Chris Lien for Congress

Time for Q&A: At home or online

From the sounds of things, a lot of you did a fantastic job with the suggestions from Day 8 of the Chris Lien for Congress 43 Day Plan (and if you’re not sure what I’m talking about, click here), so we appreciate it. However, we don’t have to time to relax yet! We only have 35 days to go until the election, so check out what you can do to help today.

First of all, one thing we’d love to see more of is YOUR personal interaction with this campaign and Chris, specifically. One way to get more of that interaction is through this blog, because today’s 43 Day Plan idea for you is to post questions to Chris or the campaign on the campaign blog (which you’re currently reading). You can ask anything and the comments are open, so just leave a comment and either we or Chris will try to answer it as quickly as we can.

That was the suggestion for the “Solid Foundations Group,” but we’ve got an even bigger and deeper-impacting idea for those of you willing to take the step up to “Summit Club” status. What is the plan, you ask? Find 30 or more neighbors and friends and offer to host a Chris Lien Meet and Greet. With only 35 days to go, Chris needs to get to know as many people as he can, and a meet and greet is the perfect place to make that happen.

If you feel like hosting a Meet and Greet is something you’d be willing to consider, e-mail me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com and we will work to make this happen. We just had a fantastic event at the home of John and Sherry Archer in Sioux Falls, and I think everyone who was there would agree that it was a great turnout, a fun time, and is certainly something worth hosting if you are willing. We'd like to give a big thanks to John and Sherry, and hopefully other folks will be interested in hosting a Meet and Greet as well.

So there you go, Day 9 of the 43 Day Plan. These days are just flying by for us, so the more YOU can do to help, the more success we will have on November 4th. Don’t forget to send me your examples of 43 Day Plan success as well as any questions or concerns you may have by e-mailing me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com.

Hope to hear from you soon!

-Campaign Mike

Make YOUR voice heard!

Hey everybody. Hopefully you were able to liven up your Monday with yesterday’s 43 Day Plan suggestions (if not, click here to find out what you can do), but we’ve got more for you today on this fine Tuesday with only 36 days until Election Day.

Let’s get right into today’s 43 Day Plan objectives and get this ball rolling. The first suggestion we have for you today is to send a letter to your local newspaper encouraging voters to “take a look” at first-time candidate Chris Lien. Imagine the impact we could have if local newspapers across the state ran those letters in a short time frame and got people interested in Chris Lien and this campaign with 36 more days to learn even more (as well as get involved in the 43 Day Plan).

Now, if you’d like to take a step up and give today’s “Summit Club” suggestion a try (as we strongly encourage you to do), the plan for today is to hand out 5 Chris Lien brochures. Not sure where to get a Chris Lien brochure? You can stop by our offices in Sioux Falls or Rapid City (contact info can be found here), or you can stop by your local Republican Victory Office and pick them up there. After that, pass the brochures out to 5 people. It can be people on your block, people on the sidewalk, or people coming into your office or business, so don’t be afraid to help voters get to know Chris before the November election.

There you have it. The “Solid Foundations Group” and “Summit Club” suggestions are ready and waiting for your generous efforts, so thanks for what you’re doing and keep up the good work. While you’re at it, don’t forget to e-mail your thoughts, accomplishments, achievements, and questions to me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com. And send any pictures you may wish to share while you’re at it, because I’ll be happy to post them up on our blog as they come in!

Until then, check back in for more of the 43 Day Plan to see what you can do to make a difference for this campaign.

-Campaign Mike

Lien Machine parade footage and a weekend update!

While I know how much you’re all enjoying the 43 Day Plan posts we’ve been putting up throughout the last week (and next 37 days), we here at Chris Lien for Congress want to let you in on what else we’ve been up to over the weekend. We had a few parades and events to attend and they were a blast. Don’t believe me? Read up (and watch the videos) and you’ll see I'm not kidding.

On Friday, Drew and I kicked off another early weekend at the West Central Homecoming Parade in Hartford. The parade was awesome, with tons of kids lining the streets and tons of candy to toss out to them (courtesy of District 9 State House candidate Deb Peters). We also got to pull her sign-covered trailer with the Lien Machine, making for a stellar parade vehicle collaboration. I could keep on rambling, but it might just be easier to let you watch the parade video we shot throughout the day. Check out the clips below!

