Posted by Jacob Roecker on November 11, 2009 under Articles | 
by Jacob Roecker and Nanette Kirsch
Principle 4 in the 9-12 principles and values says, “The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.”
Implicit in this is the understanding that no success can compensate for failure in the home. So how does one balance soccer practices and family dinners with the call to “save the Republic”?
Keeping Up with the Johnsons
Sil Johnson was among the core 9-12ers who mobilized support for the Doug Hoffman campaign in NY’s 23rd Congressional district. She opened and ran his Oswego campaign headquarters. Yet, she’s also a married mother of four with a full-time job. We asked Sil, her husband, Paul, daughter Leigha (17), and son, Geoff (21) to share their perspectives on the experience.
SIL: It was Paul who got my head out of the sand about five years ago. Until then, I had no interest in politics, and didn’t know or care what they were doing in Washington. I got involved in the Hoffman campaign because I saw our government spending money it did not have, and I knew my children and grandchildren would have to pay for it.
Paul helped me set up our local campaign office, and he was there to help me clean up at the end. He volunteered a couple other times as well. I know he didn’t like the late nights; I had nightly campaign calls at 9:30 p.m., and we are usually early-to-bed types.
Paul is my children’s stepfather, so mostly their care is my responsibility, but he stepped up and helped out with transportation, made dinner (which he does a lot, but he had it done earlier so I could eat with them), and things like that. I appreciated it.
PAUL: I felt like my wife was never home. If she wasn’t at work she was at the campaign office or at an event. I usually was asleep by the time she came to bed; I did not like that at all. It felt like we had no time together.
Sil: I explained to my kids why I was doing this, and how I felt good people like Hoffman could only get elected if everyday people like me helped.
Leigha: Things definitely were more hectic around the house. Since we only have one car and Mom was gone a lot, we had to find ways to get where we needed to go. (In my defense, I made sure both she and her sister got to work and got picked up afterward, Sil interjected.) The stress level went up with Mom always running around. We didn’t eat dinner as a family, and if we did it was rushed. I liked that I learned more about politics, and was home alone a lot.
Geoff: Mom was more stressed, and she wasn’t home a lot, which is unusual. Her husband was more stressed too. I was proud of her because she was doing something she believed in, and because she was doing it to make her kids’ futures better.
Paul: I am proud of Silvan because she knew something needed to be done and did it. Without any experience in politics she jumped right in and did what needed to be done. I admired her passion.
Sil: I am proud of myself. I had no clue what I was doing when I started. I always was more comfortable being a worker bee. This time I was the decision-maker for the office, and I discovered that I’m a pretty good at giving direction too.
Thankfully, it was a short campaign. I realized the effect it was having on my family toward the end. Despite what my husband says, I did make some time for him, but clearly not enough.
Paul: After the campaign, things just got back to normal. I’m happy to have my wife back.
Leigha: Life just kind of got back to normal once it was over.
Geoff: We’re having family meals again.
Plan Now for 2010
The 2010 primaries will begin near the end of the school year, a busy time on every family’s calendar. If you are considering becoming involved, begin now to evaluate what you can contribute, and how your family can manage your short-term, yet time-intensive commitment.
Prayer, faith, planning and good communication can help your family prepare for – and avoid –some of the stress. Here are a few tips for first-time volunteers to consider:
- Play to your strengths. Offer your known talents first so you can contribute less time with greater impact and efficiency. Don’t be shy about trying something new – one of the beauties of volunteerism – but keep it to a sample size.
- Make it a family affair. While not everyone in your family may share your call to action, your experience sand learnings will help your children see first-hand the power and difference an individual can make in our society.
- Set goals and limits. Set a goal for the projects you take on, and also set limits for the time and resources you can reasonably contribute (best to do this with your family’s input before the campaign begins).
- Build in breathers. Keep some family time sacred, even in the heat of the campaign, whether Sunday mornings or Thursday family dinners. Even brief family time can be rejuvenating.
Share your tips and experiences in the comments section of this article, or write to editor@912candidates.org. Our focus on the family will continue in future features.
