Postcards from the Edge
There have been a couple of interesting developments these last few days in the Ad wars. Let me quickly summarize.
The John Kerry ad featuring former Democratic Governor Jeanne Shaheen, which had been running regularly on the radio, is now offered as a television ad too. Shaheen is campaigning in person with Kerry, who drew a large and enthusiastic (and surprisingly young) crowd to the Dover Elks hall on Thursday night despite a windchill of about -15.
Wesley Clark and Joe Lieberman are also running radio ads now. Clark also appeared at the Dover Elks earlier in the week to a slightly smaller (and slightly older) crowd. He wasn't serving chili, and didn't have the "Shaheen machine" nor the Firefighters' Union, to help get out the voters. Still, I was struck by how much alike are his personal appearances and ads. Both are dominated by a narrative approach. Clark reveals his views and character mainly by telling stories of his personal history and his experience.
Lieberman, I understand, is scheduled for the Elks hall next week. The importance of that venue is not lost on the candidates who remark on it as the site of Bill Clinton's post "60-Minutes" "Last Dog" speech from 1992. I'm betting Joe will mention it too.
Dennis Kucinich is now running several versions of his "Fear Ends, Hope Begins" ads. Sometimes they come twice within the same break in the news program. (By the way, I think WMUR has actually shortened their news broadcast to make more time for the ads. Ads are showing up on the Boston stations more often too).
John Edwards is running his "2-Governments" ads (one for the special interests, one for the rest of us), while Howard Dean has joined Edwards with the theme of corporate accountability. Dean drew a large crowd this morning in Rochester, also in very frigid weather, and a following of media at least double that attending events of any other candidate.
Dick Gephardt, to my knowledge, is running no ads in the state at the moment. He may have cut his losses here and be aiming at Iowa. He did campaign this morning in my hometown, and drew a modest crowd to an early morning gathering at a local coffee shop. All these candidate events convince me that while ads are useful, most of my fellow New Hampshire voters take this primary business quite seriously, and will not rely simply on what they see on TV ads or hear on the news. There have been candidates in the past ("Steve" Forbes comes to mind) who have tried the media blitz approach without the town meeting, in-person, meet and greet campaigning, and ended up with miserable results (at a cost of millions). At the same time, simply being in the state, without advertising (or without a strong organization on the ground) will be insufficient.
Three other developments are worth mentioning. First, we hear John McCain will be in the state soon stumping for . . . George Bush. There's a fierce competition among the Democrats for many of the Independents who went for McCain last time (to the great regret of Bill Bradley), and it is unlikely that McCain will keep those "unenrolled" voters from going Democratic this time around, especially when the main GOP competition comes from John Rigazio.
Also, Lyndon LaRouche has begun advertising on TV. LaRouche, if you don't know, is a primary regular who checks in every four years from the outer fringes of the Democratic party (some would say from the edge of reality).
And, finally, overheard at several campaign events: discussion of the internet ad competition entitled "Bush in 30-seconds." Voters I spoke to uniformly thought the ads clever, hard hitting, and unlikely ever to be broadcast. If you haven't seen them, take a look. These are not your father's political ads. http://www.bushin30seconds.org/
That edge of reality to
That edge of reality to which the orbit of the LaRouche is taking is a unique singularity that is fundamentally addressing the real issues of the country to which a President must respond if we are to save our Constitutional form of democratic Republic. The Democratic party and News media have allowed the hijacking of our country by an evil crowd, yes an evil crowd, which is being lead by Dick Cheney and the implementation of the foreign policy doctrine he and the chickenhawk neoconservatives have brought into action. this is the premptive warfare doctrine that has lead us into an ever deteriorating condition of assymetrical warfare, the type of which LaRouche has warned of for years. You may snicker at LaRouche, You may blacklist him, but the joke and responsibility for this tragedy runs with those who oppose LaRouche's right to run as a Democrat in the traditon of FDR, to hear his ideas and have the decency to let people decide for themselves. LaRouche is right again. NPR should have the decency to intervies and report on the platform of this major candidate, verified by his strong base of support verified by the FEC. How would Dean fair with no media exposure or a chance to be in a debate.
The DNC and Media are sick as expemplified by the derogatoryand racist attitude towards LaRouche. and his international movement's cause to defend the principles and true mission of this country.
