Right? It’s really weird…

Dude. Reading package labels is the same for me. I end up having to take a picture with my phone, then zooming in.

I have my PC screen size zoomed in to 125%.

Getting old sucks.

Trump: “I challenge you to a fist fight!”

[gets punched]

Trump: “No fair! You cheated!”

Yeah I got that same message. I think I deleted it because it’s no longer in my inbox.

Liberal electoralism isn’t going anywhere any time soon, unfortunately. We still have to operate within that system if we want to affect any change for the better at the political level. Things like mutual aid and strengthening unions can and should happen right alongside it, just as they did before. But that’s a good addition, and I should have mentioned it.

Definitely good questions. I couldn’t find any “Beginners Guide to Running for Office”, so I sat up for a while chugging coffee and reading a whole bunch of local election board websites and other related sources, and this is what I came up with. This is by no means a comprehensive list or plan, but I tried to break down the main components of running for a local office in the most general terms possible, so it could be applied more broadly.

Preparation

• Figure out which office you want to run for, where you think you can make the most difference with your skill-set in your community.
• Research the responsibilities of the office you’re seeking. Attend school board or city council (or whatever) meetings to see how they operate. Take lots of notes or record it if allowed.
• Identify key issues in your community, your potential opponents, and the demographics of your district.
• Clearly articulate why you’re running and what you hope to achieve. This will be the foundation of your campaign.
• Check your local election board for eligibility requirements like residency, age, filing deadlines, and paperwork.
• • Here’s a portal to all state and local election offices - https://www.usa.gov/state-election-office
• • Leon County, Florida Supervisor of Elections has a great breakdown that should give you a general idea of the necessary requirements, deadlines, and paperwork - https://www.leonvotes.gov/Candidates-Elected-Officials-and-Campaign-Finance/How-to-Run-for-Local-Office

Campaign Team

• Campaign Manager: Appoint someone to oversee operations. Preferably someone with some political savvy and/or managerial experience.
• Treasurer: Appoint someone to manage finances and ensure compliance with campaign finance laws.
• Volunteers: Recruit a team of dedicated volunteers for canvassing, phone banking, and event support. The number of volunteers will vary, depending on the size of your campaign, but there’s no such thing as too many.
• Advisors: Network with local community leaders and activists who share your vision, and listen to them. They have their ears to the ground, and can offer critical advice on what your community needs.

Campaign Strategy

• Set a budget and determine how much money you’ll need for materials, advertising, and events. Focus on grassroots fundraising. This seems to be the most difficult part with no clear answer, so look into the campaign financing of previous candidates running for the same office to get an idea of how much it’ll likely cost.
• Develop a clear, concise message that resonates with voters.
• Identify your base and tailor your outreach to their concerns.
• Map out key milestones like filing deadlines, debates, voter registration deadlines, and Election Day. Set realistic goals to accomplish by those dates.

Build Your Brand

• Create a professional logo and a memorable slogan that reflects your values. Say what you want about Trump, but “Make America Great Again” and “MAGA” are a great slogan/logo combo. It’s simple, clear, and easy to remember.
• Build a simple website with your bio, platform, and contact info. Use social media to engage voters and share updates.
• Print flyers, yard signs, and business cards to distribute in the community.

Community Engagement

• Knock on doors to introduce yourself and listen to voters concerns.
• Show up at community gatherings, fairs, and town halls to build visibility.
• Organize meet-and-greets, town halls, or fundraisers to connect with voters.
• Seek support from local leaders, organizations, and activists to boost your credibility and visibility.
• Volunteer at homeless shelters, food banks, and other places. Even just a day here and there can make all the difference. Engage with employees, customers, and residents about your campaign. Listen to their concerns, and offer viable solutions.

Fundraising

• Focus on grassroots fundraising by asking friends, family, and community members for small contributions.
• Set up a donation portal on your website and promote it on social media.
• Keep detailed records of all donations and expenses to comply with campaign finance laws.

