Matt's Interview with Bush/Cheney '04 GOTV Guru
Following is my interview with Phillip Stutts, former national director of the RNC's 72 Hour Task Force, and principal of Phillip Stutts & Company, LLC. We talked about everything from the Bush/Cheney '04 campaign to Tony Kornheiser on Monday Night Football. I hope you enjoy it!
Q: Thank you for joining us today. You ran the Bush/Cheney 72 Hour Task Force. For our readers who aren't familiar with exactly what that is, can you give us a Reader's Digest version?
STUTTS: Going into the final 72 hours of the 2000 presidential race, then-Governor Bush had a 5-point lead in the polls. But on Election Day, Al Gore won the popular vote by running a far superior get-out-the-vote operation. GOP leaders vowed to never let that happen again. They created the 72 Hour Task Force (defined as the final three days of the election) and over the next three years, we studied and implemented GOTV programs all over the country. We learned the right way to turn-out voters and we learned some hard lessons. I had the privilege of leading efforts in South Dakota (2002) and Louisiana (2003). By 2004, the Bush campaign knew what worked in regards to grassroots campaigning. We implemented our plan to perfection pushing President Bush to victory by a 51 percent margin and increasing majorities in the United States Senate and House. The program accomplished unprecedented goals, the most impressive being the recruitment of 1.9 million volunteers to execute the Get-Out-The-Vote plan in key Bush/Cheney battleground states.
Q: What's the biggest lesson this experience taught you about politics?
Stutts: On day one, candidates and their campaign teams must prepare to run a successful grassroots campaign. Historically, campaigns didn't start grassroots organizing until the final few weeks of a campaign. Also, in order for a 72 Hour program to be successful, you must have a team that prepares, executes and is held accountable on daily basis.
Q: I believe adversity often makes us better leaders. You worked on two grueling high-profile races that ended up losing by a very narrow margin. One was John Thune's race against Tim Johnson, and the other was Bobby Jindal's gubernatorial race, which you managed. Can you give us some insight as to how you were able to learn from -- and overcome -- these tough losses?
Yes, Election Night 2004. Both Thune and Jindal won their races (plus the President's victory). It was a huge night, lots of tears and my dad and mom called me to say that I earned a night like that -- which was the best. Both Jindal and Thune contacted me after their wins as well and thanked me.
Looking back on those losses at the time, you wonder (and pray), how could you lose something so close. But today, I am happier that John Thune beat Tom Daschle (in 2004) than had he won in 2002. I'm also proud of the foundation we left in 2002 and Thune's appreciation of what we accomplished (winning the congressional and gubernatorial races and almost every other competitive race in South Dakota that year).
As for Jindal, we accomplished a lot in losing. In 2003, he was 31 years old, Indian-American, and had never run for public office. All of the so-called "political experts" said Jindal had no chance in the Deep South. Their opinions were derived from not believing a man of color could be competitive in a Louisiana statewide election. As a southerner I was offended by this, and the great people of Louisiana made a big statement (in that election) disproving such stereotypes (even though we barely lost). In 2004, Jindal ran for Congress and won, beating his opponent by 56 points.
Q: What career advice or tips do you have for young conservatives who want to get involved in political campaigns?
STUTTS: Be humble. Start from the bottom and work your way up. Be a "yes" person, not a "no" person, meaning that you are willing to execute a task with a positive attitude, no matter how trivial. Believe in what you are doing. Help others, not because it could pay off for you one day, but because it's the right thing to do. Make sure the only thing you ask those people in return, is to pay it forward.
Q: What political books do you recommend?
STUTTS: Just finished "The Survivor" by John Harris. Harris covered the White House for the Washington Post during the Clinton years. A middle of the road/slightly left look at Clinton -- but I enjoyed it. I would also recommend anything by Thomas Sowell, truly my hero.
Q: Out of all the people you've worked with, who have you encountered in politics that impressed you the most, and why?
STUTTS: Politicians: President Bush, John Thune and Bobby Jindal. They are genuine people, humble to the core, and do things for the right reasons. I admire them beyond words.
