26 Things I Know To Be True About Politics (and one more...)

This time of year, I usually write updates on the cycle – and this year, I’ve decided not to. 

First, the cycle in Florida isn’t that interesting, and there isn't a ton of mystery to the outcome, so there isn't much use to it.  Trust me, I have opinions, and I am sure I will write about them after next Tuesday. Secondly, in past cycles, either the Florida Democratic Party or a campaign I was helping would give me access to a good voter file where I could provide context to raw early voting numbers, but alas, I haven’t spoken to anyone at the FDP in nearly 2 years, so I don’t have access to a good voter file.  

That being said, this time of year, I spend a fair amount of time guest lecturing in schools about the career of politics, which inevitably leads to naval gazing about the trajectory of my own career – a trajectory whose line looks more like a Rorschach Test more than a well-conceived plan.  I've seen a lot of politics, from my stepfather's race to local Airport Authority, countless state legislative races, three winning Presidential races, a few failed Governor's races, and even a colorful and successful GOP state legislative primary in 2020 (#TeamMichelle).  And in those years, some due to acquired skill, much due to the old blind squirrel theory, I've learned a lot.

Plus, yet again, the Jaguars suck, meaning I have a lot of extra time on my hands - and since I am thinking of finally writing the book I've been toying with for more than a decade, I've decided to start writing a few things down. 

So with that, in honor of surviving 26 years n this shibacle of a career, here are 26 things I’ve learned along the way to be true about the game…

1.  Politics isn’t rocket science.  Trust me, if it was, I sure as Hell wouldn’t be doing it - nor would anyone else in politics.  A lot of people make a lot of money making it a lot more complicated than it is.  The Obama Rule “Don’t do stupid shit” applies to the art of politics, or maybe better yet, the Dwight Schrute rule: “Whenever I'm about to do something, I think 'Would an idiot do that?  And if they would, I do not do that thing.”  Use your head, don't do dumb shit, and to quote my friend, and rock star hack Lis Smith, "just be normal.". (I should note, this rule would be good for the Jacksonville Jaguars to follow)

2.  What goes up, will go down – and there is a decent chance what is down, could very well rise up again.  This includes both issues and people in politics.   Nothing is permanent in life or in politics.  I’ve been both ends of the ladder and all the rungs in the middle more than once.  The question isn’t if you are going to get knocked down – it is when, and how will you respond.  To quote the great boxer, Rocky Balboa: "You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life - but it ain't how hard ya hit - its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward...that's how winning is done."

3. The only thing that matters in elections is winning.  Period.  End of story.  Winners write laws, losers go home.  Good hacks set their own pride, opinions, ideology, and ambitions aside and ask one fundamental question every day:  Will this decision help me get to 50%+1?  You might be steadfast in your opinion being right, but guess what matters to your opinon if less than 50% of voters agree?    There are no participation trophies, no moral victories, no value in being ‘right,’ and no winning in spite of losing -- winning is the only thing that matters in elections.  Don’t complain about your losses – learn from them.

4. The Median Voter Theory is generally undefeated, and should be the ruling doctrine of not only how you run a campaign, but if you want to get re-elected, how you vote/govern in office. Everyone’s median voter is different, but the theory still holds up.  The corollary to this:  If you don’t know how or why you won, you are probably doomed to make terrible mistakes as it relates to your own political fortunes.  I remember a guy who got elected because he was just in the right place in the right year, but despite a lot of advising to the contrary, convinced himself he'd built a new mousetrap.  Guess what happened in his re-election...

5. Voters are consumers.  Good businesses listen to their consumers, build a product that meets the need of the consumer.  Build a shitty product that doesn’t meet the need of your customers, and you probably won’t do to well.   Same goes for candidates and electeds.  There is a reason Oldsmobile went out of business, and it is often the same reason candidates lose. 

6. Understand the weather -- shooting at hurricanes won't change anything (we do that here in Florida).  In most campaigns, especially in general elections -- and especially down the ballot, a large part of the equation is baked into the cake.  Good campaigns focus on what they can control –  bad ones complain about the things they can’t – or won’t change.   Prepare to play well in whatever the weather brings.  