But the West Central Homecoming Parade wasn’t the only parade on the agenda for the weekend! We also headed out to Madison for the Dakota State University Trojan Days Parade. Chris and Hugh joined us for that parade and with Hugh at the wheel, Chris greeting people along the parade route, and Drew and I mastering our candy-tossing skills, I’d say the parade was quite a success. Hopefully everybody there enjoyed it as much as we did.

From there, Drew, Chris, and I made the always-pleasant drive to Huron for a Meet and Greet that coincided with the South Dakota Federation of Republican Women’s state convention. I’d say the Meet and Greet went as well as we could have asked, and we’ll have plenty of pictures from the event displayed at the end of this post. We’d love to thank everybody who helped with and attended the event and stuck around to hear Chris speak at the Republican Women’s dinner.

Although we took a break to catch our breath on Sunday, we’re back on the grind again today, and I’ll fill you in with the details as we go. Want to know what else you can do to help? Check out the Chris Lien for Congress 43 Day Plan by clicking here and you’ll find plenty of activities to help make Chris’s journey to Congress a successful one!

Don’t forget about the pictures from the dinner and Meet and Greet below, and check back soon for more campaign information!

-Campaign Mike

 

 

 

 

Making connections with 37 days to go!

Ok folks, I understand how much you want to participate in the Chris Lien for Congress 43 Day Plan, so we’ve decided to keep going with our daily suggestions. Sometimes the best place to start is simply hearing some ideas on how to help, so we have got a few strategies for you to try and take on today.

For people making a difference on the “Solid Foundations Group” tier of the 43 Day Plan, the suggestion involves you taking some time to scope out your neighborhood (or anywhere else) and find 3 yard sign locations for the campaign. Once you’ve done that, e-mail me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com and we will make sure those places get some yard signs.

As a side note, if you happen to have a Facebook profile, MySpace page, or Twitter account, you are a prime time candidate for today’s “Summit Club” activity. All we’re asking you to do is become a Facebook/MySpace/Twitter “friend” of Chris Lien’s page or profile. Not sure where to find those links? Try these: Facebook – (click here), MySpace – (click here), and Twitter – (click here). From there, you’ll receive campaign updates and info, as well as some of the more personal thoughts from Chris via his Twitter feed. And while we're at it, go ahead and subscribe to his YouTube channel (by clicking here) and you'll be able to to keep up with the newest campaign videos.

So, it’s a fresh start to the week and there are plenty of things to do. I sincerely hope you’ll take the time to help us by accomplishing these goals from the 43 Day Plan. If you keep working hard for the next 37 days, I can personally promise you that we will do the same. Thanks for everything so far, and keep up the good work!

-Campaign Mike

Lookin' great with 38 to go!

It’s Day 6 of the Chris Lien for Congress 43 Day Plan and there’s no slowin’ down this Lien Machine! Hopefully you were able to handle the assortment of 5’s from yesterday’s Day 5 suggestions. Not sure what I’m talking about? Click here to catch up with where we’re at in the 43 Day Plan.

And now that everybody is caught up, let’s get back to the “no slowin’ down this Lien Machine” part and fire up today’s “Solid Foundations Group” and “Summit Club” suggestions. We’ve only got 38 days to go, so help us make sure that every one of them is successful for Chris and this campaign.

How can you help? Well, for those of you making a difference with the “Solid Foundations Group” suggestions, we’re asking you to forward the Argus Leader’s Editorial Board article with Chris to 5 people (the 5 is just so appealing, we decided to stick with it). The link for that article can be found here – http://tinyurl.com/4mt5jq – and all we’re asking you to do is send that link to 5 different people. We’ll probably send a few ourselves as well, so the more people who are able to see Chris’s interview, the better.

And for those of you willing to take the extra step and work on our “Summit Club” suggestions, we’ve got a job that will catch people’s eyes from now until November. All you need to do is put a Chris Lien for Congress bumper sticker on your car, truck, bike, or whatever else you may drive. We’ve got plenty of them in our Sioux Falls and Rapid City offices, so feel free to stop by and take some of those. Or, you can stop in at your nearest Republican Victory Office and they should have a strong supply of them as well (at least, until the thousands (or millions) of people who read this blog go to get their hands on a bumper sticker).