Yes I am proud to support Lyndon LaRouche for the Good of Humanity and this planet.
bruce Marshall
LaRouche is way out on the
LaRouche is way out on the edge of reality, but at least he's inside it, unlike most of the surreal political ideologies that swirl around and the masses who buy the popular opinions that are force fed down their throat. He's blunt, candid, doesn't compromise, and doesn't apologize, which is why he made enemies of the Washington insiders, whom he refused to bow to. Dean should be even more like LaRouche, whom he would do well to learn from. Unlike Dean, LaRouche has a wide following with the underpriveleged, and his economic plans do not include austerity programs to increase people's suffering in order to 'balance the bottom line'. Take a good look at his website www.larouchepub.com, or www.larouchein2004 or www.theacademy.com, for young people, before you accuse HIM of being the one not in reality.
Laurie Dobson
By the way, LaRouche is on
By the way, LaRouche is on the ballot in NH. He is actively campaigning here in his home state--he hails from Rochester, NH. Gephardt, as you say, is not. Nationally, LaRouche has higher numbers of contributors, (as per the FEC data posted on the official website) than does either Gephardt OR Lieberman, who is now getting his THIRD interview, posted today on the home page of NHPR.
What gives? When will you allow this guy, a legitimate popular candidate, at least five minutes of air time? What are you so afraid of, and fear it must be, else why the complete stonewall? What threat does LaRouche represent to you? Or, may I ask, who pulls the strings? Since the DLC presided over run by Lieberman, and he is getting overly strong support on your website, and on the radio, one can only surmise that NPR is controlled by political forces it must bow to.
Keep NH free, and uncorrupted, and allow one of its native sons to speak!
Laurie Dobson
Well, Laurie, I don't work
Well, Laurie, I don't work for NPR, nor for NHPR. I'm offering my own comments on the ads and the campaign, and doing it voluntarily and without pay. So, I don't speak for NPR, and they don't tell me what to say. If you have a beef with them, direct your complaints elsewhere.
If you take the time to read my other posts, you will see that I have been a consistent advocate for the participation of candidates not widely covered by the media. On several instances I have drawn attention to the campaign efforts of candidates in both parties not typically considered among the anointed by the party elite.
As early as 1995 I helped provide a non-partisan internet presence for candididates running in the NH primary, including Billy Joe Clegg, Pat Paulsen, and yes, even Lyndon LaRouche. So, I wish you and Mr. LaRouche no ill.
That said, I will still maintain that the LaRouche message, and his presentation of it, has historically been, and will continue to be dismissed by the average American voter, and will be seen as outside the mainstream not only of the Democratic party, but indeed of popularly held American political opinion.
So, whether you accept it or not, it remains the case that Mr. LaRouche is widely dismissed as a paranoid crank. Perhaps that makes him a prophet, or ahead of his time, or perhaps that makes the rest of us mere dupes, as you imply. But, in practical terms, it makes it very unlikely that he will connect with many voters in a meaningful way. Mr. LaRouche certainly has every right to participate in the campaign, and to offer his views to the American people. But at the same time, the American people have every right not to listen to him.
How does one accuse Larouche
How does one accuse Larouche of being at the edge of reality with a straight face?
I mean, turn on the television, read a newspaper, talk to your neighbor, or look at yourself, and try to find even the slightest trace of reality. I think this entire generation has become a little too drunk on entertainment and insanity to judge who is in reality and who is at the edge. With all of the strange things that people believe today, why point the finger at Larouche?
In the philosophical, economic, and historical sense, Larouche has simply told the truth, which, unfortunately, has become very unpopular. If the truth sounds "out there" then it would seem that one should sober up a little bit from their long held delusions.
In any case, exactly what is it that the other candidates have said that has justified your devotion? I think it has been nothing more than cheap entertainment and salesmanship.
Dave Hobbs
In the 2004 NH Democratic
In the 2004 NH Democratic primary, Lyndon LaRouche got . . . 86 votes (NOTE: not 86 thousand or even 86 hundred, just plain old 86).
Thanks. I'll trust the collective wisdom of the good people of New Hampshire.
It's interesting that in CT,
It's interesting that in CT, a state without computer balloting, and with reasonable exposure to LaRouche's message, due in part to my campaign efforts which raised his visibility statewide, he received 14% of the vote in Bridgeport, CT and 12% in Hartford, CT.
I hold that this candidate has considerable appeal to the disenfranchised, the 'forgotten man'; your contention about reality should not fire your righteous justification for witholding his message to the public at large. When he is given a modicum of exposure, people listen.
Look at how history has regarded those we now think of as our civil rights heroes, our sons of liberty, our founding fathers, our visionaries, even our religious figures. We are kinder now than ever we were when they posed a threat to our collective thought system.
Laurie Dobson