Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Republican Convention letters
Here's the latest from the Kerry/Edwards Media Corps
Your Assignment:
From supporting the outsourcing of American jobs to turning surpluses into record deficits to putting the interests of HMOs and drug companies over the interests of patients and families, President Bush has turned away from the middle class and the American dream.
The Republican National Convention starts today. Write a letter before Wednesday and submit it to your local newspapers so that it will be timely. Tell your community that the Bush's economic record in OH speaks for itself -- the Bush economy is bad for OH's middle-class.
Everything you need is in this email. To increase the likelihood of you getting published, write your letter in response to an article on the economy published in your local newspaper.
Statistics on Ohio's Bush economy and other info are below.
Go to OhioTalkingPoints.com for links to Ohio and national newspapers.
When you're done, report back to the Media Corps and post a copy of your letter at the OhioTalkingPoints.com Big Board.
P.S. To get a sense of how this assignment ties in to the broader political context, check out these articles recently published on the economy. The Las Vegas Sun published "Job slump tied to cost of health care" and The Arizona Republic led with this article about the economy, "More in U.S. live in poverty."
Perhaps more useful are articles from Ohio papers about the economy. Use these as springboards for your letters. Mention each newspaper's particular article in your letter to its editor--it'll be more likely to be printed.
Columbus Dispatch: "Poverty plight worsens in Ohio"
Cleveland Plain Dealer: "Cleveland No.1 in big-city poverty" and Sunday editorial, "The capital of need"
Cincinnati Post: "Census: 170,000 Ohio jobs lost"
Dayton Daily News: "Poverty and Insurance data provide presidential political fodder"
Toledo Blade: "Poverty rate rises for local children"
Or pick an Ohio paper from this list. Chances are it had an article on August 27 about the Census Bureau's report on income and poverty statistics.
Download the DNC's "Mission Not Accomplished" talking points sheet for Ohio.
Ohio's Bush Economy:
Since Bush took office:
* 114,000 people in Ohio have lost their health insurance.
* 170,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost in Ohio since Bush took office.
* The average wages for growing industries in Ohio pay $11,869 less than in contracting industries.
* Ohio family health insurance premiums increased by an estimated $2,704 to $9,300.
* College tuition has increased by $2,026 at Ohio's four-year public universities.
* Bankruptcy skyrocketed as 116,615 Ohio households filed for bankruptcy in 2003, a 68% increase from 2000.
* Child care costs increased by $2,050 to $12,910 for an Ohio family with two children under age 5 in full-time daycare.
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
More Dispatch on Swift Vets
It was a good day for us in the Columbus Dispatch, with two separate editorials, both of which basically bashed the Smear Vets.
"Reasonable suspicions remain"?!! By whose standards?
War and remembrance: `Truth squad' fails to discredit Kerry's service in Vietnam
and
Refighting an old war: Critical issues ignored as rabid partisans distort the presidential campaign
Now there are still some problems. The second editorial, in an effort to be "even-handed," makes some appalling statements like:
President Bush's Vietnam-era military service, too, was questioned earlier in the campaign. Did he fulfill his duties in the National Guard? The records say he did, but reasonable suspicions remain. Did Kerry merit his medals? The records say he did, but reasonable suspicions remain.
"Reasonable suspicions remain"?!! By whose standards?
Oh, well, at least two of us on the Ohio letter-writing team were published on the same page! My letter on prescription drug importation and Mike Houlahan's letter criticizing Bush's troop redeployment plan. A two-fer!
Tuesday, August 24, 2004
fnord
Another test
Monday, August 23, 2004
Dispatch on the Swift Vets
I don't know that the editorial board has weighed in yet, but the Columbus Dispatch's senior editor, Joe Hallett, had a devastating commentary featured on page one of the "Insight" section.
Headlined Bush re-election machine busy tearing down another war hero (subscription required), it included a great final sentence that all of us should adopt in our letters to editors:
If the tactic works, none of the men and women now fighting in Iraq can trust that the medals they earn won’t someday be used against them.
Read the whole piece below, then send some lovin' to the Dispatch and Joe Hallett...
Bush re-election machine busy tearing down another war hero
Sunday, August 22, 2004
JOE HALLETT
If John Kerry wins the Democratic nomination, I mused on Jan. 17, President Bush will do back flips to avoid comparisons of their respective military records.
On a stage in Des Moines, Iowa, that night, I watched a retired policeman embrace the Massachusetts senator, creating the most poignant moment of the Democratic campaign for president.
Jim Rassmann had come from Oregon to tell the world that 35 years earlier, then-Navy Lt. Kerry, wounded, turned his swift boat around against enemy fire and fished Rassmann out of the Bay Hap River in Vietnam.
‘‘He could have been shot and killed," said a teary Rassmann, a Republican. ‘‘I figure I owe this man my life."
