We've Got Email

... I received this email and I thought it was instructive to share. To preserve anonymity, I have merely taken an excerpt:

Matt

Thank you for the interesting information you offered us at the Texas RP convention. That was the second school I'd attended by your organization. I hope to do more in the future.

One item of which I do take issue with you: Ignoring advice during the campaign. I've tried to figure out why so many of those who are elected get into office and turn a deaf ear to the people who put them in office...

... Here is my response:

Good to hear from you. I'm glad you raised this point because I am going to focus on this topic in an upcoming email (and now I will know to be clearer).

My advice is to ignore all the free "strategic" advice you will receive on a campaign. In other words, if a candidate is listening to EVERYONE, he will spend all his time reacting to others -- and will often be hearing conflicting advice. The end result is the "paralysis of analysis."

However, I want to be clear that there is a difference between ignoring "strategic" advice -- and ignoring your supporters -- and their issues.

Obviously, I would NEVER encourage politicians to ignore their supporters. I've had that happen to me, and it's never pretty. The first rule in politics is you've got to "dance with the one that brung ya." Politicians who get "too big for their britches" to talk to the "common folks" who got them elected are soon replaced.

Just to clarify: My advice is to ignore strategic or tactical campaign advice from every so-called "expert" who wants to give you free campaign advice. But I do not advise anyone to ignore their constituents or supporters.

Thanks for taking the time to contact me. I hope that helps explain my position.

All the best!

Matt