7.  You aren't as smart (or as dumb) as it seems.  Per rule 5, bad campaigns do win, and sometimes the better run campaign loses.  Sometimes you lose and it doesn’t matter what you did, and sometimes you win just because you were on the ballot in the right year.  That is just the rub of the game.  At the same time, just because you win, doesn’t mean you are as smart as you think you are.   The minute you think you have “the secret,” political karma is going to kick your ass.  As my Republican hack buddy Kevin Sweeny says: “The secret is there is no secret.” 

8. You can’t be good at politics unless, at some level, you understand policy – and you can’t be good at policy if you don’t understand politics.  Full stop.  Early in your career, take the time to do both.  If you tell me “Schale, I am just a policy guy” or “I only do the politics,” I am going to hire someone else. 

9. Be good at something.  I’ve had an admittedly weird career where I’ve managed or been a senior advisor to nearly every political thing I’ve done since I was 21 years old.  But I also know what I am good at:  figuring out the math of winning and message/communications.  That is what I really bring to a campaign.  Have a skill you can always fall back on.  In the same breath, you aren't good at everything - if you are in a position to hire, hire confidently to your weaknesses -- too many people hire validators instead of hiring leaders that fill their own gaps. 

10. Competitive Primaries suck.  If you get joy out of knifing your own friends and family, you will like primaries.  I don’t.  

11. If you work in election politics, have operative friends in the other party.  As Bourdain said, you learn a lot about someone by sharing a meal, and getting to know your political opponents is not only good for humanity and America, it will force you to challenge your own thinking, and help you understand how they think.  I’ll also say on this point, when I have been at my lowest moments – those times where I thought I had finally run out of political lives, it was usually my friends in the other party who called me first to let me know they had my back. 

12. You have to take a shot to make a shot.  What did Jordan say about missing 9,000 shots, and failing 26 times when the game was on the line and the ball was in his hands?   I am lucky that I’ve never been unemployed in my career, but for the first 12-14 years of mine, I bet on myself cycle after cycle, often unsure how I’d pay the bills if the shot didn’t go down.   Even at 48, even though my hack days are probably behind me, trust me, I still want on the court.  I am sure i will always want to be on the court. Good players want the ball.  (FYI, This doesn't mean heave it from half court because you want to be Twitter famous)

13. In politics, just because you have something to say doesn’t mean anyone will or even has to listen.  As you earn political capital, you earn the right to be heard.   There are no points for being loud.  The corollary to this:  when you do reach that point, you have a choice: you can be a validator, or you can be not afraid to speak truth in the room when it matters.  It is a disservice to not be the latter. 

14. I hate the personality politics of politics, but it is there.   As you grow in your career, some of your early champions will start to see you as the threat – and later, some who you helped along the way will come to see you as the target.  It is shitty, but it is what it is.  The politics of politics blows.  You have to have a short memory.  

15. There is some truth to the idea that if you want a friend in politics, you should get a dog.  My sanity comes from having friends who have nothing to do with politics.  At same time, understand the nature of political friendships.  I have very real friends – people who are family to me – who I will go to war with.   If you can’t get your head around this, you shouldn’t be in politics.

16. If you are looking for work-life balance, go find something else to do.  I remember going to Washington about a decade ago to get some advice from my dear Obamaland friend Jon Carson, and I asked him how he managed work-life balance having multiple kids, a wife with a big job, and his own in the White House. He said "I don't understand the term."  Fair or unfair, particularly early in your career, someone will be willing to out-hustle you.   If you are new to the game, you will go a lot farther if you don’t worry about titles or the next job.  Be a special teams player - do all the little things well.  If you are a hard worker, smart, and eager to learn, you’ll end up with real responsibility on a campaign very quickly.   More on this later. 

