June 6, 2007
I am trying to take a look at all the candidates, but the three at the top of my list were McCain, Giuliani, and Obama. It is early, but I have made it to a few events. Here are a few tips for all the candidates.
1. Put a calendar
on your website and don’t make the link impossible to find.
2. Give more than 1 day warning when making an appearance
3. (Question) What’s with the numerous candidates
scheduling events at 8 am on a weekday? Is this an attempt to court
the unemployed vote?
4. Try to be somewhat on time. You probably have
43 events planned for 3 hours, but if you leave a crowd standing
in the sun for an hour either give them a glass of water, or let
your staff know that they may be scraping your supporters off the
pavement this summer.
So far I’ve been to two McCain events and one Obama event. McCain gets points for being by far the most accessible candidate. Obama is around a lot, but he’s such a rock star that most events are full almost as soon as they are announced.
My impression of McCain from his town hall is that he’s very knowledgeable. He fielded all sorts of questions very well. He had thoughtful detailed answers, and he didn’t evade any questions, and he related to people very well.
The Obama rally showed himself as a compelling speaker. He was excellent at relating to the crowd and improvising when appropriate and not just sticking to a straight speech.
I’ve tried to find a Guliani
event, but could only find a fundraiser. Being without funds I figured I
was disqualified. I’ve also been looking for a Clinton event but have
had bad luck with scheduling. Edwards, Biden, Huckabee, and Romney are also
on the list, and hopefully I’ll have more to report next time.