Tom Flanagan's “Ten Commandments of Conservative Campaigning”
- Unity The Conservative Party contains libertarians, social conservatives, populists, Red Tories, Quebec nationalists, and Canadian nationalists, plus many people who don't care much about any of these 'isms'. They all need each other. They can never win unless they try to understand each other and reach compromises that they can all live with.
- Moderation Canada is not yet a conservative or Conservative country. We can't win if we veer too far to the right of the median voter.
- Inclusion The traditional Conservative base of Anglophone protestants is too narrow to win modern Canadian elections. While preserving that base, we have to appeal to Francophones, Roman Catholics (44 per cent in teh 2001 Census of Canada) and other racial and religious minorities. The key to the long-term success of the Liberals has been their cultivation of minority groups. We have to take away that advantage before we can become the dominant political force in the country.
- Incrementalism We have to be willing to make progress in small practical steps. Sweeping visions have a place in intellectual discussions, but they are toxic in practical politics.
- Policy We have to develop well-thought-out policies and communicate them effectively. Since conservatism is not yet the dominant public philosophy, our policies may sometimes run against conventional wisdom. The onus is on us to help Canadians to understand what they are voting for.
- Self-Discipline The media are unforgiving of conservative errors, so we have to exercise strict discipline at all levels:
- there must be a complete plan for the campaign, so the leader is not forced to improvise;
- staff must avoid the limelight and let the communications department deal with the media;
- candidates must talk about the platform, not their personal beliefs, and (except for designated spokesmen) concentrate on local rather than national media;
- members and supporters must be careful and dignified in all their communications, even e-mail and website postings.
- Toughness We cannot win by being Boy Scouts. We have to conduct thorough opposition research and make use of the results; run hard-hitting, fact-based negative ads; and do whatever is legally possible to jam our opponents' communications and disrupt their operations.
- Grassroots politics Victories are earned one voter at a time. Door-knocking, voter ID, GOTV [get out the vote] are the Holy Trinity that wins close races. We must extend the lead that we have opened up over the other parties in ground-level campaigning and grassroots fundraising.
- Technology We are living in the biggest, fastest-moving communications revolution in human history. Each election campaign features new technologies. We must continue to be at the forefront in adapting new technlogies to politics.
- Persistence Campaigning is a tough business, and mistakes are frequent. We have to correct our errors, learn from experience and keep pushing ahead.
From: Tom Flanagan, Harper's Team: Behind the Scenes in the Conservative Rise to Power, Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2007 (p. 274-289)