to Twitter to
Data-driven politics
by Colin Delany / May 17 2012
Let’s think more deeply about where data-driven politics is really catching on: Targeting and field. Not coincidentally, both areas are already havens for data nerds.
Direct mail mavens have been using voter files and consumer databases to target messaging and fundraising appeals for decades and data-targeting online ads is a natural extension of that mindset and skillset. Likewise with grassroots, since field organizers are consumed by numbers related to canvassing and its results.
Sen. Feinstein suffers donation setback in fraud case
by Sean J. Miller / May 16 2012
Sen. Dianne Feinstein got some mixed news this week from the Federal Election Commission. The California Democrat had asked the FEC whether she could collect "replacement contributions" from her donors after losing millions in campaign funds to embezzlement.
The commission ruled May 15 that if the contributor's donation had been "either deposited into one of the Committee's accounts, cashed, or otherwise used by the Committee, that contribution counts against the contributor's per-election
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