Already have a bumper sticker on your car? Great! And if you still want to help, we would encourage you to get a bumper sticker for a friend (just don’t put it on their car without his or her permission). Not sure if you know someone who would want a bumper sticker? Go ahead and take on today’s “Solid Foundations Group” suggestion by forwarding Chris’s Argus Leader Editorial Board interview to 5 people.

Don’t forget, we still want to see your handiwork in the 43 Day Plan, so send any comments, thoughts, suggestions, or pictures to mike@chrislienforcongress.com and we will get them posted up on the blog. The more people see how easy it is to help with the 43 Day Plan, the more others will be encouraged to participate. This effort (and this campaign in general) can’t work without you, so if you keep working hard, I can promise you that we will too.

-Campaign Mike

P.S. - Here is the contact info for the Republican Victory offices so you can go pick up your Chris Lien bumper sticker(s)!

Aberdeen        (605) 725-3115          101 S. Main, Aberdeen, SD 57401      
Brookings        (605) 692-4002         1027 Main Ave. South, Brookings, SD 57006      
Huron             (605) 554-0407          375 Dakota Avenue South, Suite 108, Huron, SD       
Mitchell           (605) 990-8683         400 N. Main, Suite 106, Mitchell, SD 57301      
Rapid City       (605) 716-7025         1331 West Main St, Rapid City      
Sioux Falls       (605) 274-6400         2127 S. Minnesota Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105      
Spearfish         (605) 722-4390        1230 North Avenue, Spearfish, SD       
Watertown      (605) 753-7057         201 E. Kemp, Watertown, SD 57201

High-5 for Day 5 of the 43 Day Plan!

It’s Day 5 of the 43 Day Plan and we decided to make today’s suggestions easy for you by sticking with the “5” theme. First of all, if you’re not familiar with the 43 Day Plan, click here to get an idea of how it works.

Now, everyone who is familiar with the plan, here’s the agenda for this fine Saturday.

For those of you keeping up with the “Solid Foundations Group,” all we’re asking you to do is Text or e-mail “Check out ChrisLien.com” to 5 friends. See how we did that, with the "5" and it being Day 5 of the 43 Day Plan? Pretty smooth, if you ask me.

But don’t worry “Summit Club” supporters, we haven’t left you five-less for the day. This suggestion will take a little bit of work on your part, but you’ll have 24 days to accomplish it, so we’ve got plenty of faith in you to handle it. The objective? Register 5 new voters before October 20.

Not entirely sure on how to best accomplish that one? One way to start is by encouraging people to vote using this link - http://tinyurl.com/3lnbon. That link takes you to the “Register to Vote” section of the Chris Lien for Congress website. Another option is checking out our earlier blog post full of information on how to register to vote (and vote early or absentee) by clicking here.

So there you have it folks! A set of 5’s for Day 5 of the 43 Day Plan. Of course, we fully encourage you to go for 10, 15, 20 or any other multiple of 5 for any of our suggestions of the day. It’s up to you, but we certainly don’t mind when people go above and beyond our 43 Day Plan suggestions.

Also, to show our appreciation of your efforts, we came up with an idea for how you can show off your talents as “Solid Foundations Group” and “Summit Club” members. To see how you can get the recognition you’ve earned and you deserve, click here.

So, let us know how the 43 Day Plan is going on your end and, if you have any questions, e-mail me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com. Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing the results of the Day 5 activities!

-Campaign Mike

Recognizing the most important campaign elements - YOU!

Good news everybody! We're now 4 days into the 43 Day Plan and, from the feedback we’ve gotten, it sounds like everyone is doing a great job of keeping up with the “Solid Foundations Group” and “Summit Club” ideas and suggestions.

Now, we realize that you guys are putting in a lot of effort for the 43 Day Plan, and we don't want you to feel like it isn't appreciated, so we're going to feature some special blog posts that highlight some of the efforts you awesome supporters have already put forth.

All we need is for you to submit pictures and stories of all the great things you're doing by e-mailing them to me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com.

