Candidate’s News Release Is Pure Spin
BY BUDDY NEVINS
I never shined in math class.
Still, I don’t need to be a math genius to be skeptical about the latest claim in a news release from Chad Klitzman, candidate for Broward Supervisor of Elections.
It turns out I was right. The news release is misleading.
Chad Klitzman
Here is what his release dated May 27 says:
“I have personally called nearly 20,000 voters over the last two months, and I expect to communicate with ten times that amount through this program.”
The figures leaped out at me having read literally thousands of news releases. They were too large. They set off my reporter’s B. S. Detector.
That wording leaves the impression that Klitzman talked to nearly 20,000 voters. To communicate is defined as exchanging information with another.
Yet Klitzman now concedes he never reached or communicated with anywhere near 20,000.
When pressed by Browardbeat, Klitzman acknowledged that although he called 20,000, he reached far fewer. There were people who “moved away, people who refuse, wrong numbers, etc. He said a political pitch call “typically” reaches about 20 percent of those called. “Because so many people are home right now, the response rate is definitely higher than it otherwise would be,” he said.
He didn’t say what was his success rate.
Even if he meant he only called 20,000, that number appears suspicious. To be accurate it would have required Klitzman to make 333 calls every day over two months, taking no days off. He told Browardbeat he called between 300-400 voters daily. This total was reached, he said, because he largely stayed home because of the virus.
Let’s say he did make all those calls. Let’s say he got carpel tunnel syndrome from pushing all those phone buttons. It still wouldn’t make the 20,000 figure meaningful.
He left the impression he had communicated with those voters.
So the 20,000 in his news release is an illusion, designed to spin his campaign as having momentum. He actually reached and pitched far fewer voters. The bulk of the calls were meaningless because he reached dead air.
Klitzman doesn’t need such a misleading narrative. By his own count, he may have reached and talked to 4,000 or 6,000 voters. That’s a notable number and still would indicate that the 26-years-old has a lot of energy he would bring to the job.
Puffery may work in Hollywood, where Klitzman once wrote a movie for Netflix. He should aspire to more as a candidate for Broward’s election chief.
Klitzman is one of five Democrats running for Broward’s elections chief. The others are Ruth Carter-Lynch, a Democratic activist; Mitchell “Mitch” Ceasar, a lawyer and former leader of the county’s Democrats; Timothy Lonergan, an Oakland Park Commissioner and insurance company operations specialist and Bamon Joevahn Scott, an Iraq veteran who won the Bronze Star and also has a business degree. The one Republican hopeful is Catherine Seei McBreen.
May 28th, 2020 at 11:58 am
Why do we have COLLEGE graduates who cant read write or add n subtract OR EVEN TELL THE TRITH about the foregoing? This person is what I find when I interviee younger people today
May 28th, 2020 at 2:27 pm
26? Much too young to administer a giant bureaucracy where every person knows more than you. Too young! TOO YOUNG!
May 28th, 2020 at 3:08 pm
Forget about running for SOE supervisor.I say open a Jewish deli w/ your looks.
May 28th, 2020 at 4:11 pm
@THE TRUTH – Shame on you for discounting his eligibility and candidacy based on his age. Our nation is run by a bunch of people who should be playing shuffle board at King’s Point, and look where that got us! His age isn’t the issue. His “puffery,” as Buddy says, is.
May 28th, 2020 at 5:12 pm
He said he called 20,000 people. Just because he didn’t reach all of them doesn’t mean he didn’t call them.
May 28th, 2020 at 7:22 pm
Timothy Lonergan. A very good choice. He is smart. He listens to people and he is actually an okay person even though he is a politician.
May 29th, 2020 at 3:36 pm
#5 is correct: “He said he called 20,000 people. Just because he didn’t reach all of them doesn’t mean he didn’t call them.”
This race is shaping up as Chad Klitzman vs. Mitch Ceasar and the 4 dwarves (Carter-Lynch, Lonergan, McBreen and Scott).
Mitch Ceasar has a long and difficult history and has been the subject of many Broward Beat articles. Not voting for him, nor any of the dwarves.
Chad Klitzman is very smart and highly competent. Chad will do a great job.
May 29th, 2020 at 7:43 pm
he should join the list of clowns running for sheriff
May 30th, 2020 at 2:35 pm
So, we have a President with zero experience running this country into the ground …
And Chet, besides writing a script…what do you think he’s done to be put in charge?
I have good ideas … I have fucking great ideas … Having good ideas doesn’t mean I should be in charge.
May 30th, 2020 at 11:58 pm
This article is pure spin. He stated he “personally called” nearly 20,000 voters. You are basically acknowledging he did that. What you are taking issue with is something he did not claim … that he “spoke” or “reached” 20,000 voters. So where is the puffery? And in terms of reaching ten times that amount, you fail to even acknowledge that same news release mentions he just brought on a team of 70 interns. For a Supervisor of Elections campaign.