Kerry was given a Bronze Star for that heroic act. He also got a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam.
Score one for Kerry, I thought, standing amid the cheering Iowa Democrats. With questions lingering about Bush’s stateside service in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, military records weren’t likely to top Bush’s discussion agenda during the campaign.
And it didn’t help that influential hawks in his administration — Vice President Dick Cheney, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Defense Department Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz — found ways to avoid military service during the war.
But then, I had forgotten some recent history and once again underestimated just how good Karl Rove & Co. are at winning elections.
As Bush scores with voters by lauding the heroism of troops he sends to war, his allies systematically tear down old war heroes for political gain.
In 2002, Republicans painted Sen. Max Cleland, a Georgia Democrat, as unpatriotic. Nevermind that Cleland lost two legs and his right arm in the Vietnam War. Cleland’s GOP opponent, Saxby Chambliss, ran a television ad showing Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Cleland, contending that Cleland ‘‘voted against the President’s vital homeland security efforts 11 times." Chambliss won.
Two years earlier, in the bitter 2000 South Carolina presidential primary, Bush supporters sponsored a rumor campaign against Sen. John McCain of Arizona, suggesting he was loony from five years of torture in Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camps.
A couple of weeks ago, McCain saw a 60-second TV spot sponsored by a group called ‘‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." The ad, financed by Texas Republicans and aired in Ohio and two other battleground states, said Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star. Livid, McCain referred to Bush backers and said, ‘‘It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me." He called on the Bush campaign to repudiate the ad; it declined.
Voters in key states now are debating whether Kerry really earned his Vietnam War medals. Exhaustive reporting by the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and other newspapers has discredited most statements made by the ‘‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." But Bush’s ubiquitous AM talk-radio surrogates loyally and doggedly fan the fire.
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual convention last week in Cincinnati, vets were buzzing about Kerry’s war record. It was clear that Bush backers were successfully doing to Kerry what they tried to do to Cleland and McCain: sully the honor of war heroes.
With practiced discipline, Bush allies adroitly had shifted the discussion away from Bush’s lack of a war record to whether Kerry’s is bogus.
Realizing he was being hurt, Kerry fired back Thursday, accusing Bush of using front groups ‘‘to do his dirty work." Kerry said if Bush wants to ‘‘have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: ‘Bring it on.’ "
At the VFW convention, Peter Rebold, 61, a Cincinnati lawyer who had led U.S. and South Vietnamese troops into battle as an Army captain, said the effort to smear Kerry won’t work.
‘‘All you have to look at is one thing: Kerry was in Vietnam. Bush wasn’t there. Cheney wasn’t there. Kerry volunteered."
Kerry’s postwar protest activities and his Senate voting record on defense issues are fair game for critics. But twisting his valorous war record for political purposes is shameful.
If the tactic works, none of the men and women now fighting in Iraq can trust that the medals they earn won’t someday be used against them.
Joe Hallett is senior editor at The Dispatch.
jhallett@dispatch.com
Headlined Bush re-election machine busy tearing down another war hero (subscription required), it included a great final sentence that all of us should adopt in our letters to editors:
If the tactic works, none of the men and women now fighting in Iraq can trust that the medals they earn won’t someday be used against them.
Read the whole piece below, then send some lovin' to the Dispatch and Joe Hallett...
Bush re-election machine busy tearing down another war hero
Sunday, August 22, 2004
JOE HALLETT
If John Kerry wins the Democratic nomination, I mused on Jan. 17, President Bush will do back flips to avoid comparisons of their respective military records.
On a stage in Des Moines, Iowa, that night, I watched a retired policeman embrace the Massachusetts senator, creating the most poignant moment of the Democratic campaign for president.
Jim Rassmann had come from Oregon to tell the world that 35 years earlier, then-Navy Lt. Kerry, wounded, turned his swift boat around against enemy fire and fished Rassmann out of the Bay Hap River in Vietnam.
‘‘He could have been shot and killed," said a teary Rassmann, a Republican. ‘‘I figure I owe this man my life."
Kerry was given a Bronze Star for that heroic act. He also got a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam.
Score one for Kerry, I thought, standing amid the cheering Iowa Democrats. With questions lingering about Bush’s stateside service in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, military records weren’t likely to top Bush’s discussion agenda during the campaign.
And it didn’t help that influential hawks in his administration — Vice President Dick Cheney, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Defense Department Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz — found ways to avoid military service during the war.
But then, I had forgotten some recent history and once again underestimated just how good Karl Rove & Co. are at winning elections.
As Bush scores with voters by lauding the heroism of troops he sends to war, his allies systematically tear down old war heroes for political gain.
