Become a Politician

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How to Become a Politician

A how to guide for people wanting to become a politician. How do you become a politician? How do you get started? What skills do you need?

This site features easy concepts, intuitive ideas, and helpful links to understand how to really become a politician. "Become a Politician" is an easy guide to becoming a local, state, or national politician. Learn how to get involved with a political party, campaign and what are the necessary characteristics of politicians.

Essential Political Books: Must Reads for Every Politician

Here are a few books which are helpful in the process of preparing to run for a political office.

The following books have been chosen because they set the foundation for your political thought. It is vital that you are grounded in American political philosophy and current on public policy alternatives. Each of the following books below I have read and studied.
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Get involved with a Political Party

The most important step to beginning a political career is to get involved with a Political Party

Political Parties are a means by which politicians, voters, and platforms can be united. Under the banner of a political party politicians generally vote, and act upon the influence and platform (ideology) of the Party and Party officials.

Voters often choose who to vote for based upon which party the Politician is affiliated with and not always the ideals of the politician. This is especially evident in local and state elections where the politician campaigning is less recognizable to the voters.

The United States is a multi-party system, but favors two parties in particular. These political parties are the Republicans (Grand Old Party-GOP) and the Democratic Party. The majority of all legislatures and executive branch members on the national and state level are only from these two political parties. If you are interested in looking at multiple parties you can check out 25 political party websites here: Political Parties

The importance of getting involved in your party is to meet like-minded people that will help you in the future to get elected to different offices. This becomes important because the party is the life-blood to your early elections, and the only way to become President.

Ways to get involved

Help the party by volunteering to help your neighbors register to vote. Look for donations for local candidates and the party itself. Go to conventions on the state and local levels. Go to town hall meetings and other political meetings held by the party.

Meet the leadership of the party through emails, phone calls, or personal visits. Know your local officials and candidates. Be of service to them. Meet State legislators and get involved in the issues they face.

Campaign Tips

A list of tips to guide your campaign

1. Know why you are running! This is what will motivate you and voters will want to know.

2. Know why you are better than your opponent and be able to explain it to others well. Your opponent most likely has great attributes as well so do not discount them, just explain clearly why you would be a better choice.

3. In the beginning hold small private meetings with possible volunteers and fundraisers. Be specific about your ideas and your goals. Get them behind you. Tell them what they are really in-store for. Let them know your expectations. Then find out theirs.

4. Fundraise night and day! A politician, while campaigning is nothing more than a full-time fundraiser. When you are meeting people fundraise. When you are driving, sitting, or not in meetings call and fundraise. Money is the life-blood of your campaign. Good ideas and strong values wont get you elected if you can't share them with others.

5. Fill your staff positions with volunteers. This could mean recruiting at local colleges, community centers, high school government classes, etc. You can find skilled graphic artists, web designers, flyer distributors, and phone callers this way. Don't pay anyone you don't have too! This will save you lots of money and allow you to spread your message further.

6. Save money everywhere you can. Get discounts for buying in bulk. Look for ways to save money constantly. If you are always fundraising, it seems like a waste to be misusing your hard earned donations.

7. Be transparent. The donations you receive need to be recorded. Know when, where, and who gave you the money. Also know where it will be going. This is not only the law, but a great way to be throughout your political career. People feel like they can trust you.

8. Have a budget and most importantly stick to it!

9. Know what your constituency really thinks. It is important that you stick to your values, but you need to know what values voters want to hear about!

10. Listen. Too often politicians spend time talking and not enough time listening. Listening is often where your greatest ideas will come from. Listen to advisers, friends, family, and especially voters and other politicians. Don't be afraid to listen to your adversaries. Just because someone does not agree with you, does not mean that all their ideas and solutions are bad.

Politicians and "the People"

Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. He who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or decisions possible or impossible to execute.

Abraham Lincoln

Necessary Characteristics for Becoming a Politician

  • Confidence
    In yourself, message, reasons for running, platform, values, staff, party, experience, abilities,and other necessary skills listed below.

  • Ability to Analyze objectively
    This means evaluating yourself, constituency, legislative body, agency, contemporaries, opponents, media, and party. It is not just evaluating, but also doing so without personal interests and feelings of included parties.

  • Speaking Skills
    They come in a different variety: average joe, teleprompter, off-the-cuff, emotional, charismatic, etc.

  • Writing Skills
    Politicians write a lot... as much as you think that they just get someone else to do it, they do a lot on their own. Especially local and state officials. Politicians write briefs, summaries, letters, proposals, bills, agendas, platforms, speeches, campaign material, biographies, personal statements, recommendation letters, etc.

  • Editing skills
    For those times when you are not the original writer. It is valuable to be able to edit important writing materials by staff members.

  • Intelligence
    After some of the politicians you have seen, this one seems obvious that you cannot do the job without it!

