Volunteers are the force!

As I see it Bush's campaign was a success in recruiting volunteers. I just read the article The Multilevel Marketing of the President and I conclude that his pyramid strategy and the grassroots efforts were essential winning factors for his presidential race. I read another article, Bush grassroots campaign attempts to recruit students, in which the author mentions the emphasis Bush's campaign made on recruiting volunteers and voters. The Republican campaign understood the importance of targeting small counties, that where left behind by Democrats. Also they focused on young people, the article states that "two of the first 10 national grassroots initiatives launched by the Bush-Cheney campaign have targeted young voters, a tribute to the commitment the campaign has to engage young voters in the political process of the country."

I am not a very big fan of the Republican Party, but I admire the way the build their campaign. I believe politicians should focus more on the common voters. Sometimes it is said that one vote won't make a difference but one, plus one, plus one will definitely make a difference in the candidates voting record. Candidates have to pay more attention, to the small cities, to the rural neighborhoods, to the far away counties, here is where they might find victory.

In places where technology is not available, where computers are not available, where even telephone lines do not exist, (believe me in developing countries there are places that do not even have electricity) the candidates should implement a strong grassroots team with the community. Building leadership among the people, encouraging them to recruit supporters and making them part of the team (captain precints) will assure the candidate's victory. In most of the countries in Latin America and Africa political strategies are based on door to door campaigns. Technology is use for the big cities, but if the candidate is not able to reach the voters, by mail, phone, or internet, he/she has to find a way to spread his message. The candidate has to lean on the community, they will spread the message in person. I know it sounds like an old strategy, but if they have work in the past why shouldn't they keep trying them? The Republicans are a great example of using technology as well as old strategies, and for them it worked.