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No doubt we aren’t alone in building upon the 300 Spartans as a cultural and historical touchstone. Nonetheless, given my experience working with DC-based individuals and organizations, I find the choice of ‘the 300’ perhaps a little less than accidental. That a $100 million+ organization would model their campaign upon the very same theme our organization had launched only months earlier reminded me of something that Joe Biden might have said: “Copying should be taken as a form of flattery.”
While in college I volunteered for a summer internship on the Hill with Congressman Dana Rohrabacher. (I experienced enough of DC then to know that I’m not a good fit for that world.) Upon graduation from Hillsdale College, I worked for a Minnesota-based, conservative think tank primarily in a development or fundraising role. We used to recruit a lot of the “big names” from Conservative, Inc. My eyes were truly opened when I saw how some of these ‘stars’ acted behind the scenes. That old phrase, “never meet your heroes,” captured my experiences perfectly.
In 2010, I came to further understand the DC-bubble that so many conservative organizations and individuals reside within. That year, Intellectual Takeout (a program of Charlemagne Institute) ended up partnered with a K-Street PR firm. The relationship lasted for several years and helped me realize why there is such a disconnect between DC and Middle America.
When our partnership was established, Middle America was still reeling from the 2008 market crash and subsequent Great Recession. DC, on the other hand, was still growing economically and rapidly adding millionaires to its ranks of residents.
I’ll never forget the kick-off meeting on K-Street. The PR firm led the presentation, attempting to tell us Middle Americans what Middle America cared about and what messaging would resonate. Typical of the DC mindset, the conversation started with, “The polling tells us that the economy is something Middle America is concerned about as well as these other important issues…”
I was amazed. Had it not been for the polling, I don’t think DC would have been aware of the economic pain of Middle America. As I told the K-Street firm, your polling isn’t telling you what you need to know or how to connect with Americans right now. And it wasn’t.
No polling can accurately capture what it is like to be in a sudden economic downturn, where every fifth house in a neighborhood has weeds as tall as sequoias, signaling to all around that the owner is bankrupt or has been foreclosed upon. Polling doesn’t convey the palpable fear and angst that grips you as you drive past your local strip malls, standing half-empty with boarded up businesses. Polling won’t tell you the weight of despair suffocating average Americans as they try to put food on the plate and not lose everything they have, while everything comes crashing down around them.
To understand Middle America, you need to be Middle America. At Charlemagne, we’re occasionally asked if we would ever consider a move to DC. The answer is always no. We are Middle America; we don’t need polling to understand our neighbors, friends, families, and communities.
Every day we live just like our neighbors. We see the same things, share the same fears and hopes, and rub shoulders with all kinds. We want a good life for our families, neighbors, and all of those around us. Indeed, love for our country and charity to our fellow man motivates all our work.
If you appreciate that work and our defense of Middle America, we would be grateful for your support. Perhaps you want to make a big impact for an organization. If so, please consider joining Charlemagne Institute’s 300. If that’s too much, please consider giving $50, $100, or even $250. You can do so at the link below:
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