While text-message contributions open up a new way for campaigns to reach out to voters and accept funds, there are hurdles.

“Maryland and California have allowed text-message contributions for state-level candidates. Maryland hasn’t held a statewide race since it changed its rules and in California, party officials have complained that cell providers haven’t offered the service.

“Other problems around collecting political donation via a text message include:

• The donations are not forwarded to the campaign until well after the billing cycle. This is no good if a campaign needs their funds right away to buy ads or support GOTV efforts.
• The donations are only tagged with the donor’s cell number. Not their name, address, occupation and employer as required by the FEC. Telecommunications companies are going to have to change their policy and provide far more information about donors to make the FEC happy.

“Political fundraisers have ways to get around these problems such having donors send a text and then having a phone bank call the prospect back for her donor and credit card info,” writes Nilsson.

“Will the FEC let campaigns process donations via text? I believe the FEC would like to provide this option. Their current stance is to embrace technology so more people can be involved in politics. The problem is that they need the mobile carriers to play along and provide information on the donors so you don’t have donors going over their limits.

“Campaigns also have to be comfortable with waiting 35-plus days for their donations. This means text donations will not be attractive to campaigns come October or even September. The mobile carriers have to be concerned about chargebacks, too. What if they pass a donation on to a candidate and the donor changes her mind or didn’t understand that her text was incurring a donation on their mobile phone bill? Moreover, the carriers will have a difficult time getting their money back from a campaign that has lost and closed its doors.”

There are also services allowing you to send text messages and emails to voters on their cell phones, offering Libertarians a low-cost way to reach voters.

Look in to them.

Go here to read the full article.

“The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that just 14% rate federal government oversight of the banking industry as good or excellent. Fifty-three percent (53%) say the government is doing a poor job monitoring banks. (To see survey question wording, click here.)”

But despite the fact most think government regulations aren’t working, they aren’t buying the Obama administration’s call for tighter regulations.

Only 36% support more government regulation of banks.

Only 31 percent of Democrats call the economy “good,” a new Associated Press-GfK poll finds.

“Almost two-thirds of Americans — 65 percent — disapprove of Obama’s handling of gas prices, up from 58 percent in February. Nearly half, 44 percent, “strongly disapprove.” And just 30 percent said they approve, down from 39 percent in February,” the AP reports.

“Democrats remain more optimistic about the economy in the coming year than do independents and Republicans, but still, the percentage that is hopeful for improvement in the next year dipped 10 points since February.

“Fewer than one in three expect their household’s economic fortunes to improve in the coming year, down from 37 percent in February. Eighteen percent see their finances as worsening, up from 11 percent in February.

“And 35 percent expect the unemployment rate, which has been inching down for months, to start going back up. Thirty percent thought that in February. Independents are closer to Republicans than Democrats on that issue, with only 18 percent of independents and Republicans optimistic that the jobless rate will improve.”

Find out how to make direct mail work for your campaign.

Campaigns & Elections Webinar
Presented by: United States Postal Service

Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Time: 1:00 PM EDT

In the Changing Times of the Postal Service, Find Out How Direct Mail Can Get Your Message Out

Description: There are many new technologies that can stretch your Direct Mail dollar farther and increase the likelihood of your message hitting home. During this one hour session, we’ll explore the overall benefits of Direct Mail and learn about new trends that make mail a valuable part of your outreach strategy to voters.

Panelists:

Frank Neri
United States Postal Service

Stephen Martin
United States Postal Service

Steve Monteith
United States Postal Service

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“This year (in both January and April), only 57.6 percent of the women in the civilian noninstitutional population were in the labor force. That is the lowest rate of labor force participation by American women since April 1993, according to historical data maintained by BLS,” CNS News reports.

“For both males and females combined, the rate of participation in the labor force dropped to 63.6 percent in April—the lowest rate since December 1981.

“Recently, however, women have been leaving the labor force in larger numbers than men.”

This war on working people started under a Republican and got worse under a Democrat.  Libertarians continue to be the only candidates with real, proven plans to create jobs again.

Only forty-four percent (44%) of adults say the economy will be stronger five years from now. Twenty-two percent (22%) say the economy will be weaker, while nine percent (9%) say it will be about the same.  A stunning 25% are not sure. (Poll wording here.)

Additionally, consumer confidence in the Obama economy plummeted five points after last Friday’s April jobs report found 300,000 Americans left the labor force last month.

“My job is to get America back on track to have a balanced budget. Now I’m not going to cut $1 trillion in the first year,” Romney said, specifically attacking Ron Paul‘s plan to reduce the cost of government.

“The reason,” Romney claims, “is taking a trillion dollars out of a $15 trillion economy would cause our economy to shrink [and] would put a lot of people out of work.”

Romney specifically ignored the fact taking $1 trillion out of the hands of government reduces debt, reduces borrowing from China and puts that money back into the ecoonmy so it can create wealth and jobs.

Romney believes if government doesn’t spend money, it doesn’t exist.

Mitt Romney has spent months selling himself to the Republican base. Now, Barack Obama is working overtime trying to re-sell himself to his base of voters age 18-29.Team Obama knows that hard times and the growing libertarian leanings of young voters will make them a more difficult target than four years ago…

…Very few of Obama’s young supporters from 2008 are likely defect to Romney. Some may not vote, and I see the possibility of others abandoning both parties and instead choosing the Libertarian candidate…

…Last week, Harvard’s Institute of Politics released an online study of more than 3,000 U.S. adults ages 18-29. This exhaustive look at the policy priorities of First Globals finds the economy and jobs are far and away their highest concern. That data point and others show why support for Obama has slipped since 2008. They favor Obama over Romney, 43%-26%. There is an 11-point difference in Obama’s margin between those 25-29 (23 points) and those 18-24 (12 points.) Congressional Democrats have a higher approval than Republicans, 39%-25%.

