11/12/08
A couple supporters have recently e-mailed asking about our campaign strategies for Election 2012. (By the way, I’ve already declared for 2012. Listen to the short declaration speech at the top of our home page.) In regard to donating to the campaign, one man wrote: “People tend to want to ‘invest’ their money wisely and usually wait until they are confident enough that a candidate has a legitimate chance of winning.” The answer to this is two-fold. First: People need to ‘invest’ in us now so we can advertise and do all the other things campaigns do to raise their profiles. And people need to invest in us now to help keep us in motion so we can continue touring, stumping and getting our message out to as many people on the street and in as much media as possible. (This is the kind of synergy that will make the campaign a national story with staying power — especially because of the tremendous amount of time and effort we’ve already put into this to date! As opposed to it being a ’15-minutes of fame’ phenomena.) Also, when this becomes a prominent national story, we will have a much better chance of catching on with an established Third Party. This is key because it is the best chance we have of gaining ballot access from state to state across the country. Having said that… Second: When we’re on the road touring, we get a significantly different message out. It is a message that is helping change the country now, one town at a time. As an example, I recently gave a strong pro-Life talk at a church in centeral Ohio. Afterward, the pastor stood up and was actually in tears. He apologized to the congregation for not being “bold enough” in his witness to stop abortion and vowed to be so in the future. And then this pastor and congregation members influence other pastors and congregation members. And then these pastors and congregation members… And as a result, we get part of policy enacted long before ever getting to D.C… A front page article in the Athens (OH) Post recently noted that our family has set aside a “Christ Room” for homeless people in our small place in Cleveland. So then someone in Athens sets aside a Christ Room, then someone in Louisville, Kentucky, sets aside a Christ Room, then someone in Holbrook, Arizona, sets aside a Christ Room… And before you know it, homelessness is down significantly in America and those setting up the Christ Rooms are much more advanced in their faith witness. And part of our policy on poverty gets enacted as well… A ‘winning’ candidate? We’ve been ‘winning’ every day we’ve been on the campaign trail the past nine years and 83,000 miles. But (and really think about this), what if a president turned the Lincoln Bedroom into a Christ Room? How much more of a witness would that be to the country? …While traveling the 83,000 miles campaigning, parts of our message have gottten out in some 2,000 newspaper articles, close to 200 regional network TV news shows, hundreds of radio shows, many church talks, college talks… In other words, we’re exhaustively doing our part. But we need help. Note: The time for cautious consideration around “investing” in our 2012 campaign run — our last — is over. We ask people help now in as full a fashion as we are undertaking it. Because I believe it will take this kind of all out effort if there is to be any real hope of getting to the White House. Ps… If you missed our DONATION LINK on this post… Also, have I mentioned we need VOLUNTEERS? Some references: “I experience Joe Schriner as a fervent pro-Life candidate willing to make great sacrifices for the moral betterment of our nation and the transformation of our society. He was an inpsiration to our students.” — Fr. Michael Scanlan, former president of Franciscan University. And… “Joe’s talk during (Sunday) Worship was spirit-led and reflected his and his family’s concern for plantet earth — as our addiction to fossil fuels pushes us ever nearer extinction. We need to hear his voice and God’s call.” –Rev. Lea Mahan, First United Methodist Church, Wellington, Ohio. And… more references…