In 2002, Republicans painted Sen. Max Cleland, a Georgia Democrat, as unpatriotic. Nevermind that Cleland lost two legs and his right arm in the Vietnam War. Cleland’s GOP opponent, Saxby Chambliss, ran a television ad showing Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Cleland, contending that Cleland ‘‘voted against the President’s vital homeland security efforts 11 times." Chambliss won.
Two years earlier, in the bitter 2000 South Carolina presidential primary, Bush supporters sponsored a rumor campaign against Sen. John McCain of Arizona, suggesting he was loony from five years of torture in Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camps.
A couple of weeks ago, McCain saw a 60-second TV spot sponsored by a group called ‘‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." The ad, financed by Texas Republicans and aired in Ohio and two other battleground states, said Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star. Livid, McCain referred to Bush backers and said, ‘‘It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me." He called on the Bush campaign to repudiate the ad; it declined.
Voters in key states now are debating whether Kerry really earned his Vietnam War medals. Exhaustive reporting by the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and other newspapers has discredited most statements made by the ‘‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." But Bush’s ubiquitous AM talk-radio surrogates loyally and doggedly fan the fire.
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual convention last week in Cincinnati, vets were buzzing about Kerry’s war record. It was clear that Bush backers were successfully doing to Kerry what they tried to do to Cleland and McCain: sully the honor of war heroes.
With practiced discipline, Bush allies adroitly had shifted the discussion away from Bush’s lack of a war record to whether Kerry’s is bogus.
Realizing he was being hurt, Kerry fired back Thursday, accusing Bush of using front groups ‘‘to do his dirty work." Kerry said if Bush wants to ‘‘have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: ‘Bring it on.’ "
At the VFW convention, Peter Rebold, 61, a Cincinnati lawyer who had led U.S. and South Vietnamese troops into battle as an Army captain, said the effort to smear Kerry won’t work.
‘‘All you have to look at is one thing: Kerry was in Vietnam. Bush wasn’t there. Cheney wasn’t there. Kerry volunteered."
Kerry’s postwar protest activities and his Senate voting record on defense issues are fair game for critics. But twisting his valorous war record for political purposes is shameful.
If the tactic works, none of the men and women now fighting in Iraq can trust that the medals they earn won’t someday be used against them.
Joe Hallett is senior editor at The Dispatch.
jhallett@dispatch.com
Dispatch on the Swift Vets
I don't know that the editorial board has weighed in yet, but the Columbus Dispatch's senior editor, Joe Hallett, had a devastating commentary featured on page one of the "Insight" section.
Headlined Bush re-election machine busy tearing down another war hero (subscription required), it included a great final sentence that all of us should adopt in our letters to editors:
If the tactic works, none of the men and women now fighting in Iraq can trust that the medals they earn won’t someday be used against them.
Read the whole piece below, then send some lovin' to the Dispatch and Joe Hallett...
Bush re-election machine busy tearing down another war hero
Sunday, August 22, 2004
JOE HALLETT
If John Kerry wins the Democratic nomination, I mused on Jan. 17, President Bush will do back flips to avoid comparisons of their respective military records.
On a stage in Des Moines, Iowa, that night, I watched a retired policeman embrace the Massachusetts senator, creating the most poignant moment of the Democratic campaign for president.
Jim Rassmann had come from Oregon to tell the world that 35 years earlier, then-Navy Lt. Kerry, wounded, turned his swift boat around against enemy fire and fished Rassmann out of the Bay Hap River in Vietnam.
‘‘He could have been shot and killed," said a teary Rassmann, a Republican. ‘‘I figure I owe this man my life."
Kerry was given a Bronze Star for that heroic act. He also got a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam.
Score one for Kerry, I thought, standing amid the cheering Iowa Democrats. With questions lingering about Bush’s stateside service in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, military records weren’t likely to top Bush’s discussion agenda during the campaign.
And it didn’t help that influential hawks in his administration — Vice President Dick Cheney, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Defense Department Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz — found ways to avoid military service during the war.
But then, I had forgotten some recent history and once again underestimated just how good Karl Rove & Co. are at winning elections.
As Bush scores with voters by lauding the heroism of troops he sends to war, his allies systematically tear down old war heroes for political gain.
In 2002, Republicans painted Sen. Max Cleland, a Georgia Democrat, as unpatriotic. Nevermind that Cleland lost two legs and his right arm in the Vietnam War. Cleland’s GOP opponent, Saxby Chambliss, ran a television ad showing Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Cleland, contending that Cleland ‘‘voted against the President’s vital homeland security efforts 11 times." Chambliss won.
Two years earlier, in the bitter 2000 South Carolina presidential primary, Bush supporters sponsored a rumor campaign against Sen. John McCain of Arizona, suggesting he was loony from five years of torture in Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camps.
A couple of weeks ago, McCain saw a 60-second TV spot sponsored by a group called ‘‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." The ad, financed by Texas Republicans and aired in Ohio and two other battleground states, said Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star. Livid, McCain referred to Bush backers and said, ‘‘It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me." He called on the Bush campaign to repudiate the ad; it declined.