However, on some key issues, majorities of First Globals are not doctrinaire liberals. The poll found less than majorities agree with liberals on   some of their most cherished beliefs.  For example: 44% agree health insurance is a right government should provide for those who can’t afford it, 43% agree with the same statement about food and shelter, 37% agree government should spend more to reduce poverty, 20% agree government spending is an effective way to economic growth and 28% agree government should do more to curb climate change even at the expense of economic growth. (That last number has to hurt environmentalists.)

Lest Republicans get too giddy at those findings, they should also know less than majorities agree with these conservative and neo-con ideals: 22% agree it’s sometimes necessary to attack potentially hostile countries rather than waiting until we are attacked, 23% are willing to give up some personal freedoms for the sake of national security, 39% agree cutting taxes is an effective route to economic growth, 24% agree we should eliminate all barriers to trade, 25% agree recent immigration has done more harm than good, 21% agree religious values should play an important role in government and 25% agree homosexuality is morally wrong.

These attitudes betraying both the traditional left and right fall generally within the bounds of libertarianism. Live and let live.  Individual responsibility is as important as collective responsibility. Avoid military interventions. Distrust both government and corporations. Protect civil liberties.

But the real numbers are sobering, and worrisome for millions of Americans.

For one, in eleven of the last twelve months the initial unemployment figure has had to be “revised” to show it was higher than initially reported.  So, in fact, the employment rate may actually have increased in April.

And second, the unemployment rate is calculated as what percentage of the labor force do not have a job and are looking for one.  In April labor force participation plunged to 63.6 percent, the worst it’s been since December 1981.

The reason the unemployment rate fell is because the number of Americans who have given up looking for a job growing.  It’s certainly not because enough jobs are being created.

Employers added 115,000 jobs last month.  It’s the smallest increase in six months.

Even The Washington Post’s reliably liberal Ezra Klein tweeted “Unemployment rate down to 8.1%, but for the wrong reason: people dropping out of labor force.”

If labor force participation were the same as it were in March the unemployment rate would have risen to 8.4 percent.  Were it the same as when Obama took office, the unemployment rate would be over 10 percent.

Republicans gave us this unemployment crisis and Democrats have made it worse.

Isn’t it time we tried policies proven to create jobs?

Cut taxes on investment, cut taxes for working Americans, get rid of regulations that kill jobs including those put into place by politically-connected corporations to kill their competition, hurting workers and consumers in the process.

Only one party is founded on those principles, and is proven to put them into place wherever they have been elected.

Let’s get the economy growing again. Next time, vote Libertarian.

Joe Garecht, writing for LocalVictory.com, lays out seven common mistakes candidates make.

Don’t fall into these traps:

1.  The Candidate as Campaign Manager

Many, many first time candidates make the mistake of trying to be the campaign manager and the candidate at the same time.  Don’t – it’s impossible.

The candidate’s job is to shake hands, kiss babies, and raise money.  The campaign manager (and the consultants, if there are any) are responsible for strategy and day to day operations.  Sure, the candidate should help formulate the broad strategy of the campaign, but he or she cannot play the candidate’s role and try to manage the nitty-gritty of campaign strategy and operations at the same time.  Find someone you trust to manage your campaign, and let the person do their job.

2.  It’s Too Early to Start

It’s never too early to start!  Many first-time candidates are leery of starting their campaigns too early, and try to wait until only a few months before the election to begin campaigning in earnest.  While there are some activities that you won’t want to start until close to the election, it is never too early to start campaigning, especially when challenging an incumbent.

3.  The Party Will Make Sure I Win

Don’t rely on the party (whether it is the national, state, county, or local party) to make sure you win.  Your success is in your own hands.  If the party comes through with money or help, great…it’s icing on the cake.  However, you can’t rely on receiving that help.  Make sure that your campaign takes responsibility for its own success.  Remember, if you lose, you’ll be out of business, but the party will still have it’s job – count on your own team to make sure you win.

4.  I Only Need $500 to Run This Race!

Most candidates, first-time or not, underestimate how much money it will take to win their election.  Speak with veteran politicians in your area or a qualified consultant to see how much it will take to win, and always add a little extra to your fundraising goal “just in case.”

5.  My Opponent Will be an Easy Target

Don’t make the mistake of underestimating your opponent.  If you’re challenging an incumbent, then you can be sure that he or she will have higher name recognition than you, and will most likely outspend you during the campaign.  If you are vying for an open seat, don’t think that your opponent will roll over and let you win.  Even if it seems like you are only facing “token” opposition, be sure to run the race as if your opponent is ahead in the polls – it’s the only way to guarantee that you won’t spend the day after Election Day saying “I wish we had tried harder.”

6.  I Don’t Need Professional Help

Candidates often eschew professional political help for the advice of family and friends, even if those folks have no political experience.  Don’t underestimate the value of political advice from a consultant or the help a qualified politico can give you when hired for your campaign staff.  Even the most local of campaigns have begun using consultants to help them win.

7.  There’s No Way I Can Win

While not as prevalent as “There’s no way I can lose,” there are a good number of candidates who run every year thinking “There’s no way I can win.”  My advice is that if you go into a race feeling like the campaign is a lost cause, you’re going to lose.  Your mindset becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  Don’t run for office unless you are running to win.  Sure, you should be realistic about how tough the campaign is going to be, but don’t run with the idea that you’ll probably lose – because if you do, you probably will.