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Attack !!

© Hunter

Attacking a bad candidate or incumbent, if you have just cause, is perhaps the best thing you can do in the line of public service.

Sometimes it can be fun, but be careful how you approach it so it does not backfire on you.

Attack mail is one of the tactics that can be used. Each piece of literature you put together should compare your candidate to the opponent.

Be careful, though, to do your homework. For example, you don't want to attack your opponent for being absent from votes and then find out that it was because his wife was dying from cancer or a child was ill.

You also have to keep in mind that the public may not necessarily trust what you say to them either and in general the public does not like a negative campaign. However, if you have the real goods on your opponent, you have no choice but to use it.

In preparing your mailing piece, it need not be all words . . . in fact, sometimes one picture can be worth a thousand words, as they say. A cute interpretation of animals or the use of cartoon characatures can draw more than average attention to a mailing piece. This design can also be carried over to the evelope as well to get the piece opened in the first place. One example: your opponent has been seen out fishing instead of being at the legislature casting votes, so you can send a piece that has a picture of a puppy dog, in sunglasses and a fishing hat, sitting in a boat fishing, with a caption under it pertaining to the issue.

The use of bright colors too is an attention-getter. While a blue color is good for men because it signals control and authority, it is usually not for women because they see it as being cool and standoffish and while red is good for women as a warm color, it is not good for men in that it signals anger and danger to them. And you will find that emotions can play a big part in politics. So in essence you would be sending them a mixed message.

Be sure any info you intend to use is discussed in detail with your campaign staff and it never hurts to run it by someone who is also an attorney. You must be sure that your facts are accurate . . . all of them !

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