VP Candidate INSTRUCTIONS
As your party’s vice presidential candidate, you have a difficult candidate. You must be completely familiar with all of the issues and must acquaint yourself with all research that your campaign staff produces. To help you be more a successful VP candidate, you should arrange constant briefing sessions with your staff in order to keep abreast of all campaign developments. You must develop a persuasive speaking technique for your formal speeches so that you can appear in public and attract voters to your cause. You also must be able to think on your feet and answer difficult questions while a guest on “Meet the Press” or another news conference show to get as much free advertising as possible. Also, remember that an untimely or unguarded remark (gaffe) could cost you the victory. If you and your staff are thoroughly prepared, you will minimize your chance of making a damaging statement. You are also challenged with supporting the views of the President even if you do not personally support them, and at the same time be true to your own values. Thus, you must be a good team player first, and also a strong individual.
BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND: Prior to beginning the Presidential Election Simulation, you must complete a Background Data Form and consult with your teacher to decide upon your age, religions beliefs, education, vocational and political experience, marital and parental status, ideology, etc. This will be due on the day of the convention.
SPEECHES: Each candidate will be responsible for a brief 1-2 minute campaign speeches, debates, commercials, interviews, and appearances on T.V. shows. Work closely with the Spin doctor and Campaign Manager on these matters as they have the primary responsibility for researching, preparing, and developing the party’s position on the different issues. The issues of the campaign are:
1.) Abortion9.) Energy Policy
2.) Immigration10.) Gay Rights/Marriage
3.) the War on terror/ Defense Spending11.) Education/No Child Left Behind
4.) Social security/elderly12.) Taxes (increase on rich? capital gains?)
5.) Unemployment/poverty/inequality13.)Campaign Finance
6.) Crime/death penalty/ gun control14.) Security vs. civil liberties
7.) Medicare/Health care (universal?)15.) Role of religion and government
8.) Environment (increased standards vs.
business competitiveness)
Depending upon your campaign’s emphasis you may wish to focus primarily on one or two of the issues. You may add issues, such as affirmative action or euthanasia, however, you must have approval from me for any additional issues prior to your speech.
**You may also consider agreeing to the voluntary spending limits if you’re a candidate. If you agree you will be able to produce a free press release and plus you’ll receive a possible positive perception from the people.
Speech Guidelines:
Organization:
1.) State the problem or the condition
2.) Identify its causes
3.) Define action needed
4.) Propose your solution
5.) Show how your proposal will eliminate the causes and effects and solve the problem
6.) Show the proposal as the only practical solution
7.) Tell the audience what they should do to put the ideas to work
SAMPLE SIMULATION DAY:
1.) Meet with your campaign group in one part of the classroom and get reports from members
a.) Go over your agenda/strategies of the day (which states to campaign and visit)
b.) review your financial situation (also special interest money)
d.) review any polls taken and determine if any need to be taken
c.) review what ads/press releases, etc. you will be showing today and plan to make in the future
d.) review strategies to get press coverage
e.) go over debate strategies (if necessary)
2.) Visit/campaign in the states and regions
a.) give speeches
b.) show ads/ posters/ etc.
c.) Spin Doctor should follow you
d.) see if you can obtain campaign contributions
3.) Reconvene with group
a.) Go over happenings of the day
b.) see #1
c.) turn in all necessary papers
REQUIREMENTS:
You will need to complete and turn in the following:
1.) Speeches (include the outline or fully written speech)- This will be done/collected every simulation day.
2.) Debate notes (thorough on key issues)
3.) Background (collected at the beginning of the simulation)
4.) Appropriate dress
Grading: You will be graded on the following:
1.) Quality of debates and speeches
2.) How campaign is run (no corruption!)
3.) thoroughness of effort (coordination of staff and work)
4.) Dress (as appropriate)
Helpful Hints (share this with the rest of your campaign group!):
Campaigning: one of the objectives is to get your name out to the most number of Americans. One way to do that is
Television Commercials-
PROS
*Quick and easy way to get your name out to a large audience quickly
*Can be tailored for specific regions and constituencies
*You can be at your best . Lower pressure
CONS
*Very high cost
*If you can’t afford the tailored ads then you may sound generic and without substance in
your general ads
* if you get too negative in your ads you may seem mean spirited
INSIDER SAYS: the most sought after way of campaigning
GOING NEGATIVE
PROS
*can make your opponent look real bad
*playing on emotions is effective
CONS
*Can make you seem too mean
INSIDER SAYS: A balance is key. Don’t go too negative but also don’t be too much of a nice guy/gal! Nice guys/gals always finish last!
STUMP
PROS
*You get to see real faces and potential voters get to see you
* you seem more “real” deemed a more “populist” method and seems to get positive
responses
*
CONS
*takes an enormous amount of time and energy
INSIDER SAYS: Better get some rest. The US is a big country and the election is in only a few weeks!
DEBATES
PRO
*Free “advertising”, face recognition, and name recognition
*Can get into your stances on issues more in depth
*an opportunity to attack your opponent
*gives the voters to see you perform “on the podium”
*an opportunity to really gain in popularity if you’re down in the polls
CONS
*An opportunity to flub and lower your popularity
*can be disastrous if you’re in the lead
INSIDER SAYS:
* Look out for who is running the debate and whether they have a bias
* Don’t look at your watch, pick the right side (viewer’s standpoint), and appear taller
* Don’t be afraid to dance around questions if it will hurt you
* Appearance is KEY (remember the Kennedy-Nixon debate!!!)
(TV) TALKSHOWS:
PROS
*free advertising
*large audiences can be addressed
* can help you look hip and in touch (remember Clinton on MTV and the Tonight show
playing the sax with his shades on?)
* Can show your personality better than a debate or ad (humor helps!)
CONS
* a tough interviewer can make you look bad
INSIDER SAYS-
* try to get the questions that will be asked 1st!
* set the ground rules for the interviewer (no asking questions regarding my family)
* exposing your personality is key here
MEDIA NEWS COVERAGE
PROS
*free advertising
*gets your issues across to the people quickly
CONS
*no control over how the media will depict you
*tough interview can spell disaster
INSDIER SAYS: Try to get as much news coverage as possible. NO EXCEPTION! Sometimes “even bad coverage is better than no coverage at all.”
PRESS RELEASES:
PROS
*A quick and easy way to alert the press about the important things your campaign is doing
CONS
* Most media outlets know that they are press releases and thus can see through the bias
INSIDER SAYS: DO them - easy and relatively cheap.
POLLING:
PROS
*a good way to find out what the people of a certain local think on the various issues
*can make your campaign more effective and efficient
CONS
*can make you seem too plastic and too well rehearsed
INSIDER SAYS: Go ahead and do them…use the polls to your advantage. If a state is mostly conservative on social issues, you might want to avoid those issues if you’re a liberal.