Voters in key states now are debating whether Kerry really earned his Vietnam War medals. Exhaustive reporting by the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and other newspapers has discredited most statements made by the ‘‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." But Bush’s ubiquitous AM talk-radio surrogates loyally and doggedly fan the fire.
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual convention last week in Cincinnati, vets were buzzing about Kerry’s war record. It was clear that Bush backers were successfully doing to Kerry what they tried to do to Cleland and McCain: sully the honor of war heroes.
With practiced discipline, Bush allies adroitly had shifted the discussion away from Bush’s lack of a war record to whether Kerry’s is bogus.
Realizing he was being hurt, Kerry fired back Thursday, accusing Bush of using front groups ‘‘to do his dirty work." Kerry said if Bush wants to ‘‘have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: ‘Bring it on.’ "
At the VFW convention, Peter Rebold, 61, a Cincinnati lawyer who had led U.S. and South Vietnamese troops into battle as an Army captain, said the effort to smear Kerry won’t work.
‘‘All you have to look at is one thing: Kerry was in Vietnam. Bush wasn’t there. Cheney wasn’t there. Kerry volunteered."
Kerry’s postwar protest activities and his Senate voting record on defense issues are fair game for critics. But twisting his valorous war record for political purposes is shameful.
If the tactic works, none of the men and women now fighting in Iraq can trust that the medals they earn won’t someday be used against them.
Joe Hallett is senior editor at The Dispatch.
jhallett@dispatch.com
Headlined Bush re-election machine busy tearing down another war hero (subscription required), it included a great final sentence that all of us should adopt in our letters to editors:
If the tactic works, none of the men and women now fighting in Iraq can trust that the medals they earn won’t someday be used against them.
Read the whole piece below, then send some lovin' to the Dispatch and Joe Hallett...
Bush re-election machine busy tearing down another war hero
Sunday, August 22, 2004
JOE HALLETT
If John Kerry wins the Democratic nomination, I mused on Jan. 17, President Bush will do back flips to avoid comparisons of their respective military records.
On a stage in Des Moines, Iowa, that night, I watched a retired policeman embrace the Massachusetts senator, creating the most poignant moment of the Democratic campaign for president.
Jim Rassmann had come from Oregon to tell the world that 35 years earlier, then-Navy Lt. Kerry, wounded, turned his swift boat around against enemy fire and fished Rassmann out of the Bay Hap River in Vietnam.
‘‘He could have been shot and killed," said a teary Rassmann, a Republican. ‘‘I figure I owe this man my life."
Kerry was given a Bronze Star for that heroic act. He also got a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts for his service in Vietnam.
Score one for Kerry, I thought, standing amid the cheering Iowa Democrats. With questions lingering about Bush’s stateside service in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War, military records weren’t likely to top Bush’s discussion agenda during the campaign.
And it didn’t help that influential hawks in his administration — Vice President Dick Cheney, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Defense Department Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz — found ways to avoid military service during the war.
But then, I had forgotten some recent history and once again underestimated just how good Karl Rove & Co. are at winning elections.
As Bush scores with voters by lauding the heroism of troops he sends to war, his allies systematically tear down old war heroes for political gain.
In 2002, Republicans painted Sen. Max Cleland, a Georgia Democrat, as unpatriotic. Nevermind that Cleland lost two legs and his right arm in the Vietnam War. Cleland’s GOP opponent, Saxby Chambliss, ran a television ad showing Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein and Cleland, contending that Cleland ‘‘voted against the President’s vital homeland security efforts 11 times." Chambliss won.
Two years earlier, in the bitter 2000 South Carolina presidential primary, Bush supporters sponsored a rumor campaign against Sen. John McCain of Arizona, suggesting he was loony from five years of torture in Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camps.
A couple of weeks ago, McCain saw a 60-second TV spot sponsored by a group called ‘‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." The ad, financed by Texas Republicans and aired in Ohio and two other battleground states, said Kerry lied to get his Bronze Star. Livid, McCain referred to Bush backers and said, ‘‘It was the same kind of deal that was pulled on me." He called on the Bush campaign to repudiate the ad; it declined.
Voters in key states now are debating whether Kerry really earned his Vietnam War medals. Exhaustive reporting by the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and other newspapers has discredited most statements made by the ‘‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth." But Bush’s ubiquitous AM talk-radio surrogates loyally and doggedly fan the fire.
At the Veterans of Foreign Wars annual convention last week in Cincinnati, vets were buzzing about Kerry’s war record. It was clear that Bush backers were successfully doing to Kerry what they tried to do to Cleland and McCain: sully the honor of war heroes.
With practiced discipline, Bush allies adroitly had shifted the discussion away from Bush’s lack of a war record to whether Kerry’s is bogus.
