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Just to make sure everyone is caught up on this past weekend’s events (the Teapot Days Parade being just one of the exciting weekend activities for the Chris Lien for Congress crew), we had an AWESOME Thursday and Friday at the State GOP convention in Oacoma. Not only were we visited by tons of convention-goers in our hospitality room on Thursday night, but we were also able to hear a great speech from Chris at lunch on Friday.
Chris speaking at the State GOP convention last Friday...
Visitors piled in Thursday night to catch a conversation with Chris and grab some traveling snacks and beverages (with Chris’s Lien Machine Listening Tour travels serving as the room’s decorative theme). From Lynn’s delicious slurpees to our Trail Mix and travel size bags of chips, as well as pictures of Chris’s various stops and a road map with pins in all of the locations Chris has visited, the room clearly reflected the efforts of Chris’s desire to meet with and hear the voice of South Dakotans.
Friday had plenty of excitement for our campaign staff as well. After a delicious lunch, we showed a video highlighting Chris’s achievement of his goal to visit each of the state’s 66 counties (which he did in just 30 days). The video, which earned Chris a standing ovation from the 150 or so people in attendance, contained video clips and photographs showing just how hard Chris has been working throughout the campaign.
After the video, Chris gave a speech regarding his success on the road and how he plans to move into the next phase of this campaign. From “listening’ to “learning,” and then on to “leading,” Chris talked about how the road ahead of him is still a tough one, but with your help, success is far from impossible.
Excited Republicans give Chris a standing ovation at the State GOP convention...
Overall, the weekend was both very busy and very rewarding. From standing ovations in Oacoma to excited parade-goers in Tea, we here at Chris Lien for Congress had plenty to do. This campaign is only going to get more busy and intense over the next few months, so be sure to sign up as a volunteer to help us put South Dakota’s voice back in Congress. While we’re working hard, any help we can get from you will only add to this campaign’s success. Whether you are marching alongside us at a parade, putting up yard signs, or going door to door to get Chris’s name out there, we’d love to have your help along the way.
-Campaign Mike
For those of you that have read some of my previous blog posts, I’m not exactly a veteran when it comes to the world of politics. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to expand my repertoire of political experiences when the Lien Machine crew participated in the Teapot Days Parade in Tea on Saturday. And while campaign manager Hugh Weber may have had the joy of throwing candy to the little kids out the windows of the Lien Machine, Courtney and I managed to enjoy ourselves at the parade too.
The Lien Machine, patiently waiting for the parade to start...
Wearing our Lien Machine t-shirts and carrying some of our Lien Machine information cards, which list the info for the various Chris Lien for Congress web components (Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, etc.), Courtney and I walked around to a plethora of parade viewers (my estimates were 4,000 or 5,000 people…but I also can’t count higher than 14 so I could be wrong), and distributed candy and information cards to some of the folks who looked interested in (or at least confused by) the gigantic, blue van cruising down Tea’s Main Street.
In fact, some of you who received cards may be reading this post as we speak. If so, we’re glad to have you here, as well as anyone else who has been reading the blog posts. Hopefully you keep coming back and checking in, because we’re doing our best to keep you informed and energized about this campaign.
-Some Teapot Days clowns waving at the Lien Machine as they pass by...
Needless to say, Teapot Days was an exciting introduction to the world of parades in South Dakota for parade newcomers such as myself. However, as much fun as I had trying to spread the word about this campaign, we could DEFINITELY use some volunteers to help at our upcoming parades and events.
So if you’re interested, sign up at the website’s “Volunteer” page and we will find a way to get you involved. Besides, who doesn’t want to walk around giving out candy to a thousand happy, (usually) appreciative children? Sign up now and get ready to make a difference. We have a good stretch of opportunities for people to help out, and each volunteer’s effort will only lead to this campaign’s continued success.
Anyway, I’m going to go ahead and buy some more candy for the next upcoming parade. We threw out 18+ pounds at Teapot Days before we finally ran out, so I’m sure I’ll have to load up to stay stocked for the summer. Hope to see you at some of the summer events, and check back soon for more blog posts and information on the Chris Lien for Congress campaign.
-Campaign Mike
As souped-up roadsters and restored 1936 Chevy pickups filed in to line the streets of downtown Sioux Falls, a vehicle that fit neither of those descriptions managed to squeeze its way into the chaos of Automania. The Lien Machine, in all its massive, blue splendor (freshly washed after hitting mile 9,000 on the Listening Tour), set up shop Wednesday evening on the corner of 11th Street and Dakota Avenue to give car fans a look at Chris’s state-traveling carriage.
Ironically, we ended up on the same street with the only vehicle that might have beaten us in the overall size category, and while the 20-foot stretch-Hummer down the block may have been bigger, the Lien Machine definitely (and thankfully) gets better gas mileage.
After our esteemed driver, Courtney, navigated us through the narrow, car-condensed streets, we were able to set up shop and show off the blue behemoth known as the Lien Machine. Although quite a few cars had pretty nice paint jobs, only a few were as eye-catching as our van.
Walking the streets with Chris gave us a nice idea of the crowd. Quite the people-potpourri, the Automaniacs in the area were about as varied as the fish in the sea. From car junkies revving up their engines to the younger crowds just around to have fun and hear some music, Automania provided a broad spectrum of die-hard car fans and folks simply looking for something to do on a Wednesday night.