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Jacob Roecker is the founder of 912Candidates.org, father of four, an Eagle Scout, and a 2-time veteran of the Iraq War, for which he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal. Jacob is a graduate of Utah State University where he earned a degree in Speech Communication. While a student, Jacob committed himself to benefiting his college community and for his efforts received the University’s Robins Award for “Man of the Year.” He has been published in the American Communication Journal.
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Nanette Kirsch edited this story. She is a married mother of four and marketing communication professional in Tyler, Texas, who identifies herself as conservative. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. She currently serves as editor-in-chief for 912Candidates.org, creating and posting submissions from volunteers and guest authors about 9-12 candidates. She may be reached at editor@912candidates.org.
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Posted by Nanette Kirsch on November 10, 2009 under Articles |
By: Nanette Kirsch
What do get when you add a handful of GOP operatives to a base of 100 battle-weary campaign volunteers? If the final days of the Hoffman Congressional campaign in New York’s 23rd District offer any insight, the answer is not a punchline that will lead to victory i
n 2010.
Why Are You Here?
“The moment anyone tells me they are from D.C., I will start by asking, ‘Why are you here?’ If I’m giving my time and energy to something I believe in, I’m not interested in working with someone who’s in it simply for a paycheck,” said Jennifer Bernstone, leader of the central New York 9-12 group that supported the recent Doug Hoffman campaign.
Her litmus test sums up the challenge ahead as 9-12ers and other “ordinary citizens” step forward to lend their time, talents and resources to candidates they believe in, backed by parties they don’t.
“After DeDe [Scozafazza] dropped out, the GOP came in and tried to take things over,” explains Sil Johnson, a 9-12er who ran Hoffman’s Oswego campaign headquarters. “They tried to take over base operations, made it difficult for me to work as a volunteer and ostracized other volunteers. They believed they had a better mechanism for campaigning.”
Bernstone offers a case in point: “We spent four or five days planning a huge door-to-door blitz of Fulton and Oswego. On a conference call the night before, the DC folks told us to drop everything we had planned and get behind them. ‘Okay,’ we thought, ‘they’re the professionals. This will be fun anyway.’
“The next day, our volunteers couldn’t find Doug; he was not where they told us he would be. So, they start calling me.
I finally tracked the campaign down at the Polish Community Center, and sent our 20 or so volunteers hustling there. By some miracle, the media arrived right after they got there.”
According to Johnson, part of the problem may have resulted from the fact that Hoffman’s campaign came together so quickly. “It was directed by the people around Doug, and then seemed to take on a life of its own. There was no cohesive campaign strategy.”
9-12 Grassroots Worked
“Before this election, we had no idea about the 9-12 movement,” said Lenn Schick, Oswego County chairman and regional vice chairman for New York’s Conservative Party. “The grassroots effort from 9-12 supporters was just phenomenal. I don’t think the Conservative Party could have done it without them; it was grassroots that got Hoffman 46 percent of the vote. I was impressed and excited about the enthusiasm from the 9-12ers, especially those who took on leadership roles.”
Political Experts Necessary
“It’s absolutely true that they were stepped on by Republican Party operatives,” adds Schick. “But you have to look at the bigger picture. They’ve done this many times. They are experts on these things. It was a bit difficult in the last couple days, when they seemed to take over, but on the other hand, they have many years of experience with getting candidates elected, and know what needs to be done.”
Lessons Learned
“It’s too bad the GOP came on board so late,” Schick said, indicating that their eleventh-hour arrival contributed to the ruffled feathers. “Going forward, I hope the 9-12ers will remain active in supporting candidates and getting involved.”
Schick added that candidates cannot talk to these third-party groups, due to restrictions under the McCain Feingold Act, and that can complicate communication and lead to duplication of effort. “Win, lose or draw in this past election, the people that worked hard won because they did the right thing and did a great job.”
“If 9-12ers just keeps up the enthusiasm and grassroots effort to get out the vote, make people aware of the candidate, and continue to do the right thing, taking the high road, I think they’ll be successful.”
Posted by Nanette Kirsch on November 9, 2009 under Articles |
By: Jennifer Bernstone, Sil Johnson contributed to this report
Fresh from the March on Washington last Sept. 12, our loose band of 10 conservative allies and friends in central New York now had a name: We were the CNY-912ers, but we remained a “glorified sticker club” when it came to focus. Just a week later, that all changed when a friend asked me to host Doug Hoffman’s campaign manager at my home.
