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Memorial Day and Politics - Is it right to campaign on Memorial Day?

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Memorial Day and the Responsible Role of Politics   Every year on the last Monday of May (today), Americans gather in cemeteries, town squares, and memorial parks to remember those who gave their lives in service to the United States.  Friends and families gather, and it is the unofficial "kickoff" to summer.  But Memorial Day is not just another day off. It is a sacred moment on the national calendar—one that transcends partisanship, religion, sex, and all the "isms" over which we quarrel, and reminds us of the cost of freedom. For candidates and elected officials, Memorial Day presents both an opportunity and a responsibility. It is appropriate—indeed, it is vital—for those in public service and seeking office to participate in Memorial Day observances. After all, many of the fallen died defending the democratic institutions those candidates seek to serve. But political figures must tread carefully, honoring the day’s meaning rather than using it as a campaign bac...

What book or books can help me run a political campaign?

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  When I ran my first political campaign in 1995, I did not know what I was doing. I was a 20 year-old college student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  I had excellent organizational skills, I was a former boy scout, I was in Navy ROTC, and I was in College Republicans.  I was also a lifeguard at the university's aquatic center.  None of these things prepared me for running a countywide race. I did not even think of looking for a book about how to run a political campaign.  I thought that type of text would not exist. So everything I began learning about how to run a political campaign, I had to learn organically - either by creating my own system or learning from others who had run campaigns, before. Fortunately, I was able to work with a campaign professional who had run federal and state political races.  I took classes about campaigning that were offered in my state, and I began to learn how campaigns were structured and how successful people won t...