Realizing he was being hurt, Kerry fired back Thursday, accusing Bush of using front groups ‘‘to do his dirty work." Kerry said if Bush wants to ‘‘have a debate about our service in Vietnam, here is my answer: ‘Bring it on.’ "
At the VFW convention, Peter Rebold, 61, a Cincinnati lawyer who had led U.S. and South Vietnamese troops into battle as an Army captain, said the effort to smear Kerry won’t work.
‘‘All you have to look at is one thing: Kerry was in Vietnam. Bush wasn’t there. Cheney wasn’t there. Kerry volunteered."
Kerry’s postwar protest activities and his Senate voting record on defense issues are fair game for critics. But twisting his valorous war record for political purposes is shameful.
If the tactic works, none of the men and women now fighting in Iraq can trust that the medals they earn won’t someday be used against them.
Joe Hallett is senior editor at The Dispatch.
jhallett@dispatch.com
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Learn to communicate better!
If you want John Kerry to take back the White House and put America back on track, you need to take back the English language. Let me explain...
Everyone, particularly the members of the Ohio Media Corps Team who are supposed to be writing letters to the editor every week, should check it out.
(I'll let Tom complete his own introduction to www.anotherrepublicanforkerry.com/tutorial...)
Over the past 30 years, the most extreme conservative elements in this country have become masters at selecting words and crafting messages. By spinning the facts, staying on message, and using certain words over and over, they've managed to define our national dialogue.
That's how the term "compassionate conservative" has gained so much mainstream credibility while "liberal" has become a dirty word. That's how a label like "tax relief" has become so widely used and accepted, even though most of the "relief" goes to a handful of millionaires and billionaires who should be paying their fair share like the rest of us. That's how a program title like "Healthy Forests Restoration Act" can convince so many people that it's good for forests when it's really about forest destruction.
IT'S UP TO YOU
If you're okay with all this, then this tutorial is not for you. But if you want to restore moderation, balance, and plain old common sense to our political conversation, you're in the right place!
ARE YOU READY?
With this free tutorial, you will:
Gain a deeper understanding of how words are currently being used and abused in order to promote the right-wing agenda.
Learn a simple yet powerful way of seeing the two major political mindsets .
Identify ways to choose words that will influence undecided voters and the "other side."
Get briefed on three big potential pitfalls . If we avoid these traps as the election approaches, we'll dramatically boost the chance of a Kerry-Edwards victory.
Equip yourself with a collection of major themes -- constructive points of emphasis that will add persuasion power to your conversations with voters and your letters to the editor.
Take action! That's right, this tutorial concludes with practical ideas for putting all this good stuff to work.
What we say and write between now and November 2 -- in our informal conversations, our more formal canvassing efforts, our letters to the editor, and elsewhere -- will be the deciding factor in this crucial election. And it will shape the tone and content of our national dialogue for years to come.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Bush's "adoring audiences"
It's interesting to note that the media has begun picking up on the Bush's campaign's pre-screened events. Just today, the AP , the NY Times, and Columbus Dispatch (subscription required) all had stories on the phenomenon.
This is great fodder for letters to editors. (The full Dispatch text appears below, for those of you without a subscription.)
Screening can ensure adoring audiences
Monday, August 16, 2004
Darrel Rowland , Alan Johnson and Mark Niquette
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
When John Kerry comes to Steubenville for a town hall meeting Friday, anybody can get tickets until the place is full.
When George W. Bush traveled to Columbus earlier this month for an "Ask President Bush" session, admission was limited primarily to staunch Republican supporters.
Ohio has been inundated with visits from the presidential candidates this year, and these two examples illustrate the contrasting styles of the Bush and Kerry campaigns as they try to pry loose the Buckeye State’s 20 electoral votes.
Of course, the contestants are making their pitch not only to those attending the events, but also to a much broader audience of television viewers watching carefully prearranged camera angles of candidates in front of strategically placed backdrops.
Although both presidential candidates travel with heavy security, Bush visits are more tightly controlled with limited access to the general public.
The Kerry camp is much less picky about who can attend ‘ and has on occasion paid the price when protesters attempted to disrupt the Massachusetts senator’s appearances.
Should voters care about the difference?
"I think it does matter because John Kerry wants to have the opportunity to listen to all kinds of voters in Ohio," said Jennifer Palmieri, his Ohio campaign spokeswoman.
"We’re not going to win this state if we just turn out Democrats. We’re trying to move undecided voters. . . . It’s our belief that undecided voters have already made up their minds about George Bush, and now they want to know more about John Kerry."
Bush campaign spokesman Kevin Madden said the president’s events are small by design, such as his Aug. 5 appearance before 2,500 supporters at the Aladdin Shrine Temple.
