This Is Probably the Last Place I Should Be Today, But…

(Chuck Muth) – If I was Tom Brady, on a higher floor, and on the other side of my hotel this morning, I could throw a football to the Pentagon.

So if Hamas actually pulls the trigger on its “Global Day of Jihad” on this Friday the 13^th – and if Joe Biden’s “woke” military is asleep at the switch (again) – I’ll have a front-row seat if one of the barbarians who has crossed our open southern border made his way to our military’s headquarters.

It’s not like they haven’t struck there before.

But life goes on – until it doesn’t.  So onward…

As I teach in my campaign training seminars, no one knows it all when it comes to politics.  If you’re serious about this business, it’s a never-ending learning process.

As such, I encourage candidates to constantly take time and opportunities to increase their knowledge and sharpen their political skills.  And say whatever else you want about me, but I do practice what I preach.

So I’m here in Arlington, Virginia – just outside DC – for the next ten days attending the “Campaign Leadership College” (CLC) being conducted by the Leadership Institute, for which I have been a volunteer instructor over the past twenty-some years.

And with that in mind, someone asked why I’m attending as a student rather than a teacher?  Simple…

You can always learn something new or be reminded of something you’ve forgotten.  Indeed, this program is gonna include some intense, high-level stuff.

Plus…I’m going to do the same thing when I get back that I did in 1996 after attending Newt Gingrich’s “Campaign Management College” –adapt the material to do the same level of training in Nevada.

I mean…why reinvent the wheel, right?

Two other Nevadans have joined me here: Former State Assemblywoman Annie Black from Clark County and Right-to-Life leader Melissa Clement from Washoe County.

You know who’s NOT here?

Any of the Nevada candidates whose names will be on the ballot next year, or any of the “professional” political consultants or campaign managers who will be running those races.

They already “know it all.”

Which is a shame. Because they don’t.

For example, I know with metaphysical certitude that if Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Brown had invested ten days to be here with us, he’d return to Nevada and run a very different, much better campaign.

And be in a FAR better position to WIN next November.

Ditto every other candidate.  And most campaign managers/consultants.  Because it’s not the best candidate who wins.  It’s the best campaign.

Now…

I’ve gotten some blowback from a handful of readers who were ticked off that I didn’t include their favorite candidate earlier this week when I asked for your thoughts on the U.S. Senate race.

One person texted that I wasn’t being “fair” to the other candidates as a journalist should be.

First, I’m not a “journalist.”  Never have been. Never have pretended to be.

I’m a conservative activist.  I was a “blogger” long before the word “blogger” was even invented (I think by Al Gore).

I share my opinions based on over two decades of experience in this biz.  Those who don’t like my opinions are free to click on the “unsubscribe” button at the bottom of this email.

Secondly, everyone who is legally eligible to do so has the right to run for whatever office they choose.  However…

…they do NOT have the right to be taken seriously.

Too many candidates violate one or more of my “7 Worst Habits of Highly Unelectable People” – especially #1: Running for the wrong office.

Candidates who have never run before, have never served in office, have little to no money, no name ID with the general public, no knowledge of what it takes to win a race – and, frankly, no chance of winning – but decide they want to be a U.S. congressman or U.S. Senator rather than run for a school board seat or local office or the state Legislature have every right to do so.

That doesn’t mean I have any obligation to take their campaign seriously.

Probably the worst example of this today in Nevada is Jim Marchant.

Don’t get me wrong.  Nice guy.  Solid conservative.

But he couldn’t hold his comparatively small State Assembly seat in 2018 when he ran for re-election in a “swing” district that leaned Republican.

So naturally, that somehow qualified him to run for Congress in 2020 in a much larger district in Clark County that had a much bigger Democrat registration advantage.  He lost.

So naturally, that somehow qualified him to run statewide for Secretary of State in “purple” Nevada in 2022.  He lost.

So naturally, that somehow qualifies him to run for a much more expensive and high-profile seat in the U.S. Senate this cycle.  He’ll lose again, despite having somewhat of a base among some GOP primary voters.

