From The Hotline Latest Edition for Thursday, April 17,2008

CONSULTANT CANDID

Simon Says

Thu. Apr. 17, 2008


A partner at Goodwin Simon Victoria Research, Amy Simon brings 20 years of political experience to her work as a pollster and comm. strategist. A former mgr., direct mail consultant, and pol. dir. before becoming a pollster, Simon has worked on candidate and ballot measure campaigns at the federal, state and local level in 35 different states. In '06, her polling helped OR Dems win control of the state house, WA Dems increase their margin of control in the state house, Ned Lamont defeat Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) in CT's Dem primary, and the WA Trial Lawyers Assn pass Referendum 67, the first referendum to pass there since '68. And today, Simon is our "Consultant Candid."

What was your first job?

Besides all those typical high school jobs -- cleaning, catering, babysitting, waitressing, scooping ice cream -- my first job was as a canvasser for PIRG-IM, the only PIRG in the nation that has our state initials at the end -- Public Interest Research Group In Michigan. We canvassed in the Detroit suburbs on toxic waste issues.

What is your proudest moment professionally?

Helping Ned Lamont win the Democratic primary in Connecticut's U.S. Senate race. I believe our victory changed the entire tenor of the national debate on Iraq in that election and gave Democrats nationally the courage to speak out more clearly and more strongly about the need for the U.S. to end the war there -- and I think their strong words on Iraq helped propel them to win more seats in the House and the Senate. I hope Ned runs again because he would be a principled and important leader in the U.S. Senate -- or whatever office he seeks.

What one event in a candidate's past would pose the biggest problem in a campaign?

Anything they are trying to hide that they think no one will find. Sadly the headlines are filled with exposed public figures lately, and while sex-capades lead the headlines, virtually any kind of misstep can end a campaign or career if it was hidden or lied about. Best thing for candidates to do is be realistic and up front with their campaign team -- then inoculate themselves ahead of time so it's not a surprise later.

If you could be in any other line of work, what would it be?

A pre-school teacher. I have a four-year old and a one-year old and hanging out with them, their friends, and their cousins, is the most fun in the world.

Negative campaigning -- good or bad?

That's like asking whether gravity is good or bad. It is what it is -- an irresistible force that must be accounted for in all campaign planning and strategizing. Negative campaigning takes place because it works. Think about two neighbors gossiping over the back of the fence -- you could talk for one hour about all kinds of nice things, but when you go back inside the one thing you'll repeat to your spouse is: "Can you believe....?" -- and what you relay won't be that Johnny got an A+ on his math test.

Where is your happy place?

Truro, Cape Cod. I spent summers there growing up and have been every summer since I was born. Now 42 years later, my childhood friends and extended family continue to come together each summer, with children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews all making sand castles, chasing crabs, eating vanilla soft serve ice cream and clam chowder, just as we did when we were little. For those who know Cape Cod -- once every summer, our children wear their pj's to dinner at PJ's in Wellfleet, then we pile back into the car for popcorn at the drive-in theatre.

What is your favorite restaurant to meet clients?

One of the things about being an outside-the-beltway consultant is that I rarely meet clients in a restaurant. I almost always travel to their campaigns to meet with them on the ground, meet their kitchen cabinet and their team, and we meet in their campaign HQ or their living room or the conference room of a local supporter.

What campaign (past, present or future) would you most like to be a part of?

I would have to say the campaign of the first viable openly gay or lesbian candidate for president. I think it is a real human rights issue and I hope that in a relatively short time in our nation's history (10 years? 20 years?) a majority of voters nationally will come to view gay and lesbian candidates as just regular folks to be judged on their merits like anyone else. I'd love to have that election so we can move forward as a nation.

What is the ideal number of clients to have at one time?

As a pollster, what's more important than the number of clients is the workflow. In an ideal world I'd have two polls a week, 50 weeks a year -- no more, and no less.

What firm/individual who does your kind of work for the other party do you respect the most, and why?

I have a lot of respect for the folks on the other side of the aisle who so carefully develop those resonant terms that nearly win the debate as soon as they are out in the public arena -- the car tax, the death tax, etc. Democrats have a long way to go still at developing and communicating similarly strong, clear, simple terms of a debate. Though with minimum wage and McCain's 100-year war, we're getting better.

What is the first section of the newspaper you read?

The business section. When I was young I thought it was boring, but as an adult it seems to be the only place where real news is reported. Despite their obvious bias, I also read the Wall Street Journal because their news coverage on the convergence of business and politics is generally excellent. I must say -- being on the West Coast for 10 years after being in D.C. for 10 years, I dearly miss the Washington Post, which covers the convergence of politics and policy like no other paper in the nation.

If you could only watch one news show, what would it be?

CNN

We're ending this feature with a question posed by the last interviewee. This is from Strategic Media Placement Inc.'s Nick Everhart: Upset, surprise, shocker of the year that nobody is talking about yet that you see coming this fall at any level?

I turned to my brilliant partners, Paul Goodwin and Donna Victoria, for ideas on this one. Here's our shot -- the tremendous surge in Democratic turnout this November will not only elect Obama as President, but will also put over the top some ballot measures that only a few years ago people would have never thought possible. In 2007, our polling and strategic advice helped pass Washington's Referendum 67, the first referendum to pass there since 1968 and one of only 6 (of 66 filed) to pass since 1914. We think record high turnout may bring some more surprise results on ballot measures in 2008.

Pose a question for the next interviewee.

What advice do you give to candidates about how to deal with their spouses and family?