Messaging

• Send press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations to announce your candidacy and major events.
• Participate in candidate debates and forums to showcase your platform.
• Post regularly about your platform, events, and endorsements. Engage with people in the comments.
• Send postcards or letters to targeted voters highlighting your key issues.

Get People to Vote

• Help eligible voters register before the deadline.
• Encourage supporters to vote early or by mail if available.
• Organize volunteers to remind voters to cast their ballots and offer rides to the polls if needed.

Again, this is by no means a comprehensive, foolproof plan. I didn’t include many resources, because requirements, deadlines, and paperwork all vary by state and county. These just seemed to be the most common points I picked up from a number of sources, and should at least give you an idea of how and what to research further.

Personally, I have no ambition to run for office because I’m already 50 and don’t want to add to the pool of geriatrics running this country. We need to hand the torch to young people. That said, I will help any way I can if someone younger wants to run. Speech writing, phone banking, logo design, or pretty much anything else, I will gladly offer my services for free.

I dunno… I grew up in southern Arizona, and getting pulled over for Driving While Brown has kind of always been a thing. Latinos have always been harassed by cops, going all the way back to the Zoot Suit Riots and Marijuana prohibition and long before. This country has never been nice to Latinos. Though it does seem to be getting much worse.

There is no machine or drug or anything else that can “detect” a lie or signs of deception. Polygraph results are purely interpretive, and anything that’s given to interpretation is given to the bias of the interpreter. Polygraph results are also wildly inconsistent. That’s why they are generally not admissible in court.

If you’re going to rely on pseudo-scoentific bullshit, you might as well bring in some palm readers and voodoo priests instead. At least that’ll be entertaining.

EDIT - Just want to add this - Never, under any circumstances, should you take a polygraph test. If you are a suspect (legally or otherwise), they will not use the results to exonerate you. If they suspect you did it, but the polygraph doesn’t detect any deception, they will throw out the results as “unreadable” and pursue other means of investigating you. But if the results detect deception, they will treat it like the fucking Oracle at Delphi.

It breaks my heart. I have a few Ukrainian coworkers (working remotely), and when we jump in Slack and I chat with them now compared to when we first started working together, all I hear is the weariness, the sadness, the loss. This woman designed all of our proprietary software, and she was always such an upbeat, motivated badass. That cliche of a person “lighting up the room” when they walk in? That’s her. Now though? She’s had to move three times to avoid bombs, and even though she’s safe now, she’s lost something that I don’t know if she will ever get back.

What I see in this picture of Zelenskyy is what I hear in her voice every time I talk with her. And it makes me fucking furious.

Liberalism isn’t going to save us. Way I see it, if we want a better country, we have three options:

1. Violent revolution. This should be a last resort, and I don’t think we are quite there yet.

2. Wait for Fascism to collapse. It will. Problem is, A FUCKING LOT of people will suffer and die in the mean time.

3. Mobilize a viable third party. No, not the Greens. They are just as corrupt as the rest, and they pal around with Fascist traitors. I’m talking about a real grass roots Leftist movement, starting from the ground up. Basically, use the exact same playbook that MAGA used. They spent the past decade taking over social media with their Manosphere bullshit, and suddenly Gen Z shifted hard to the Right, which younger generations almost never do. We need to take back that online space. Take over town hall meetings, take over school boards, take over city councils, show up in huge numbers to vote for actual good (or as good as we can get) judges and DA’s. This also means volunteering, phone banking, door knocking, and most importantly of all, some of you need to run for office. Even something local can make a difference in your community. That’s how MAGA won. They didn’t even have the numbers. They just had the right strategy, and in their hubris, Democrats ignored it.

The third option is obviously what I prefer to happen. It’ll take a few years, and we may not even win the White House in 2028. But this isn’t about you or me. It’s about the future of civilization. If they did it, so can we. Let’s not be outsmarted by a bunch of people who worship a man who can’t fucking read.