"If you look at Franklin County alone, we have 5,000 volunteers. We distributed tickets to everybody who wanted to see the president, volunteers on the campaign who’ve worked hard knocking on doors and stuffing envelopes. The tickets went very quickly," Madden said.
"It seems the Kerry campaign has a really tough time building crowds. They do their ticket distribution publicly. You can download a ticket on the Internet. We actually have to turn people away."
Palmieri, noting Kerry has attracted 20,000 people to some of his rallies, said, "If all you’re concerned about is making sure your guy looks good on TV, their strategy works.
"I think they’re afraid of a real engagement on the issues. I think when President Bush comes to Ohio, it’s like he’s a president from a different planet."
Paul Beck, chairman of the Political Science Department at Ohio State University, said each side is trying to play to its candidate’s strengths.
"Bush is very scripted and always has been been. His advisers, going back to his gubernatorial campaign, don’t want him to speak extemporaneously," Beck said.
"That’s not a strength for Kerry either, but he’s more comfortable than Bush."
In addition, the Bush campaign, having gone through the 2000 election, is a team of veterans, Beck said.
He also noted built-in differences.
"A president is different than a presidential candidate. The president commands more security and more careful scheduling and screening. That’s clearly the case here."
Even so, when a campaign limits access too much, the public can get a skewed opinion of the candidate, Beck said.
"If the general public sees that, they’re put off by it," he said. " . . . People don’t like to feel they’re manipulated."
Several reports have surfaced recently about tight controls at Bush campaign events.
In New Mexico, supporters at an appearance by Vice President Dick Cheney were forced to sign a loyalty oath.
In Phoenix, an official from the Kerry campaign was denied admittance to a Bush speech even though she had a ticket.
During Bush’s Columbus visit this month, a select group of people was chosen to ask him questions, many of which were prearranged. The participants included Phil Derrow, the president of Ohio Transmission Corp. ‘ who also hosted a May 21 event with U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow.
At a Dayton appearance by Cheney last week, the invited audience of 1,000 people included veterans, firefighters and "favorable friends of the campaign," said Carl Wick, Dayton area coordinator for the Bush-Cheney campaign.
Screening by the Bush campaign and Montgomery County Republican Party ensured Cheney would have a respectful, enthusiastic audience free from distractions and hecklers.
During Cheney’s July 3 bus trip through northeastern Ohio, all aspects were tightly controlled. The main event, a rally in Parma, was an ticket-only affair. At a stop later in downtown Lisbon, only supporters were told about the event beforehand.
In contrast, when Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, appeared at their first campaign rally together July 7 in Cleveland, it was held in a downtown park open to the public.
As usual, local Democrats and Kerry campaign supporters got special tickets to get in the gated area closest to the stage that day, but a crowd estimated at between 12,000 and 15,000 braved threatening skies and stood in line to go through security screening to fill out the rest of the space in the park.
Perhaps because of the Kerry campaign’s greater openness, hecklers frequently show up at his events. During an April 6 stop in Cincinnati, for example, a couple dozen people started clapping flip-flop sandals together during his speech as a reminder of his alleged changes in position on several issues.
At a June 15 rally in Westgate Park on the Hilltop, demonstrators in a nearby house played the theme song from the old television show Flipper so loudly that many in the audience couldn’t hear Kerry.
Lately, however, the Democratic campaign has been trying to turn the tables on the protesters. At a July 31 visit by Kerry and Edwards to Wheeling, W.Va., Edwards used a relatively minor disruption in the crowd to deplore the negativity in the presidential campaign.
"Aren’t you sick of it?" he said to loud cheers.
Dispatch reporter Catherine Candisky contributed to this story.
This is great fodder for letters to editors. (The full Dispatch text appears below, for those of you without a subscription.)
Screening can ensure adoring audiences
Monday, August 16, 2004
Darrel Rowland , Alan Johnson and Mark Niquette
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
When John Kerry comes to Steubenville for a town hall meeting Friday, anybody can get tickets until the place is full.
When George W. Bush traveled to Columbus earlier this month for an "Ask President Bush" session, admission was limited primarily to staunch Republican supporters.
Ohio has been inundated with visits from the presidential candidates this year, and these two examples illustrate the contrasting styles of the Bush and Kerry campaigns as they try to pry loose the Buckeye State’s 20 electoral votes.
Of course, the contestants are making their pitch not only to those attending the events, but also to a much broader audience of television viewers watching carefully prearranged camera angles of candidates in front of strategically placed backdrops.
Although both presidential candidates travel with heavy security, Bush visits are more tightly controlled with limited access to the general public.
The Kerry camp is much less picky about who can attend ‘ and has on occasion paid the price when protesters attempted to disrupt the Massachusetts senator’s appearances.
Should voters care about the difference?