Did you put five Chris Lien posters out for Day 3's Bulletin Board Blitz? Take some pictures and let us see your handiwork (be sure to include your name and community).

Did you encourage three people on your block to put up Chris Lien yard signs? Let us know by taking pictures of the yards and sending them in (with your neighbors’ permission of course). Or, feel free to send us a picture of your yard with a sign or two on proud display.

Did you call into a radio talk show today and encourage listeners to vote early or absentee for Chris Lien (as suggested in today’s Summit Club activity)? Drop us a line and let us know how it went. Who knows? It may inspire others to else to realize it’s easier than it sounds.

No matter what, we're happy to share your achievements and thoughts if you're happy to have them shared. Plus, it’ll keep people from getting tired of hearing my thoughts all the time, so you’ll actually be helping me out too.

As I mentioned a few days ago, the 43 Day Plan is a two-way street, and we want you guys to understand how much we appreciate your efforts. Just drop me a line at mike@chrislienforcongress.com and let me know what you've been up to. And don’t forget to e-mail me if you have any other questions.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you all soon!

-Campaign Mike

The Lien Machine crew takes a weekend off? No chance!

Hey guys! I just found this post that I had meant to get up on the blog a few weeks ago, but it's a better-late-than-never type of post, so we'll go ahead and post it up now. Sorry for the delay.

Anyway, I’m sure you know what to expect by now. You’re probably thinking that I’m going to be writing yet another post about the Lien Machine crew’s jam-packed, busy weekend chock-full of events and festivities in the great state of South Dakota.

Well I’ve got news for you if that’s what you think – you have clearly been keeping up with this blog! We DID, in fact, have a jam-packed and busy weekend (Sept. 12-14) chock-full of events and festivities in the great state of South Dakota.

For starters, Drew, myself, and a few other Lien Machine volunteers kicked off the weekend a little early as we celebrated the Elk Point Homecoming Parade on Friday afternoon. Not only was the parade an awesome one, but it was so awesome, in fact, that we decided to drive through a second time! Thanks to the people of Elk Point and the various volunteers that helped out as well. It was certainly a fun afternoon.

On Saturday I decided not to slow down one bit and headed over to meet with Chris Bohlen for the President’s Bowl at Howard Wood Field. The Sioux Falls high school football fans had the parking lots filled to capacity (or close to it) and we were there to show off the Lien Machine, hand out information about Mr. Lien, and enjoy an awesome day full of excited fans and exciting football. We’d also like to thank the Sioux Falls Republican Victory Office for its hard work at the President’s Bowl (and State House candidate Todd Schlekeway for the free ice cream bars!).

Then, on Sunday, Drew and I loaded up in the Lien Machine yet again and headed toward Drew’s stomping grounds of Vermillion for a Clay County Republicans meet and greet. Meet and greet we did as we were able to speak with a good group of Clay County residents and also dropped off yard signs and other campaign materials with the USD College Republicans. While any trip to Vermillion could be considered a good one, I was particularly happy with the trip on Sunday, so a big thanks goes out to Donna Schafer and the Clay County Republicans for hosting the event!

So…another busy weekend, and another great chance to see the always-enjoyable people of South Dakota. I love this job!

By the way, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or campaign needs, e-mail info@chrislienforcongress.com and let us know how we can be of service!

-Campaign Mike

With only 40 days left, how can YOU help? Try the 43 Day Plan!

Alright everybody, we are going to keep rockin’ and rollin’ with Day 4 of the Chris Lien for Congress 43 Day Plan. Here are today’s suggestions, and although I think one may be a little easier than the other, both ideas can have an immediately positive impact for this campaign so don't be afraid to give both a try.

For those of you keeping up with the “Solid Foundations Group” suggestions, here’s the plan: Put a Chris Lien sign in your yard. That’s it. Just show your support to your neighborhood and community by making sure you’ve got a Chris Lien yard sign proudly displayed in your front lawn.

These signs can be acquired by stopping in at your nearest Republican Victory Office (locations listed at the end of this post) or, if a Victory Office isn’t quite close enough, you can e-mail us at info@chrislienforcongress.com and we will help you get your hands on one as soon as possible.