Very disturbing that given everything going on in the world right now, you have nothing better to complain about than an energetic candidate taking the time to connect with voters.
May 31st, 2020 at 1:37 pm
70 interns? The dude is 26 … he’s been barely out of internship for 18 months himself.
Look at his resume … tell me the one thing that conveys, “yeah, he’s ready for the top job.”
May 31st, 2020 at 1:39 pm
Mitch has decades of experience…
Look around … the fucking Amish have taken to the streets in protest.
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/1526818.html
Do you really want some barrista at the helm?
May 31st, 2020 at 6:56 pm
Chad is an amazing guy! He takes time to talk to as many voters as he can and that should be admired.
May 31st, 2020 at 6:59 pm
He has over 60 interns work for him that’s how he can reach his calls. He’s a dedicated candidate, there were no articles sited in this article for it to be credible.
FROM BUDDY:
He reiterated to me that he had reached 20,000. Not interns, although he does say he has many, many interns who will be reaching out to voters in the future.
May 31st, 2020 at 7:02 pm
I admire the hard work. I don’t see the issue
May 31st, 2020 at 7:05 pm
Wow!! He has already reached out to 20,000 voters. How many voters have the other 4 contacted collectively? Probably less than 20k.
In today’s America I’d love to see us having more confidence in our elections system. Chad seems dedicated to making that happen.
May 31st, 2020 at 7:09 pm
Goodness – this is an important election and, rather than discussing candidates’platforms, you’ve decided to complain about Chad’s voter outreach? I cannot believe that people don’t know the difference between “called” and “reached” or “talked to.” Your article does nothing to dispel Chad’s claimed numbers; in fact, this makes me think he’s leading an incredibly effective campaign.
FROM BUDDY:
I try to deconstruct news releases and other pronouncements that come from a campaign. After years of reading releases, I take nothing for face value.
This Klitzman news release was designed to create an impression that he was leading “an incredibly effect campaign.” It is total spin, as all news releases tend to be. We will find out if he is leading an effect campaign after the votes are counted in the August primary.
May 31st, 2020 at 7:13 pm
Thank you for your attempt to bring context in a world where misinformation is often present. But Chad is an honest and energetic candidate who is trying so hard to connect with his community and he represents the change that Broward County elections needs. He personally visited every elections office in FL to research best practices–that really says something about his commitment to his county. Please keep that in mind when you read about him.
FROM BUDDY:
Thank you for your comment. Chad indeed is an energetic candidate who says he visited every Supervisor of Election office in Florida.
May 31st, 2020 at 7:14 pm
To address an earlier comment, youth does not equal inexperience, especially in Chad’s case. Before 30, he has already established himself as a fantastic attorney and public servant. I’m tired of the seeing new candidates that are not 20+ political insiders torn down and diminished because they are trying to bring some new energy and ideas to our county, and this article is a prime example of that.
This article cherry-picks and overanalyzes a simple (and correct, might I add) statement from Chad, and for what reason exactly.
May 31st, 2020 at 7:20 pm
I think it would be better to judge a candidate on his positions and experience rather than his “puffery”. I didn’t think much of Chad when I first saw him, but his passion and dedication intrigued me. I would encourage all to look at his website and make your own judgment of his platform and character.
May 31st, 2020 at 7:29 pm
The issue with this article is that Chad has said that he ‘personally called’ nearly 20,000 individuals. He did not openly claim that had reached that exact amount.
Additionally, it sounds as though many have an issue with his age or his background in media. That should not be an issue at all. For one, age has nothing to do with one’s experience; and two, having an experience in both media and politics should be something that qualifies him.
I think instead of just looking at the numbers, one should also look at the bigger picture. @Give Me A Break is right. Aspects such as Chad recruiting 70 interns for his campaign and his impact on the community is something one must acknowledge, too.
FROM BUDDY:
Dear Mr. Anonymous.
Klitzman clearly implied he had “communicated” with 20,000 by using the clause in the same sentence, “I expect to communicate with ten times that amount through this program.”
The idea that age has nothing to do with experience is ridiculous. Experience by definition is “knowledge or skill acquired by experience over a period of time, especially that gained in a particular profession by someone at work.” Look it up, Mr. Anonymous.
Unfortunately, I don’t see anything in his background that would train him for managing a $20 million-plus budget, roughly 75 employees and thousands of volunteers. That doesn’t mean if elected he won’t rise to the occasion.
This is an important job. The eyes of the nation’s media will be on Broward County in any election once again. Voters need to chose somebody who can supervise a huge office, handle the media and pry the necessary resources from the County Commission and state.
