BA POLITIX REVIEW
In Christine Pelosi’s case, it’s easy to see why the apple hasn’t fallen very far from the tree
by Jeff Miller
Monday, April 21, 2008

Imagine if you will, the precociously smart little girl of a dynamic mother on the rise in Bay Area politics. This little girl, clad in her pj’s, has likely been put to bed twice but continues to sneak part way down the stairs to listen to her mom and friends discuss politics, politicians, public policy and the campaigns of the day. Now imagine that the mom in this case is Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and those dinner party guests were and are some of the biggest luminaries in American Democratic Party politics. With a staircase education like that, it’s easy to see why daughter Christine Pelosi was prepared to write “Campaign Boot Camp: Basic Training for Future Leaders,” ($15.95 PoliPointPress.)

“Boot Camp” is a handy, easy-to-digest 243-page manual that lays out a hard-to-beat campaign blueprint for any brave soul considering wading into the political world. As a former San Francisco prosecutor, California Democratic Party leader and activist, Pelosi grew up watching her mom successfully take on the often sexist political establishment. She’s been given a unique front row view of campaigns that work and those that don’t. She’s become a guru of sorts whose teachings in recent years have helped elect 12 new people to Congress. Pelosi lays out the book around seven basic campaign pillars: Identifying your particular call to service; Getting to know your community and its people; Building leadership teams that will support you or the cause; Carefully defining your message; Connecting with people in a real way; Raising money and, finally, election day mobilizing strategies. Inside of each of these chapters Pelosi not only weaves her own experiences but also the experiences of such notables as Willie L. Brown Jr., Rahm Emanuel, Ronald Reagan, Ann Richards and Jim Zogby, to name just a few. One of the best aspects of this book is that it asks people to evaluate why they are seeking public office and gives them a thought-provoking “test” to take to determine their fitness for public office and public life. “Boot Camp” is as applicable to those running individual campaigns as it is to those running non-profit fund-raising efforts and ballot initiatives.

While there’s a lot of books out there that give the nuts and bolts of how to run a campaign — which Pelosi does in spades — she is careful to spend a good amount of time giving her take on why our nation — like perhaps never before in our history — needs smart, caring people to step forward and serve. Pelosi, effectively, reminds us that unless we get involved and put ourselves “out there,” we will end up getting the kind of government populated more by the ambitious, self-serving and power-hungry than by those that actually want to roll-up their sleeves and help get things fixed.