"I think it does matter because John Kerry wants to have the opportunity to listen to all kinds of voters in Ohio," said Jennifer Palmieri, his Ohio campaign spokeswoman.
"We’re not going to win this state if we just turn out Democrats. We’re trying to move undecided voters. . . . It’s our belief that undecided voters have already made up their minds about George Bush, and now they want to know more about John Kerry."
Bush campaign spokesman Kevin Madden said the president’s events are small by design, such as his Aug. 5 appearance before 2,500 supporters at the Aladdin Shrine Temple.
"If you look at Franklin County alone, we have 5,000 volunteers. We distributed tickets to everybody who wanted to see the president, volunteers on the campaign who’ve worked hard knocking on doors and stuffing envelopes. The tickets went very quickly," Madden said.
"It seems the Kerry campaign has a really tough time building crowds. They do their ticket distribution publicly. You can download a ticket on the Internet. We actually have to turn people away."
Palmieri, noting Kerry has attracted 20,000 people to some of his rallies, said, "If all you’re concerned about is making sure your guy looks good on TV, their strategy works.
"I think they’re afraid of a real engagement on the issues. I think when President Bush comes to Ohio, it’s like he’s a president from a different planet."
Paul Beck, chairman of the Political Science Department at Ohio State University, said each side is trying to play to its candidate’s strengths.
"Bush is very scripted and always has been been. His advisers, going back to his gubernatorial campaign, don’t want him to speak extemporaneously," Beck said.
"That’s not a strength for Kerry either, but he’s more comfortable than Bush."
In addition, the Bush campaign, having gone through the 2000 election, is a team of veterans, Beck said.
He also noted built-in differences.
"A president is different than a presidential candidate. The president commands more security and more careful scheduling and screening. That’s clearly the case here."
Even so, when a campaign limits access too much, the public can get a skewed opinion of the candidate, Beck said.
"If the general public sees that, they’re put off by it," he said. " . . . People don’t like to feel they’re manipulated."
Several reports have surfaced recently about tight controls at Bush campaign events.
In New Mexico, supporters at an appearance by Vice President Dick Cheney were forced to sign a loyalty oath.
In Phoenix, an official from the Kerry campaign was denied admittance to a Bush speech even though she had a ticket.
During Bush’s Columbus visit this month, a select group of people was chosen to ask him questions, many of which were prearranged. The participants included Phil Derrow, the president of Ohio Transmission Corp. ‘ who also hosted a May 21 event with U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow.
At a Dayton appearance by Cheney last week, the invited audience of 1,000 people included veterans, firefighters and "favorable friends of the campaign," said Carl Wick, Dayton area coordinator for the Bush-Cheney campaign.
Screening by the Bush campaign and Montgomery County Republican Party ensured Cheney would have a respectful, enthusiastic audience free from distractions and hecklers.
During Cheney’s July 3 bus trip through northeastern Ohio, all aspects were tightly controlled. The main event, a rally in Parma, was an ticket-only affair. At a stop later in downtown Lisbon, only supporters were told about the event beforehand.
In contrast, when Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, appeared at their first campaign rally together July 7 in Cleveland, it was held in a downtown park open to the public.
As usual, local Democrats and Kerry campaign supporters got special tickets to get in the gated area closest to the stage that day, but a crowd estimated at between 12,000 and 15,000 braved threatening skies and stood in line to go through security screening to fill out the rest of the space in the park.
Perhaps because of the Kerry campaign’s greater openness, hecklers frequently show up at his events. During an April 6 stop in Cincinnati, for example, a couple dozen people started clapping flip-flop sandals together during his speech as a reminder of his alleged changes in position on several issues.
At a June 15 rally in Westgate Park on the Hilltop, demonstrators in a nearby house played the theme song from the old television show Flipper so loudly that many in the audience couldn’t hear Kerry.
Lately, however, the Democratic campaign has been trying to turn the tables on the protesters. At a July 31 visit by Kerry and Edwards to Wheeling, W.Va., Edwards used a relatively minor disruption in the crowd to deplore the negativity in the presidential campaign.
"Aren’t you sick of it?" he said to loud cheers.
Dispatch reporter Catherine Candisky contributed to this story.
Friday, August 13, 2004
Cheney misquotes Kerry
Ohio papers are full of stories about Cheney's remarks in Dayton yesterday, ridiculing Kerry for using the word "sensitive."
Too many of them further Cheney's message by including it in the headline. Among these are the Columbus Dispatch, "U.S. doesn't need Kerry's 'sensitivity,' Cheney says" (subscription required); Dayton Daily News, "Cheney rips Kerry's 'sensitivity;" Toledo Blade, "Cheney scorns Kerry's 'sensitive war'"
Others were better and deserve "attaboys." These include the Cleveland Plain-Dealer's "War on terror letdown invites attack: Cheney" and Canton Repository's "Cheney scorns Kerry plan for terrorists"
Obviously, Kerry's remarks were taken out of context. Cheney was being an "attack dog," as the Kerry campaign noted in its Rapid Response, and making "irresponsible personal attacks," according to the statement from ten senior military officers. Cheney was also hypocritical, as the Center for American Progress noted, listing Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Gen. Franks, Gen. Myers, and others using the same word. [It's a great list; check it out!]