Fortunately, quite a few from both groups had an opportunity to get a look at the unique campaign element that is the Lien Machine. And while the Automania hosts politely requested that we not walk around passing out political pamphlets and t-shirts, the Lien Machine still managed to garner enough attention to make the trip worthwhile.
Besides, how much more fun can you have on a Wednesday night in the middle of June? It’s not every day that Main Street in Sioux Falls in jam-packed with more cars than an automobile dealership, and I think the entire Lien Machine crew had quite an experience.
How about you guys? I’d love to hear some of your experiences from this year’s (or any year’s) Automania festival. Were you showing off a 1966 Corvette or a 2003 Ferrari? Any cars besides the Lien Machine that just blew your mind? We’d love to hear from you, so leave a comment and let us know.
-Campaign Mike
While you may have seen Chris’s name in the news recently for his scheduled trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, preparing to gather firsthand information on energy alternatives isn’t the only task on Chris’s plate right now. He’s still traveling the entire state on his “Lien Machine Listening Tour” in order to hear your views and opinions on the issues and concerns South Dakota faces, and he just passed mile 9,000 on that journey.
Consequently, I thought I’d fill you in on some of the stops he’s made recently. He’s certainly been hearing about the issues affecting South Dakotans on a daily basis; from Elkton to Astoria, Rosholt to Bridgewater, Chris visited 45 communities between June 10 and June 14 (if you don’t think he’s really been there, check out the photos on Chris’s Flickr account). Otherwise, you can take a look at some of the tweets from his Twitter feed to see where he’s been.
A few from June 10th:
Elkton, SD: We had a great start to the day in Elkton. Right now taking a windshield tour of the wind farm nearby.
Castlewood: Discussed several topics with much of the crew at Ida's Cafe in Castlewood.
Revillo: Social at the fire house in Revillo. Walked in with brochures and out with pie.
Milbank: Just leaving Milbank where I learned its most famous resident was Hugh Weber.
-- As a side note from me (Campaign Mike), I’d love to give Milbank an opportunity to refute this wild claim and restore its good name. Go ahead and just comment below, Milbank. --
Back to the tweets. Here are some from the 11th:
Watertown, SD: Very productive breakfast in Watertown. Had a chance to call into "What's Up" with David J. Law as well.
Britton, SD: Had a very nice conversation with former Governor Frank Farrar in Britton.
Rosholt, SD: The folks in Rosholt made a great point this afternoon. They are tired of DC making possible solutions so complicated.
Add a couple of June 12th stops:
Emery, SD: I had a very educational visit with a well read group of people at the Senior Center in Emery this morning.
Parkston, SD: Had a lively conversation with a Republican mom and Democrat daughter at the senior center in Parkston.
-- From what Chris has said, this spicy conversation still ended positively...ask him about it sometime when you get the chance. --
And, finally, a few more tweets to finish out some recent visits:
June 13, 2008
Harrisburg, SD: Made a loop through Harrisburg. Now it's back to Sioux Falls for the afternoon and up to Watertown tonight.
Watertown, SD: Had a wonderful time meeting and talking with so many patriots at the American Legion state convention in Watertown.
June 14, 2008
Alcester, SD: Learned a lot from the locals at DJ's in Alcester!
Elk Point, SD: Great group to meet and talk with at Cody's and Elk Point. Off to Jefferson!
Overall, Chris has been doing some heavy duty traveling. This is just a small sample of his latest tweets, and if you’re interested in seeing some more of them, go ahead and follow Chris on Twitter. He’s traveling a ton and loves the support he’s been receiving all around the region.
Whether he shows up at your local coffee shop for a cup of joe or stops at your Senior Center to discuss some issues with the local folks, Chris is looking forward to meeting you as the Listening Tour continues on. I certainly hope you’re looking forward to meeting with him because he's made it his mission to get there at all costs.
-Campaign Mike
"Chris Lien For Congress has a widget?” you ask. “How does this campaign possess a fictional device used to explain economics to high school and college scholars?”
Well I’m here to tell you that widgets are no longer a non-existent product created by the Acme Company. Like spaceships from science fiction stories becoming a part of reality, the widget has moved from the realm of intangibility to a real life, fully-functional tool used to highlight some of the brightest aspects of the Chris Lien for Congress campaign.
The Chris Lien for Congress widget, which will soon begin appearing across various social media fronts like Facebook, MySpace, the blogosphere, and many other online locations, gives people a chance to easily access some of the features of the innovative Chris Lien for Congress website.
Which features? Go ahead and take a look for yourself below (just click the links that interest you). Personally, I suggest the blog, but that’s mostly because I have the distinct pleasure of writing it. And if you’d rather read the blog stories on a full-sized screen, just click on one of the titles to open a new window.
For those of you that might be apprehensive about using the famously fictional “widget” your first time through, I’ll go ahead and fill you in on its features:
• A link to the “Meet Chris Lien” YouTube video introduction
• A direct, automatically-updating feed to the blog (that you can read straight from the widget)
• A link to the ChrisLien.com website
• An opportunity to donate to the campaign and help Chris give South Dakota the voice in Congress it deserves
Excited yet? Good, because we are too. So click "share" on the widget, link it to any profile, page, or website you can add it to, tell everybody in the world about it, and help spread the word about Chris Lien. We’re doing some fun things, and I hope you are enjoying them as much as I am.
-Campaign Mike