  • Cooperation
    Nothing ever gets done in politics without it. You hear too many "I will..." and not enough "Together...",and "We will.."

Important!

Warnings:

*Avoid making enemies, they will come naturally.

*Rudeness is always wrong and is not the same as confidence.

*Be sure of who you are, not what they want you to be.

Poltician's are...

Politicians really are...

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Dirty scum bags

PTurner56 says:

Big Fat Liars, generally speaking. There ARE a few good ones, but they tend to get destroyed by the bad ones. Elisabeth Warren is a good example.

Lija_Rasa says:

Mostly sociopaths...

ukgreetingcards says:

I think all of the politicians are useless they promise everything and deliver nothing

theraggededge says:

The UK Government are full of DSBs!

julcal says:

I have to admit to being skeptical because I know people on "The Hill" The things that go on are even worse than the things we find out about. From my limited personal experience, the first priority is power, second is helping people.

People trying to do good

Edutopia says:

Politicians are a product of their environment and under current election and campaign finance laws we've created a system that creates the path of least resistance for politicians towards becoming corrupt rather than not. Change the rules of the game and politicians will change accordingly.

egBeta392 says:

Politicans are people who have too much expected from them. Sure, the American public can say that they are liars because they don't fulfill the promises that they set while running, but could YOU if YOU were running? Answer that one honestly. I'd be willing to bet that more than 50% of Americans would answer that question with a "yes", why? Because more than 50% of Americans today STILL don't go to an undergraduate college. Americans are under educated and overly hopeful. If you're so angry then why don't you run for office? After all, the only requirement for state represenative is that you are 21 years of age or older and can claim residency in that state...

SourHead says:

Just people; therefore corruptible.

says:

you gave good knowledge about politics? please tell us more about politics if you know any thing more Tax Relief

niloofar1 says:

I love to be a politician
I think politicians are great peaple who do good things not only for themselves but for others too. They see the world meaningful and full of beauty. they are smart and powerful.

 
view all 21 comments

Get Your Campaign Gear Here

A great place to find brick and mortar ways of advertising yourself

Running for Office? Try Our Customized Campaign Gear - Yards Signs, Banners, Buttons, Stickers, More
TheDesignWheel.com offers a full line of customizable campaign gear if you run for office. From Yard Signs, Banners, Buttons, T-Shirts, and Much More. We hope you will allow us the opportunity to help make your campaign hopes a reality.

American Democracy and Classic Liberalism

Now if you are a Republican, don't turn away... You are a classic liberal too!

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My Plan to Becoming President of the United States

My Plan to Becoming the President of the United States
Don't like the way America is going? Do politicians seem to be out of touch? Corruption too rampant? Your values not represented? Do you feel you have solutions? Then Become the President of the United States!

Political Brick Wall

It hurts, doesn't it

Your campaign can stagnate fast if you are not careful. It only takes a few days to loose the momentum you have been working for all along. Often political campaigns are plagued with early efforts and a period of withdrawals. Volunteers dry up, donates cease to exist, and within a week you are broke.

That's when the polls change too! Don't hit the brick wall. Remember, campaigns are like sprint races. Watch a 100 meter run sometime. Athletes give everything for under 10 seconds! The key though is that they hold nothing back.

Likewise your campaign is short. It is no more than a year, unless it is Presidential, and requires you to give everything for the entire duration.

More helpful Books to get you started!

Some very important how-to guides, and political philosophy

It is vital that your platforms and policies are grounded in a philosophy that can be defensible. That is why these books are necessary for any campaign. For more Political Science books check out Cheap Political Science Books...
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Reader Comments

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  • Reply
    Edutopia Feb 14, 2012 @ 3:38 am | delete
    If there is only one thing to take away from this lens it should be that even if you don't want to or don't intend to run for office you should still get actively involved in the political process.
  • Reply
    alyssa Jan 26, 2012 @ 11:28 pm | delete
    I always found that this helped me get somewhat noticed http://howtofixstuff.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-become-famous.html
  • Reply
    zizmaster Jul 31, 2011 @ 10:20 am | delete
    i would love to become a politician i have wonted to become one since year 6 im in year 8 now and im studying like crazy i got a part time job to provide political books and stuff and im getting really good grades now that i have a carrer to look forward to and hoping to graduate and go to university and hopfully become a politician
  • Reply
    CarolineS01 Jul 22, 2011 @ 11:47 pm | delete
    Nice lens.. But for me, I've never wish to become a politician. Nice thought.
  • Reply
    Resjes Jul 14, 2011 @ 3:11 pm | delete
    Great lens. As a Political Science major, I really appreciate all the information and helpful tips on this lens. I guess the only thing I would add is a brief description of the major political parties and some of the minor political parties. :)
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Important!

Albert Einstein

"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs."

Excellent Political Novels

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Seth1492

Let me tell you a little about me. I love politics, running, basketball, and my wife. I also love to read great books. Twitter. more »

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