Power of 10

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Letting us know what the candidates say about federal budget priorities is just as important as asking the questions

Political candidates begin their campaigns talking about issues in broad, sweeping terms, and get more specific as the campaign progresses.

We’re quickening that process by using what candidate say about budget priorities to ask ever-narrower questions.

For example, Candidate X says at a breakfast meeting, “We don’t need as many nuclear weapons.” When our bird dog at the breakfast reports that statement back to us, we send this question to a volunteer attending a lunch meeting with the candidate: “Candidate X, you said this morning that we don’t need as many nuclear weapons. Would you be willing to reduce our nuclear stockpile from 10,000 to 1,000 and shift the savings to Americans’ real priorities, like …”

If the candidate says "Yes," we can again tighten the question for a PrioritiesNH volunteer at an evening meeting: “Candidate X, thank you for your willingness to reduce wasteful spending by reducing our nuclear arsenal. The F/A-22 fighter jet costs $2.8 billion a year, and military experts call it the most wasteful project in the Pentagon budget. Would you be willing to cancel that program and use the savings to help pay for the universal health care plan you’re proposing?”

Over the course of days, weeks and months of getting these tightly focused questions, several things happen:

1. The campaign staff researches what this Priorities campaign is all about and learns about Pentagon waste and potential budget tradeoffs.
2. Candidates know they’re going to be asked about budget priorities, so start weaving their answers into their speeches.
3. Candidates know that citizens who care about this issue are watching and listening carefully, sharing information with others, and ready to hold them accountable for their answers and their actions.

What we're asking you to do

If you question a candidate, take notes (or ask the person at the meeting with you to take notes) and share that information with us as quickly as possible through the online Power of 10 blog, or by contacting Olivia by e-mail or by calling her cell 661-8621 or the PrioritiesNH office at 224-3800.

If you don’t get to ask a budget priorities question, but someone else does, please jot down the answer if possible. Then, after the event, make a friend. Introduce yourself to the person who asked the question and let him or her know you’re connected to the Priorities campaign too. Please thank them for asking the question and ask them for their name and email or phone number so we can thank them! Then please relay that information to Olivia as soon as possible.

How to report back using the blog. Because we want the Power of 10 blog to be factual and to reflect the nonpartisan, positive and respectful tone of our campaign, all Web form entries are edited by PrioritiesNH staff. We value your information and impressions, but submissions that are demeaning, libelous or outright false will not be posted. Blog entries are posted anonymously unless you request that your name be used. We ask for your name and e-mail address only so PrioritiesNH staff can reach you. Your personal information will not be loaned, rented or sold to any other entity.