Failing upwards.

And for those who want to argue that a particular candidate can win solely because they’re a woman, a black, a Hispanic, gay, or of some religion…save it.  Homie don’t play that.

Again, it’s not the best candidate – or some “identity” candidate – who wins.  It’s the best campaign.

Just being a black Mormon lesbian who was born in Mexico isn’t enough if you have no money, no experience, no name ID, no professional campaign management, and no experience in sales and marketing.

ESPECIALLY if they’re not here in Arlington, Virginia, this week with me, Annie, and Melissa.  I have no obligation to take seriously candidates who don’t take seriously the need to learn how to WIN.

You know who IS serious about winning in Nevada?

Gov. Joe Lombardo’s political team.

In fact, political operatives and organizations supporting the governor aren’t only recruiting and endorsing certain candidates for races up and down the ballot next year, but have invested funding for much of the campaign training and candidate development programs I’ve been putting together over the summer.

Including covering some of our expenses to be here in DC for CLC the next ten days.

They’ve also invested resources in our Pigpen Project to clean up the voter rolls before next year’s elections – a project that has already successfully removed hundreds of voters from the “active” registration file, for a variety of reasons, so they won’t be automatically mailed a ballot next year.

This governor’s political professionals and support PACs are SERIOUS about winning races.  So am I. And I’m grateful that they’re investing in our projects that the Nevada GOP has neglected, blown off, or mismanaged over the past dozen years or so – ESPECIALLY the training.

Look, I get it.

Not every candidate can afford to take ten days off, fly clear across the country, and hole up in a classroom with two dozen of some of the most experienced, successful, and talented conservative political professionals in the country today.

Though many who aren’t here certainly could be if they wanted to.

But thanks to support from PACs and organizations backing the governor’s agenda, you soon won’t have to.

In fact, I’d planned on launching training programs around the state – including some of Nevada’s rural cities and towns – right after Labor Day.  Until a flood took out my home-office and I had to cancel the trip.

But I pretty much have my office reconstructed – though not the wall around my house that was wiped out – and I’m here in Arlington sharpening my skills and knowledge. So I’ll be back in the saddle upon my return and we’re gonna get this ball rolling.

But don’t be surprised if Muth’s Truths are far and few in-between over the next two weeks.

To wrap up, I’ll leave you with this observation on the fuster-cluck House Republicans are conducting today just on the other side of the Potomac River from where I’m staying, courtesy of our friend and conservative stalwart Steve Moore of the Committee to Unleash Prosperity…

House Buffoons

“The leading horse in the race for Speaker of the House is changing by the hour, and it is making the Republicans look like the gang that can’t shoot straight.  

“Our hope – now that Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise have been foolishly voted down – is that Jim Jordan of Ohio will be the next speaker. But a gang of moderates are now saying they will vote no – and that could prevent him from getting to the magic number of 217. The chaos caucus is spreading in the House like a virus.

“Our view: it’s time for ALL House Republicans to rally behind the solid ideas Jordan has championed his entire career.

“No dissents. Total unity.

“As we wrote a week ago, this is a time of great peril – all the more so because we have an incompetent and dangerous president. Don’t be distracted from that for one more day. Biden is the clear and present danger to fiscal sanity and our national security.

“Jordan is a full-fledged fiscal conservative. He’s pro-growth. He’s a tough-as-nails blue-collar Ohioan. He’s been amazing as Judiciary Committee chairman – and the investigations into Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, and the overall corruption of House Democrats have been masterful.

“If the Republicans aren’t smart enough to rally and unite, they don’t belong in the majority.”

7 Worst Habits of Highly Unelectable People

1. Picking the wrong race
2. Picking the wrong district
3. Picking the wrong issues
4. Picking the wrong time
5. Picking the wrong consultants
6. Picking unnecessary fights with the media
7. Picking door-knocking over fundraising

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views, and founder of CampaignDoctor.com.  You can sign up for his conservative, Nevada-focused e-newsletter at MuthsTruths.com.  His views are his own.