Get the Vote Count

Evaluating hundreds of legislative candidates is no easy task. But in order to mobilize campaign volunteers, it's essential to know where the candidates stand on motorcycling issues. That's why candidate surveys and personal contact are so important. Otherwise we are flying blind.

Of course there are limitations to how "solid" our knowledge about a candidate is. Politicians can change their mind (and tell a fib or two), surveys can get lost in the shuffle, and sometimes front-running (or tail-dragging) candidates never respond to anybody. So we have to go with the best info we've got, and try to fill in the gaps as best we can.

There is only ONE source of information that is bullet-proof, and that is a candidate's voting record. They can say what they want, they can change their mind a thousand times, or they can hide behind the Capitol walls ... but their voting record can't be denied. There is no better indicator of how a legislator WILL vote ... than how they DID vote.

This brings me to the point that we all need to consider, and that is pushing a repeal bill as far as it will go. Conventional wisdom is that there's only one reason to submit a bill, and that is for the bill to become law. While this is the ultimate goal of any bill, there is an equally important reason to submit a bill ... and that is to get the vote count.

Lacking a vote count, we can only guess. And an educated guess takes a lot of homework, legwork, and head-scratching. Mistakes and disagreements are bound to occur, as well as being left completely in the dark on a lot of candidates. We need the vote count to make it a lot easier to pick the races that matter, and skip the ones that don't.

So when the time comes to submit a repeal bill during the next session, let's get the maximum benefit out of that effort. Whether passage is likely, unlikely, or a snowball's chance in the Mojave Desert, push that bill as far as it will go ... through the Transportation Committees ... as well as through BOTH full chambers.

Even if it gets shot down, we'll know who the shooters are. That's because we'll see the muzzle flash, and we'll know where to direct our firepower during the campaign season.

-RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Political Dividends

Getting face-to-face with legislators at their events is always good. But it's important to use that opportunity as a way to build a win-win relationship with them.

My approach is to ask them what they think of helmet laws. (I do it conversationally, and not on a mic where they'll be put on the spot.) If they give me the right answer, then I know they're on our side with just about any other bikers rights issue.

Then I totally change the subject ... to campaign work. Who's in charge of volunteers, trading phone numbers, etc. This is where we really get the dividend, by becoming valuable to the legislator AND his staff.

That's also the moment when the table turns, and they are now seeking our help. But if we just show up asking for a laundry list of favors, we're just like everyone else ... standing in line, looking for a hand out.

- RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com

Make Your Opinion Count

Voicing an opinion is as American as apple pie. It's the founding principle of any democratic society. Voting is the most renowned form of political opinion ... a precious right that was paid for -- in blood -- by generations of Americans. We are especially lucky compared to other parts the world, where people lack such a fundamental right of self expression.

But the value of an opinion is overblown. Taken alone, it's all just hot air. Opinions are far more effective at selling newspapers than they are changing the world. Look at everything from opinion polls to editorial cartoons. Television works the same way, filling our living rooms with the most divisive, controversial, and combative "journalism" they can produce. None of it actually changes anything ... except maybe their ratings.

There is only one kind of political opinion that counts, and it is held by people who take action. If you aren't ready to back your opinion with action, then it's "all bark and no bite." But to be effective, it has to be meaningful action. That means the right act, in the right place, and at the right time. Results are what makes the difference, and everything else is just talk

Now I don't mean writing letters, waving flags, gathering at rallies, or marching in protest. I don't mean lobbying our elected officials, either. All of these "actions" never rise one step above the level of expressing one's opinion. It's just more of the same -- talking.

The real action takes place on the field of battle, where there will be winners and losers. And when it comes to restoring our rights, that place is out on the campaign trail. That's where the contest is played out by opposing forces on the front lines. Everyone else is in the rear with the gear.

If you work as a campaign volunteer for a biker-friendly candidate, you are doing more than just expressing your opinion. You are running up the score for bikers rights. Politicians know this because they see the results. The good news is that our opponents NEVER do campaign work. And the only way they can continue to beat us is when we don't, either.

Most would say that voting is what counts most. But in the world of politics, casting a vote is like going to war with a B-B gun ... and you only get one single B-B to shoot. Even worse, you can only take aim at one single target. So by all means, get out there and vote. Just don't count on making much of a dent.

Campaign work, on the other hand, delivers votes by the dozen. You don't even have to stay inside your own voting district, either. Compared to the firepower of a B-B gun, campaign work like a 12-gauge pump shotgun ... with an unlimited supply of shells ... and then being able to hit any number of targets, over and over.

Our elected officials have an astounding amount of power over our lives. But that kind of power has to come from somewhere. Obviously politicians need votes to win. So the better we are at delivering those votes, the more important we become to those elected officials. That's why we need to be good at campaign work.

There's a catch, of course. We can only make a difference when there's an election coming up. The campaign season will be in full swing in September and October, so there's only a two-month window of opportunity. After that, for better or worse, we must live with the results.

So by all means, express your opinion. It's your God-given right, and it's even enshrined in the US constitution. Just make sure you get out there ... on the campaign trail ... to make sure your opinion counts.

RIDE2REPEAL@gmail.com