June 1st, 2020 at 12:00 pm
Having attended one of the candidate forums for Supervisor of Elections, I can tell you Chad was the only candidate prepared to take on the job. I met multiple people who walked into the room thinking they were voting for someone else based on “experience” and walked out of the room excited to vote for Chad. The history of this office demonstrates that “experience” doesn’t translate into effectiveness.
He has ideas. He has the smarts without being smug about it. He has done his homework. He also has some amazing endorsements, including the Obama cabinet secretary responsible for elections.
We need more people like Chad to run for office in Broward and serve as a role model for others. He is actually from here and went to our public schools and is now inspiring other young people to get engaged. Great story.
June 1st, 2020 at 4:31 pm
#22 ‘Give me a break’ sounds like a political consultant’s spiel without substsnce or context. The youth that stay in Broward who get jobs are Whites with political connections or family businesses here or minorities. Neither group woukd use this candidate as a role model
June 1st, 2020 at 5:10 pm
>> Before 30, he has already established himself as a fantastic attorney and public servant.
Show us the receipts.
Links to cases, articles, briefs, court docs … let everyone be a judge of that.
June 10th, 2020 at 10:42 am
I’m undecided in this race. However, I want to point out that Mr. Klitzman has traveled the state and visited many offices of county Supervisors of Elections.
That alone brings more knowledge about election administration than any other candidate.
Consider this – no Supervisor of Elections in recent Broward County history (Jane Carroll, Miriam Oliphant, Brenda Snipes) had
any experience in conducting elections prior to taking office.
The only one of those that had political experience was Miriam Oliphant.
Need I say more?
July 2nd, 2020 at 3:46 pm
Buddy — your readers are overlooking the point at hand.
Let me explain myself.
Pay attention to this —
https://floridapolitics.com/archives/339916-klitzman-hires-pollara
I think this deserves a considerable — albeit SHORT — elaboration either me on video or just writing out the reality here.
Keep in mind — I come from five years at VNU in Coral Springs Business Park –VNU and Nielsen — does more polling and public opinion surveying than anyone.
That means I know A LOT about market research and direct response advertising for sales.
I see a young attorney looking to capitalize on his surname and private sexual preference as a person like anyone else. In order to “wet his feet” in Broward politics.
Supervisor of Elections is just enough to get one’s name familiar to the voter population.
No attorney 30 years-old really wants to supervise elections.
Now pay attention commenters —
He turns around and hires this moron “consultant.” Why? Because of her “reputation” for “LGBTQ political interests.” whatever that means.
That is a made-up phrase designed to lure voters or engage the public.
In the direct response polling / phone call surveying world — something I did for years –this is known as “list rental.”
It works like this.
This woman, Pollara, has a donor, voter, influencer list. Either in a spreadsheet or via social media pages.
Hiring her to “communicate to that list — in favor of her new client. Is saying, “Hey — remember me from Buttigieg’s campaign in the Democratic primaries?”
I am Jerry Maguire. I am Mister Black People.” (Film Director Cameron Crowe, TriStar Pictures 1996)
“I am Miss LGBTQ People. Share my social media so I can get this new guy — based on his personal business / personal life sexual orientation — voted into Broward politics.”
It’s called hiring someone with a list to get voter turn-out based on nothing really to do with election supervising or the scope of work.
Just hire someone who “specializes” in a category of voters — a specific voting demographic.
Keep in mind one thing too.
I do not have the knowledge to prove or disprove this candidate’s polling 20,000 voters from the VAN or some other demographic database rented or used or — sometimes younger people can buy a poll via social media follower-lists.
BUT — At VNU Nielsen… Let’s assume I had statistically ONE person willing to answer my survey questions out of every 26 dialed.
I performed about 2 to 3 “polls” for every four hour shift.
Calculate how much time and phone dials this candidate would have to allocate to garner that sum of respondents.
And keep in mind, VNU Nielsen, aside from Gallup — is biggest in the world at calling John Q Public and polling them on various topics.
Extraordinarily time consuming.
Does it matter? The MECHANISM by which the voters were polled? Not to me.
BUT — Stereo-typing LGBTQ people, or white people, or guys named Corey with long hair and blue eyes and an attitude — into a GROUP.
BY hiring a “consultant” who re-purposes a donor/supporter/influential person list based on a special characteristic.
Does not impress me.
Welcome to moron Broward politics.
Maybe this election cycle — if people try hard enough — we can make national news for Miami-Dade and Broward having a competition for “most voters — even in NON-partsian elections — who vote based on the WRONG factors because they learned to by some social media in a nice suit.”
Corey Weiner —
July 2nd, 2020 at 10:59 pm
Sounds like he is ready to count votes!
July 3rd, 2020 at 3:08 pm
Buddy: Looks like you’re not very good at reading the calendar — re-posting this story from the end of May and dating it June 28 instead. Look at the dates of the comments.
Smacks of a personal animus to regurgitate this now. Come clean, do you have a reason to recycle your commentary now?