Thanks for taking the time to read my first column. Every other week on this page you’ll read my unsolicited advice to those who - I believe - need it the most. They may not think they need it. They may not want it. And they might even be a little pissed that a college student would think himself precocious enough to write something like this. But here I am, and I’m going to tell it like I see it.
Dear Sen. Harry Reid:
Students, you might think you know where this is going already. If you’ve followed politics at all lately you know that Mr. Reid has gotten himself in some boiling water over a few choice words he used in reference to President Obama during the 2008 campaign (namely, “light-skinned” and “negro dialect”). Amidst calls for him to retire, a never-ending battle for health care reform and abysmal polling in Nevada, it’s beginning to look like Reid is being shown the door.
I beg to differ.
Sen. Reid, this isn’t over yet. You can still bring this campaign back from the grave. But you need to make some changes.
First, fire your campaign manager, Brandon Hall. Apprentice-style, if you will. A quick look at his campaign experience, and I think it’s easy to see he’s not the best person for the job. After running an unsuccessful campaign for a special election House seat in 2006, he ran the campaign for Mark Begich in Alaska against former Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska.
“But Begich won the race!” you might protest. Of course. But he won by only the slimmest of margins — less than 4,000 votes — and let’s not forget he was running against a convicted felon.
Experienced? Accomplished? Not even. And the way he’s run your campaign so far proves it. Find someone new.
Second on your to-do list should be to get aggressive with your public relations tactics.
You’re being bombarded with bad press. As if the scandals, tear-jerking polling statistics and problems on the hill weren’t enough, now The Washington Post is even saying you and your son Rory — running for Governor of Nevada — are a burden to each other. Don’t believe it, work together with Rory to fight back hard.
This is a Nevada election. Get local. Get aggressive and don’t let the press dictate your strategy.
Last but by no means least, get online. With it being 2010 and all, your social media presence is laughable. On Facebook you have only 3,374 fans. And your staff doesn’t even try to pretend it’s you updating. They even refer to you in the third person.
Twitter is almost as bad. Only 5,508 followers, updates that look like headlines ripped out of a press release and zero interaction with your constituency.
Don’t forget, it’s not just fundraising that will win you this election. You have to reach out and connect with your voters. Services like Twitter and Facebook provide an awesome opportunity to do just that.
Good luck, Sen. Reid. You’ll need it.
Alex Priest is a junior in the School of Communication and Kogod School of Business and a liberal columnist for The Eagle. You can reach him at edpage@theeagleonline.com.
