Where do you stand, Jim?
For those that are not political eggheads, or did not live in North Carolina in 1984, the question “Where do you stand, Jim?” will have little if any meaning. However almost everyone knows it was the Helms-Hunt 1984 campaign that shaped the form of the modern campaign of “flip-flops” and it was done by asking one simple question “Where do you stand, Jim?” That question and the campaign that year was the brainchild of the National Congressional Club. There is a lesson that in this we must heed.
1982 to 1984
1982 Governor Jim Hunt was planning his 1984 run for the US Senate. He planned to unseat Senator Jesse Helms and everything was going his way. He had a 20 plus lead in the polls, was well like in North Carolina; all was going his way. Gary Pearce’s book Jim Hunt: A Biography says that “If he beat Helms, Hunt would become a national hero in the Democratic Party. He would be hailed in Washington as a dragon slayer. He would be a logical candidate for president.”
Bob Harris over at the Congressional Club was the one that found and made use of what he called “flip-flops.” With a Governor jet around the country at state taxpayer expense, conducting a little state business and raising a lot of out of tax campaign money, the fight was ready to begin.
The Club’s campaign of flip-flopping proved to be successful and Senator Helms went on to reelection. There were several other things that were done that must not be over looked from this campaign. Senator Helms Campaign had a clear message and plan. The committed to that message and plan and proceeded full steam ahead, Governor Hunt’s campaign did not.
Also the Congressional Club and Helms campaign could count votes. The Club started calculating the estimated number of votes to be cast in the November 1984 elections almost right away. From that number they arrived at estimated numbers of votes that each candidate would receive in the November elections. From there they would adjust the number of new voters that needed to be registered to vote for Senator Helms.
Present Day
Governor Hunt may have won that race in 1984 if he had listened to the young man, Dick Morris, which the campaign brought down from New York. But what did kill him were the flip-flops, failure to respond, defend, and attack.
The candidate that members of the Tea Party get behind must be vetted and have a clear message and plan. Because one thing is for sure Obama has a clear plan and message. The field of candidates needs to be weeded out soon and a clear frontrunner established. They are going to have to raise a lot of cash and quickly.
They will need to start the November campaign not at the Convention, but by late spring at the latest. They have been debate after debate. It is time that Iowa and New Hampshire conservative start the weeding process.
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