Campaign Professionals: Curt Anderson, Wes Anderson, Brad Todd, Blaise Hazelwood, Larry Russell, Matt Zabel, Sam Van Voorhis, Greg Brock, Todd Lamb, Matt "Texas Pete" Peterson, and Ken Mehlman. They are great people who have earned their success the right way. They are fair, dedicated, honest, and live decent lives.
One other name sticks out, she's a Democrat: Donna Brazile. She is a proud liberal who is such an honorable person. I really admire and respect her.
Outside Influences: My family; nobody has loved and supported me as much as they have. How lucky I am.
Q: What are you up to these days, and how can folks get in touch with you?
STUTTS: I started my own consulting firm last Spring, Phillip Stutts & Company, LLC. We offer general consulting for GOP candidates and state Republican parties. We also offer grassroots corporate consulting to chambers of commerce, trade associations and corporate clients. My website should be up soon, www.PhillipStutts.com.
I've met a lot of political folks who all seem to fit into the same category, they are "campaign guy. You have been able to work in high-profile races, yet maintain a great sense of humor. Any thoughts on why or how?
STUTTS: Thanks man. Yep, I love what I do. I am passionate about my work and the goals of my clients. I love to laugh, don't take myself too seriously, and realize that life is about giving back to your community, not about how important people perceive you to be.
People believe DC is the most important place in the country, so by living here, they must be important. That is just plain goofy. I've lived in California, Arizona, South Dakota, New Mexico, Louisiana, Massachusetts (yes, Massachusetts) and Alabama. The truly important people are in those states -- and everywhere else outside the beltway -- working hard, raising families and living honest lives.
Don't get me wrong, I love Washington, DC, and there are great people living here, but far too many people in this town believe they are very important and frankly too many folks aren't comfortable in their own skin. The good thing is that it doesn't frustrate me; it cracks me up on a daily basis.
Q: Lastly, I know you are a huge Tony Kornheiser fan. Any thoughts on his joining the Monday Night Football team?
STUTTS: He will be great and I will finally tune in to the games (I love college football -- Roll Tide -- not pro football) but I'm totally heartbroken that he will ditch the morning radio show. My Kornheiser fix is like crack, what will I do?!?! :)
Q: Thank you for joining us today. You ran the Bush/Cheney 72 Hour Task Force. For our readers who aren't familiar with exactly what that is, can you give us a Reader's Digest version?
STUTTS: Going into the final 72 hours of the 2000 presidential race, then-Governor Bush had a 5-point lead in the polls. But on Election Day, Al Gore won the popular vote by running a far superior get-out-the-vote operation. GOP leaders vowed to never let that happen again. They created the 72 Hour Task Force (defined as the final three days of the election) and over the next three years, we studied and implemented GOTV programs all over the country. We learned the right way to turn-out voters and we learned some hard lessons. I had the privilege of leading efforts in South Dakota (2002) and Louisiana (2003). By 2004, the Bush campaign knew what worked in regards to grassroots campaigning. We implemented our plan to perfection pushing President Bush to victory by a 51 percent margin and increasing majorities in the United States Senate and House. The program accomplished unprecedented goals, the most impressive being the recruitment of 1.9 million volunteers to execute the Get-Out-The-Vote plan in key Bush/Cheney battleground states.
Q: What's the biggest lesson this experience taught you about politics?
Stutts: On day one, candidates and their campaign teams must prepare to run a successful grassroots campaign. Historically, campaigns didn't start grassroots organizing until the final few weeks of a campaign. Also, in order for a 72 Hour program to be successful, you must have a team that prepares, executes and is held accountable on daily basis.
Q: I believe adversity often makes us better leaders. You worked on two grueling high-profile races that ended up losing by a very narrow margin. One was John Thune's race against Tim Johnson, and the other was Bobby Jindal's gubernatorial race, which you managed. Can you give us some insight as to how you were able to learn from -- and overcome -- these tough losses?
Yes, Election Night 2004. Both Thune and Jindal won their races (plus the President's victory). It was a huge night, lots of tears and my dad and mom called me to say that I earned a night like that -- which was the best. Both Jindal and Thune contacted me after their wins as well and thanked me.