A couple of years ago my sense of civic duty stopped at the voting booth, if it made it that far. Now, post-9-12, we awoke to find ourselves in the middle of a historic campaign that would challenge us in ways we had never imagined, from setting up campaign offices to taking media calls from The New York Times and LA Times. I believe our grassroots support exemplifies a fundamental shift in the paradigm for election politics.
What we did and what we learned offer valuable lessons for others across the country – 9-12ers, tea party patriots or simply voters – who are no longer content to sit on the sidelines, but aren’t sure where to start.
“What Can I Do to Help?”
The one question we 9-12ers asked every day was, “What can we do to help?” We did not have direct contact with the campaign, due to McCain Feingold restrictions, but we never failed to come up with new answers among ourselves.
First, we focused on getting more people to meet Doug Hoffman. A week after meeting the campaign manager, we organized a small meet and greet at the corporate offices of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes in Canastota.
Just two weeks later, we organized five meet-and-greets. They weren’t huge, but they started to raise awareness and funds, collecting more than $1,000 with an impromptu collection bucket.
A lot of our activity was simpler. We sent daily e-mails to volunteers and supporters. We made phone calls with 9-12ers from across the country. We planted thousands of yard signs. We hosted sign-waving parties, where we’d make homemade signs, and then stand in small groups on busy street corners to promote awareness of Hoffman and pass out brochures.
Every Hour and Person Counts
It blows my mind how every single hour counted. In just six weeks, with fewer than 100 volunteers, CNY-912ers helped put Doug Hoffman on the map – in his district and nationally.
The main headquarters was staffed by a professional team, but two of the four satellite offices were manned by 912ers. Sil Johnson opened Oswego County Headquarters just 10 days before the election; and I opened Canastota on Oct. 15. In addition, we oversaw four additional distribution sites in three counties.
We had volunteers from Rochester, Albany, Westchester County, Connecticut and a guy from Pennsylvania who arrived the Friday before the election and stayed through Tuesday. He was a one-man, sign-waving, phone-calling machine. I can’t believe it, but we never got his contact information. He was one of our most dedicated and valuable volunteers. The energy and work ethic the out-of-town volunteers brought with them were an invaluable shot in the arm for our local volunteers.
No Clue? No Excuse.
On Oct 14, we committed to open a campaign office in Canastota. I gave myself until noon of the following day; remember, every hour counted. I had never set foot in a campaign headquarters before, but we realized early on that no clue was no excuse. We quickly brainstormed a list of what we thought we’d need and opened by 3:30 p.m. on Friday, missing our deadline by just a couple hours.
One great example of our excuse-free attitude was our approach to securing Internet access for the office. We secured space in a former savings and loan, and then went door-to-door looking for tenants with wireless Internet access. We found them, and in exchange for buying the most powerful router we could buy (under $100), they shared access to their network.
We Can Do It Again
The power of the 9-12 movement is that we can transcend district boundaries to lend our time, energy and money to candidates like Hoffman, who was the first in New York to sign the 9-12 contract, a morally binding commitment to uphold the 9-12 principles and values once in office and in his personal life. That and his answers to our questions during our first meeting with him were enough to garner our support.
Following the 9-12 march, we planned to create bylaws and form a non-profit organization. Since this campaign, however, we plan want to revisit that. We don’t know if it is beneficial now to outgrow our glorified sticker club status.
The fact that Hoffman lost doesn’t bother me at all. We haven’t educated ourselves and each other enough. Doug was a Hail Mary pass that grazed the tips of the receiver. We did it once and we didn’t die; that means we can do it again, and next time even better.
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Jennifer Bernstone is a personal trainer and fitness instructor in Canastota, NY. She was among 10 9-12ers in New York state who found themselves playing a central role in organizing a grassroots, volunteer effort in support of the Doug Hoffman campaign.
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Nanette Kirsch edited this story. She is a married mother of four and marketing communication professional in Tyler, Texas, who identifies herself as conservative. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. She currently serves as editor-in-chief for 912Candidates.org, creating and posting submissions from volunteers and guest authors about 9-12 candidates. She may be reached at editor@912candidates.org.
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