(Chuck Muth) – I’ve read a LOT of candidate bios. Most are absolutely terrible. They read like a college term paper or professional resume. No personality. Not conversational. Not relatable. And usually boring as all get-out.
Like this…
“Robert graduated summa cum laude from Brown University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He obtained his PhD in Political Philosophy from Columbia University in New York. After graduation, he worked in his local Senator’s office until eventually choosing to run for Senator himself. … He won by a margin of 35% and served over 12 years in his elected position.”
Yawn (zzzzzz).
But I read one this week that I absolutely loved. It’s for Connecticut State Representative Kimberly Fiorello. Here’s an excerpt…
“Kimberly was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Reston, Virginia. … Her first job was at Salomon Brothers; her most exciting job was as a reporter in Hong Kong for the Wall Street Journal; her hardest job was in the kitchen at Wallse restaurant in NYC; and her most rewarding job is being a wife and mom. … Kimberly resides in Greenwich with her husband, Jon, and their four children, two dogs, and four pet hens, who daily provide delicious eggs for breakfast!”
Absolutely brilliant.
I mean, which candidate do you think the average voter would best relate to? A politician with a summa cum laude PhD in political science…or a mom whose toughest job was working in a restaurant kitchen and who feeds her family fresh eggs at home from four pet hens?
And here’s something else I love about Rep. Fiorello: Testimonials.
At best, most candidates simply list the names of people who have endorsed them. But click here on Rep. Fiorello’s campaign website and scroll down to “Look who’s talking about Kimberly.”
Note: She doesn’t just publish the names of people who have endorsed her. She publishes gushing testimonials from supporters. Like this one from Elisa Esses…
“As a long-time Connecticut resident, I want leaders that love our country, protect our citizens and property, and lead us into prosperity. … [Kimberly] is the kind of enterprising and energetic leader that we want in Hartford.”
Zowza!
Remember, if you’re a candidate you ARE a politician. And nobody believes anything any politician says, especially when said politician says they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread.
But when a third party says it…
I see so much that’s so bad and so wrong in so many campaigns that it did my heart good to see Rep. Fiorello doing so much so right. Maybe one day I’ll be lucky enough to sit down with her and her family over some home-laid scrambled eggs.
I’ll even do the dishes!
Back to What NOT to Do…
I was at a GOP luncheon yesterday. A candidate for the state Legislature introduced himself and handed me his campaign flyer. Ugh.
How bad was it? Let me count the ways…
- It was all red in color with white lettering. Red, by the way, invokes emotions of anger or danger. That’s why “Stop” signs are red. Not exactly what you should be shooting for.
- It was only printed on one side. Remember: Ink is cheap; paper is expensive. If you’re gonna spring for the paper, use BOTH
- His platform was run-of-the-mill. “For” school choice, voter ID and gun rights. “Against” taxes, government mandates and open borders. (yawn)
- There was absolutely no contact information on it other than his website address…which (ugh) had the number “4” in it instead of “for.” No email address. No street address. No phone number. No Twitter. No Facebook. No nothing.
- Worse, when I tried to go to the website to see if there was any contact info there, the website address didn’t even work!
I had to go back to Rep. Fiorello’s website just to pull myself out of my depression.