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* These candidates are just so darned proud that they’ve always excelled at doing less with more…

Um.

Flip side is here. I did not make this up.

* The Question: Your favorite campaign bumble story?

…Adding… OK, since people want to riff off that unfortunate mistake, I’ll pose an alternate question that you can choose to answer instead: What other organizations/people could stake the claim of doing less with more?

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:05 pm

Comments

Doing less with more? That could be Irvin’s reboot message.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:11 pm
How can you go wrong with a BonBon Book Club Member since 1995?

Comment by thechampaignlife Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:13 pm
Other candidates to Peggy: Don’t help.

As for the question, I still laugh out loud every time I hear the sound bite from what I recall was a November, 2000 rally for George W. Bush where George Ryan introduced the emcee, Mike Ditka, as Dick Butka.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:15 pm
Someone stared at that for a very long time, before going to the printers, and said, “There’s something off here, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

Comment by twowaystreet Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:19 pm
I will admit, I had to read it a few times to try to figure out why we were making fun of it.

Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:20 pm
Back in the 80s a House member from central Illinois was talking to a new printer about his material. He finished with, “and I’m a Democratic candidate so I need the Union Bug on it.” The printer agreed. When the material was delivered it had, spelled out, “The Union Bug.” He thought it was a slogan.

Comment by Bigtwich Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:23 pm
-How can you go wrong with a BonBon Book Club Member since 1995?-

Hey, she’s literate. Not a given these days.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:24 pm
Try to answer the question, please.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:26 pm
I don’t have a campaign bumble story, but “doing less with more” sounds like an unofficial Cubs slogan all these years.

Comment by Just Sayin Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:28 pm
The party switching seems to have everybody confused.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/opinion/ct-lns-selle-clerk-switch-st-0217-20220216-4enqr7zplbeqtgartd5y4ka4uy-story.html

Comment by Responsa Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:29 pm
ibid.

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:34 pm
That mailer makes sense if they are new candidates - accusing previous republicans of being wasteful and lazy. And that they should be elected to replace *those* republicans.

Granted, that’s not how it reads. Never overestimate your audience. There’s a reason most political mailers seem childish - that’s the level of complexity that works best. Anything more complicated and you might accidentally portray yourself as wasteful and lazy.

My favorite campaign bumble is when a state senate candidate tried to sue me for his 150k senate salary over 2 years, because he claimed I caused him to lose the senate election.

Accusing your rivals of being all-powerful over you while running for public office does not make for a successful court appearance though. Or election.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:35 pm
Russian military

Comment by OneOpinion Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:43 pm
Worked judicial race once where we got a quote from a popular local mayor that was to be printed as, “but most importantly……………” We proofed it around 11:00 PM sent it to the printer who then sent over 10,000 copies to our direct mailing contractor.

Two days later our candidate (a female) called screaming about what was hitting mail boxes. Seems the quote read, “bust most importantly………”.

The now judge still reminds me of this when I see her.

Comment by Give Me A Break Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:44 pm
“What if I told you about a team that did less with more? The 2022 Chicago White Sox”

Shoutout to the Hall of Fame type baseball guy, man.

Comment by AlfondoGonz Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:49 pm
Favorite campaign bumble is still when Bob Grogan’s campaign literature misspelled his own name

Comment by Grogran Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:50 pm
Prior to 1987, Springfield had a Commissioner form of government. One elected position was Utilities Commissioner. There was some issue with the water supply where the City slightly increased the chlorine in the water. A candidate for Utilities Commissioner went before the League of Women Voters and said that one of the reasons he was running was there was too much chlorine in the drinking water. AND it was causing all the men in town to become sterile. When people followed up on this claim, he pulled out a text book and cited that chlorine is used for sterilization.

I think he got about 40% of the vote. The winning candidate was ultimately jailed for a bribery scandal.

Comment by City Guy Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:53 pm
There actually is a Procrastinators’ Club of America, which has more time because they do less with it by putting things off.

In 1966, they held a demonstration against the War of 1812.

Comment by Streator Curmudgeon Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 3:59 pm
It never got outside the campaign, for obvious reasons, but: Michele Bromberg for IL State Rep, vs Beth Coulson, back in 2004.

The campaigned ordered yard signs. They sent the printer the logo for the sign, on an 8 1/2x 11 sheet. Then printer sent back boxes of yard signs - all with that tiny 8 1/2 x 11 image right in the center. Surrounded by a sea of blank white space on the rest of the sign.

We all just kind of stared at the horror. I still have one of those signs. It’s one of my favorite pieces of campaign memorabilia.

Comment by ZC Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 4:13 pm
-The printer sent back boxes of yard signs - all with that tiny 8 1/2 x 11 image right in the center. Surrounded by a sea of blank white space-

*cues Spinal Tap’s Stonehenge*

Comment by Ron Burgundy Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 4:31 pm
===Bob Grogan’s campaign literature misspelled his own name ===

https://capitolfax.com/wp-mobile.php?p=19123&more=1

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 4:49 pm
Who could stake the claim of doing less with more?

LL squandering the ‘auntie Lori’ goodwill during covid by bickering with aldermen and people on her staff.

Comment by Jocko Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 4:52 pm
When straight ticket voting still existed, our campaign overlords in Springfield sent out a piece in the last week telling voters to punch a certain number in one county, which turned out to be the straight ticket number for the other party. The local party was
apoplectic. Luckily, we never saw the piece and blamed Springfield. The candidate took it better than expected. We still squeaked through by about 1200 votes.

I’m got another story from one of Kevin McCarthy’s races but am not sure it’s printable based on current sensibilities.

Comment by Oldtimer Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 5:02 pm
==A candidate for Utilities Commissioner went before the League of Women Voters and said that one of the reasons he was running was there was too much chlorine in the drinking water. AND it was causing all the men in town to become sterile. When people followed up on this claim, he pulled out a text book and cited that chlorine is used for sterilization.==

Sounds like that guy was also a Larouchie candidate supporter in ‘86.

Back to the question, another answer could be Alan Keyes’ 2004 Senate “campaign.” Or taken literally, Blair Hull’s primary campaign that same year (considering the quick start before the collapse).

Comment by Just Sayin Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 5:31 pm
===Your favorite campaign bumble story?===

Waterloo was a pretty big bumble for Napoleon.

===What other organizations/people could stake the claim of doing less with more?===

ILGOP has well-infused this ethos up and down the ballot.

Comment by thechampaignlife Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 5:37 pm
“Doing Less with More” seems like an appropriate description of Bright Start under Alexi’s oversight.

Comment by Just Sayin Tuesday, Jun 14, 22 @ 5:38 pm
The government that governs least governs best.

Comment by SAP Wednesday, Jun 15, 22 @ 8:41 am
Gotta go with GovJunk, accomplished zero with all the resources in the world.

Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, Jun 15, 22 @ 1:05 pm