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I think we should get specific on the whole “consultants are the problem” convo re @FlaDems. First, consultants come in every shade, the good, the bad, the unethical, etc. Sometimes candidates win in spite of them & sometimes consultants lose bc of larger dynamics.
I would hate to put @FlaDems in charge of deciding who’s good & bad, as I heard some candidates for Chair mention that they would “clean house”... who? how? If you simply go by “win-record” then you’re penalizing less-funded races that are higher risk for a consultant to take on.
What we need is transparency, in-house expertise, & ground rules both internally and potentially in state statute.
@Manny_A_Diaz
@AgentWes
@teamjudymount
@DemNikkiBarnes
@CynChestnut
@JanelleFdp
@Annette_Taddeo
@senpizzo
@AnnaForFlorida
@tomaskenn
@Manny_A_Diaz
@AgentWes
@teamjudymount
@DemNikkiBarnes
@CynChestnut
@JanelleFdp
@Annette_Taddeo
@senpizzo
@AnnaForFlorida
@tomaskenn
As a candidate, especially a first-time candidate, it’s incredibly difficult to assess the value a consultant brings. In fact, political consultants make it purposefully hard to understand what they're getting paid vs the cost of the paid communication.
Mail consultants for example will bake-in their margin with the cost of the production of an individual mailer which are pennies difference that can amount to several thousands $$$. There can also be arrangements with other consultants for referrals.
There ARE really good consultants that have years of experience that can be very valuable, and who are very sharp and dedicate an enormous amount of time to refining their craft — but we can also push for more transparency in the process
Also a lot of basic services a consultant delivers can be in-housed by @FlaDems. You don’t need to create your own mail house (that's hard). You should be able to design your own mail piece in-house, utilize in-house or contract graphic designers, & target the right voters.
You can also place your own digital ads. Priorities USA trained 100+ organizations on how to produce and place digital ads throughout 2020 cycle. Big takeaway from them was that organically produced videos shot on an iPhone would often outperform slick digital ads by media firms
It’s not hard to purchase digital ads on FB or Google. Same goes for placing media buys, although production value must be higher here but can be contracted out - which media firms do anyways. All this can be built in-house & given to candidates, especially those w/o big $$$
The party can also establish ground rules for consultants. A pledge to provide base rates that can be made public to candidates, easier to read quotes that make clear the costs of paid comms vs consultant fees, a pledge to be up-front with referral fees,
a pledge not to threaten candidates if they don’t get hired (actually pretty common), disclosure on which candidates and referendums those consultants worked on the year prior.
This could also be paired with $ disclosures by Chair & ED to ensure they're not taking other clients
This could also be paired with $ disclosures by Chair & ED to ensure they're not taking other clients
And these types of disclosures can also make it easier to assess diversity, equity and inclusion in how FL Dems (not just @FlaDems) overall spend their money and with whom. Which is something we should be intentional about (separate ).
).
And lastly, legislators could require a professional license to provide political consulting services. After all you need a license to cut someone’s hair, a license to show someone an apartment, a license to do some interior designing....
Why not a license to influence the outcome of an election on behalf of current/future elected officials? You could put in place basic ethical ground rules in state statute and put the force of law behind it.
This could help repair trust b/w the "consultant class" + activists
This could help repair trust b/w the "consultant class" + activists
Those are just some ideas for candidates for @FlaDems Chair to noodle on. Vague references to "cleaning house" or the "consultant class" is not sufficient. Let's get specific and remember there are some good consultants out there.
