Appendix E: Drawing Contrast with Your Opponents#

One of the most difficult problems facing candidates and political activists is the problem of creating a contrast with your opponents in the minds of the voters. Party programs and messages tend to be bland and generic, and the voters never understand why one candidate or party is better than another is. As a result, voters grow cynical and begin to view democratic elections as meaningless.

In designing your campaign message, you must give your target audience the sharpest possible contrast with your opponents. If you don't, then your target audience has no reason to vote for you instead of your opponent. In order to ensure that your message has this contrast, you should be able to word it in the following way:

"When you go to the polls on Election Day, I want you to keep one thing in mind. The differences between my opponent and me could not be clearer. You can vote for me, who stands for XXX, or you can vote for my opponents, who stand for YYY. What our country and our region need are a lot more XXX, and a lot less YYY. That's what this election is about, and that's what you are going to decide."

When searching for the "XXX" and "YYY", you may look at the following areas:

Values: How is what you stand for significantly different than what your opponents stand for?
Policies: What would you do as an elected leader that is significantly different from what your opponents would do?
Experience: How will the differences between your work and educational experience and your opponents' experience influence the way you would behave in office? Often, when values and policies are very similar, experience is the best way to draw contrast -- Which candidate is best able to deliver the promised policies or values?

For any particular trait under the above headings, you must craft your message in order to draw the most favorable contrast with your opponents. Examples of how to do this include:

XXX	vs.	YYY
Values
Positive change or Stability, certainty	↔	Stagnancy, status quo, or Instability, uncertainty
Mainstream or Bold, dynamic	↔	Fringe, radical, extreme, or Staid, unwilling to risk
Patriotic or Common sense	↔	Unpatriotic, or Nationalist extremism
Pragmatic, compromising or Idealistic	↔	Partisan, uncompromising, or "Sell-out"
For the common people or Based on intelligence	↔	For the elite or Anti-intellectual
Optimistic or Realist	↔	Pessimistic, or Dreamer
Honest, trustworthy or Realistic, world-wise	↔	Corrupt, untrustworthy, or Naive, "babe-in-the-woods"

Policies
Protects your region first or Statesman looking out for the Nation	↔	Sell-out to Moscow, or Provincial, small-minded
Against greedy businessmen or Pro-business, pro-growth	↔	In the pocket of the rich, or Over-regulation, Anti-growth
Social protection or For individual responsibility	↔	Uncaring, heartless, or For the narcotic of government support
Individual thinker or Trusted "team player"	↔	Puppet of party leader, or Maverick, "loose cannon"
For responsible public investment or For private initiative	↔	Allowing factories to deteriorate, or For support of inefficient wasteful state enterprises
For quick and efficient privatization or For fairness in distributing assets	↔	For continued inefficient management or For giving national resources to the rich and corrupt

Experience
Young, dynamic or Wisdom, experienced	↔	Old, stuck in the past or Foolish, inexperienced
Has the clout to get things done or Independent, integrity	↔	Weak, not serious or Has ties to corrupt nomenclature
Highly educated and intelligent or Understands common people	↔	Unimpressive background or Egg headed, out of touch
Extensive government experience or Real-world experience	↔	Untried, untested or Part of the problem in Moscow
Understands business or Not corrupted by money	↔	Locked in the past system or New Russian, tainted by money