Now, quite a few of you may have already picked up a sign (or two) for your front yard, in which case we are certainly appreciative. However, we don’t want you to feel left out of the 43 Day Plan activities, so we have two alternatives for you if you’ve already got a sign in your yard.

1) Find one person or a few people who might want Chris Lien signs in their yards and help them get their hands on those signs as soon as possible.

2) Participate in today’s “Summit Club” suggestion by calling a radio talk show and encouraging people to vote early or absentee for Chris Lien (information on your local radio shows can be found by clicking here). We know this isn’t the type of task for everyone, but that’s the reason we created the “Summit Club.” It takes a special kind of person to call into a radio show and encourage others to vote early or absentee for a political candidate, but with a great candidate like Chris it can’t be too difficult, right?

So there you have it. Today’s 43 Day Plan suggestions are ready and waiting for your eager efforts. We hope you'll take the time to participate in the “Solid Foundations Group” or “Summit Club” activity for the day. Better yet, give both a try!

Any questions? E-mail me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com. Any comments or suggestions? E-mail me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com. Any overwhelming words of praise and encouragement? Definitely e-mail me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com. I’m here to make this plan as efficient as possible, so please don’t hesitate to contact me.

And, before I forget, here are those Republican Victory Office locations and the contact info for each:

Aberdeen        (605) 725-3115          101 S. Main, Aberdeen, SD 57401      
Brookings        (605) 692-4002         1027 Main Ave. South, Brookings, SD 57006      
Huron             (605) 554-0407          375 Dakota Avenue South, Suite 108, Huron, SD       
Mitchell           (605) 990-8683         400 N. Main, Suite 106, Mitchell, SD 57301      
Rapid City       (605) 716-7025         1331 West Main St, Rapid City      
Sioux Falls       (605) 274-6400         2127 S. Minnesota Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57105      
Spearfish         (605) 722-4390        1230 North Avenue, Spearfish, SD       
Watertown      (605) 753-7057         201 E. Kemp, Watertown, SD 57201    

Good luck with the sign-placement and radio show calls!

-Campaign Mike

The plan for Day 3: Word-of-mouth and Bulletin Board Blitzing

Alright I’m sure by now you’ve had a chance to learn about the Chris Lien for Congress 43 Day Plan, but if you haven’t, click here to find out more (but be sure to come back and check up on today’s suggestions when you’re done).

And just what are today’s suggestions?

Well, for those of you who are working hard within the “Solid Foundations Group” ideas, we’ve got a task that only takes a little bit of time and effort but can end up making a big difference in the long run. All we’re asking you to do is tell one friend about Chris Lien. Although you are welcome to tell anyone you please (and as many people as you please), it would be great if you told someone who hasn’t had a chance to learn about Chris Lien and his journey to become South Dakota’s U.S. Congressman (and while you’re at it, feel free to tell them about how much you enjoy reading the campaign blog too).

Now, if you’d like to have some fun in a creative, constructive, and productive way, have we got a “Summit Club” suggestion for you! It’s called a Bulletin Board Attack and we’ll need you to be a driving force in making it a success. Here’s the plan: every town and city in the state of South Dakota has a particular place to advertise that is absolutely free -- the town bulletin boards. You see them all the time in grocery stores, libraries, gyms and cafes, and they are an excellent opportunity for you to help us get the word out about Chris Lien! All we are asking is that you print this PDF (click here) and post it in as many public places as you can. For extra credit, ask friendly business folks if they would mind you posting a sign in their business. The worst they can say is no!

If you can handle either (or both) of those suggestions from the 43 Day Plan, you will be making a huge difference in the success of this Chris Lien for Congress campaign. The only way this plan will work is through the efforts of you folks, so keep working hard and we promise that we’ll keep doing the same.

Again, if you have ANY questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at mike@chrislienforcongress.com and I will be more than happy to answer those questions as quickly as possible. And while we’re at it, if you have any suggestions for 43 Day Plan activities or ideas, we are more than happy to take those into consideration. Although we’ve got a plan in place, we’re always ready to incorporate new ideas. This campaign is a two-way street and your suggestions could end up being just the boost we need to strongly cross the finish line. Thanks for your help so far and let’s keep this Lien Machine rolling along!

-Campaign Mike