17. Electeds are motivated by all kinds of things– many of which are more altruistic than the average voter believes.   But the one thing that unites nearly every elected official is the fear of losing.  If you don’t understand what motivates a public official, you will never actually succeed at making change.  

18. The vast majority of people in politics will choose self-interest over loyalty – even personal loyalty.  That’s just the basic rule of the game.  It is not personal.  

19. Some of my legitimate best friends in life are in the press – but the media is not there to be your friend.  You have a job and they have a job.  Understand these boundaries.  Corollary to this:  it is on you, not on them, to determine whether you are on the record, on background, or off the record.  Don’t get mad at them for printing something you said or texted if it wasn’t cleared and agreed upon that you weren't on the record.  And no "but we had a drink in our hands" isn't an excuse. 

20. You can make money in politics, but don’t get be motivated to get into politics to make money.   If your sole goal is to make money, do something else.  If you getting into politics for any other reason than you believe you can change the world, please stay out.  Seriously.  Furthermore, if you are in politics and find yourself getting cynical, take stock and decide if it is time to do something different.  Life is too short. 

21. The peeling of the onion.  My friend Rich Davis, a Democratic television ad maker, once described a campaign as the process of peeling the layers of an onion back to its core.  If you aren’t comfortable with this process, and what happens when you when people see your core - or if you arent comfortable as your own authentic self (or lack the self-awareness to know your own authentic self), you probably shouldn't run.   

22. Force yourself to change perspectives. People who are good at the game can see political questions from all the angles, which you can only learn to do by getting outside your comfort zone.  I have worked on Republican races.  I have worked on races in majority-minority races.  I have given advice to friends running in foreign countries.   These things all help you use new and different parts of your brain, as well as see issues from someone else’s shoes. 

23. Having a sponsor is more important than having mentors.   When President Obama won, I assumed I might have some cool DC opportunities – then my friend Dan Gelber said “hey Schale, who is your Rabbi” – meaning essentially, who is your sponsor.  I realized I had a lot of friends, but I didn’t have a sponsor.   At same time, if you are blessed to be in a spot to do so, be a sponsor.  In that same Obama experience, while I realized I couldn’t really help myself in a way I wanted, I figured out through my network of relationships, I could be a sponsor to help others get a foot in the door.  We built a little Florida mafia in DC, something I remain immensely proud of to this day. 

24. Titles are cheap and power the power that comes from them is transitory.  Your job and title will go away, but being respected and having influence will endure.  Want people to listen to you – then find a way to lead.   Sometimes this means not being afraid to make your own way.   There is a real herd mentality in politics, but as they say, when you are in the herd, the view never changes.  In the herd there is safety, but out front, there is influence.   To quote the noted poet Jerome "Jerry" Garica, "there is a road, no simple highway...the path is for your steps alone." 

25. For those looking to get in, the entry to politics often isn’t a meritocracy -- however, there is a big but.  You may have to kick down doors while the kid of some donor gets a plum job right out of school, however, politics does become more of a meritocracy over time – if you win elections, get shit done for clients, and prove your worth, you will make it.  Don’t worry about the donor’s kid – just go out work them and/or beat them.  Also - you don't need a Masters Degree to work in politics -- you just need brains and hustle. 

26.  Life ain't fair and politics certainly isn’t fair.   I have been a Democrat in Florida my whole career with Republicans being in charge, meaning by nature, my friends on the other side will always have more money, more options, and a better support system.   When you work in the game, your own career goals are often up to the voters (and trust me, the voters have killed mine a time or two!) That’s ok.  No one owes you anything – you either figure out how to make it work, or you do something else. 

And one more… The Golden Rule also applies to politics, or at least it should.  While politics can be exhilarating, it is also rough, exhausting, hard on life and families, not great for mental health, and can be personally gutting (and complete shit for your golf game – trust me).  But you don’t have to give in to your worst instincts to make it.  In fact, over time, the game does spit out most of the people who choose to ignore their better angels. 

Even in politics, it is best to heed the council of Dr. King – it is truly always the right time to do the right thing.