One of the first things to establish is a campaign slogan. All successful politicians fight for something. Good things to fight for are Working Families, Our Children, or better yet Our Children's Future. You can say just about anything while on the campaign trail provided you tie it to Our Children's Future. If your opponent is already using a "fight" slogan, then you should consider "working" for something in yours. Realize that Working for Working Families sounds pretty awkward. Incorporate "fight" in your campaign before your opponent does.

Most successful campaigns make use of the red-white-and-blue color scheme. A stars-and-stripes decor in campaign signs, buttons, banners, and brochures is a nice extension of this principle. If your opponent grabs these colors before you do, you'll be at a significant disadvantage.

Employ as many of the following cliches as possible. Try to use "We" in favor of " I " and "Our" instead of "My". People like to believe that we're all in this together. Always talk about our children even if you don't have any of your own.

This campaign will focus on the issues.

We'll build a bridge to the 21st century.

We'll face the challenges of the new millenium.

We'll grow the economy.

We're going to reform government.

We'll reach across party lines.

We're here to serve the American people.

We'll fight for working families.

We'll empower people.

We'll leave no child behind.

We must put children first.

Our children's future is at stake.

We have to look to the future.

Together, we'll build our future.

Together, we can make America great.

It's still early.

There's still a long way to go in this race.

I've never believed in polls.

What matters is how people vote on Election Day.

Polls don't mean a thing.

Polls are much ado about nothing.

I looked at a poll earlier today and it showed a completely different result.

The polls fail to show who has the momentum.

People will vote with their conscience.

People will vote with their hearts.

If you are going to disagree with your opponent during a debate, be sure to preface your comments with "With all due respect" even if you have no intention of showing any semblance of respect in your rebuttal.

You can deaden an impressive statement your opponent makes by starting your reply with: "The fact of the matter is...". Although his comments may be 100 percent accurate, this subtle remark conveys the impression that he doesn't have his facts straight.

A nice way to summarize a long, meaningless, rambling remark is with the words: "At the end of the day...". This gives the half-asleep audience the impression that you see the "big picture" in a seemingly complex subject.