Looking back on those losses at the time, you wonder (and pray), how could you lose something so close. But today, I am happier that John Thune beat Tom Daschle (in 2004) than had he won in 2002. I'm also proud of the foundation we left in 2002 and Thune's appreciation of what we accomplished (winning the congressional and gubernatorial races and almost every other competitive race in South Dakota that year).
As for Jindal, we accomplished a lot in losing. In 2003, he was 31 years old, Indian-American, and had never run for public office. All of the so-called "political experts" said Jindal had no chance in the Deep South. Their opinions were derived from not believing a man of color could be competitive in a Louisiana statewide election. As a southerner I was offended by this, and the great people of Louisiana made a big statement (in that election) disproving such stereotypes (even though we barely lost). In 2004, Jindal ran for Congress and won, beating his opponent by 56 points.
Q: What career advice or tips do you have for young conservatives who want to get involved in political campaigns?
STUTTS: Be humble. Start from the bottom and work your way up. Be a "yes" person, not a "no" person, meaning that you are willing to execute a task with a positive attitude, no matter how trivial. Believe in what you are doing. Help others, not because it could pay off for you one day, but because it's the right thing to do. Make sure the only thing you ask those people in return, is to pay it forward.
Q: What political books do you recommend?
STUTTS: Just finished "The Survivor" by John Harris. Harris covered the White House for the Washington Post during the Clinton years. A middle of the road/slightly left look at Clinton -- but I enjoyed it. I would also recommend anything by Thomas Sowell, truly my hero.
Q: Out of all the people you've worked with, who have you encountered in politics that impressed you the most, and why?
STUTTS: Politicians: President Bush, John Thune and Bobby Jindal. They are genuine people, humble to the core, and do things for the right reasons. I admire them beyond words.
Campaign Professionals: Curt Anderson, Wes Anderson, Brad Todd, Blaise Hazelwood, Larry Russell, Matt Zabel, Sam Van Voorhis, Greg Brock, Todd Lamb, Matt "Texas Pete" Peterson, and Ken Mehlman. They are great people who have earned their success the right way. They are fair, dedicated, honest, and live decent lives.
One other name sticks out, she's a Democrat: Donna Brazile. She is a proud liberal who is such an honorable person. I really admire and respect her.
Outside Influences: My family; nobody has loved and supported me as much as they have. How lucky I am.
Q: What are you up to these days, and how can folks get in touch with you?
STUTTS: I started my own consulting firm last Spring, Phillip Stutts & Company, LLC. We offer general consulting for GOP candidates and state Republican parties. We also offer grassroots corporate consulting to chambers of commerce, trade associations and corporate clients. My website should be up soon, www.PhillipStutts.com.
I've met a lot of political folks who all seem to fit into the same category, they are "campaign guy. You have been able to work in high-profile races, yet maintain a great sense of humor. Any thoughts on why or how?
STUTTS: Thanks man. Yep, I love what I do. I am passionate about my work and the goals of my clients. I love to laugh, don't take myself too seriously, and realize that life is about giving back to your community, not about how important people perceive you to be.
People believe DC is the most important place in the country, so by living here, they must be important. That is just plain goofy. I've lived in California, Arizona, South Dakota, New Mexico, Louisiana, Massachusetts (yes, Massachusetts) and Alabama. The truly important people are in those states -- and everywhere else outside the beltway -- working hard, raising families and living honest lives.
Don't get me wrong, I love Washington, DC, and there are great people living here, but far too many people in this town believe they are very important and frankly too many folks aren't comfortable in their own skin. The good thing is that it doesn't frustrate me; it cracks me up on a daily basis.
Q: Lastly, I know you are a huge Tony Kornheiser fan. Any thoughts on his joining the Monday Night Football team?
STUTTS: He will be great and I will finally tune in to the games (I love college football -- Roll Tide -- not pro football) but I'm totally heartbroken that he will ditch the morning radio show. My Kornheiser fix is like crack, what will I do?!?! :)
posted by Matt Lewis at 4:06 PM
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