There are a lot of other sources of info and talking points you can use, including the American Prospect.
Some verbiage I didn't get to use in my letter include:
Here is the letter I just sent the Dispatch:
Cheney misquotes Kerry rather than confront issues
To the Editor:
Thanks for including John Kerry's full remarks in today's story about Dick Cheney's speech yesterday ("U.S. doesn't need 'sensitivity,' Cheney says"). Unlike the New York Times and Washington Post, the Dispatch put Kerry’s quote in context. Readers could see for ourselves that when Kerry said he would "fight a more effective, more strategic, more proactive, more sensitive war on terror," he was using the word "sensitive" to mean aware, not touch-feely.
It says a lot about Cheney's campaign strategy that he chose to spend "half of his 25-minute speech” misquoting Kerry. Apparently, when talking to military veterans, political cheap shots are more important than substantive issues like:
* the 1000th U.S. serviceman or woman who will be killed in Iraq in just a few weeks at the current rate;
* the "backdoor draft" the Bush/Cheney administration needs to deal with a military stretched thin by overdeployments;
* the veteran's benefits that the Bush/Cheney administration has tried to cut;
* the Veterans Hospitals that the administration has proposed closing--including one in Ohio serving 48,000 residents.
But, if I were five-time Vietnam deferee, I guess I'd try ridiculing a decorated war hero who volunteered for combat duty rather than talk specifics.
Sincerely,
JB Lawton III
Too many of them further Cheney's message by including it in the headline. Among these are the Columbus Dispatch, "U.S. doesn't need Kerry's 'sensitivity,' Cheney says" (subscription required); Dayton Daily News, "Cheney rips Kerry's 'sensitivity;" Toledo Blade, "Cheney scorns Kerry's 'sensitive war'"
Others were better and deserve "attaboys." These include the Cleveland Plain-Dealer's "War on terror letdown invites attack: Cheney" and Canton Repository's "Cheney scorns Kerry plan for terrorists"
Obviously, Kerry's remarks were taken out of context. Cheney was being an "attack dog," as the Kerry campaign noted in its Rapid Response, and making "irresponsible personal attacks," according to the statement from ten senior military officers. Cheney was also hypocritical, as the Center for American Progress noted, listing Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Gen. Franks, Gen. Myers, and others using the same word. [It's a great list; check it out!]
There are a lot of other sources of info and talking points you can use, including the American Prospect.
Some verbiage I didn't get to use in my letter include:
- It's too bad the Bush/Cheney campaign didn't listen to Kerry's convention speech when he said, "Republicans and Democrats must make this election a contest of big ideas, not small-minded attacks." Cheney's audience in Dayton, the people of Ohio, and the American public at large deserve better.
- Dick Cheney said that Kerry got it wrong in his address to the UNITY conference. Does that mean Cheney thinks we should fight a less intelligent, less thoughtful, less strategic, less proactive, less sensitive war on terrorism?
Here is the letter I just sent the Dispatch:
Cheney misquotes Kerry rather than confront issues
To the Editor:
Thanks for including John Kerry's full remarks in today's story about Dick Cheney's speech yesterday ("U.S. doesn't need 'sensitivity,' Cheney says"). Unlike the New York Times and Washington Post, the Dispatch put Kerry’s quote in context. Readers could see for ourselves that when Kerry said he would "fight a more effective, more strategic, more proactive, more sensitive war on terror," he was using the word "sensitive" to mean aware, not touch-feely.
It says a lot about Cheney's campaign strategy that he chose to spend "half of his 25-minute speech” misquoting Kerry. Apparently, when talking to military veterans, political cheap shots are more important than substantive issues like:
* the 1000th U.S. serviceman or woman who will be killed in Iraq in just a few weeks at the current rate;
* the "backdoor draft" the Bush/Cheney administration needs to deal with a military stretched thin by overdeployments;
* the veteran's benefits that the Bush/Cheney administration has tried to cut;
* the Veterans Hospitals that the administration has proposed closing--including one in Ohio serving 48,000 residents.
But, if I were five-time Vietnam deferee, I guess I'd try ridiculing a decorated war hero who volunteered for combat duty rather than talk specifics.
Sincerely,
JB Lawton III
Latest Media Corps assignment
Last week's assignment -- "Results Do Matter" -- was a great success.
The letters you wrote for this assignment were unique in that many of you framed the issue with an analogy -- and you did it with humor and sarcasm. When telling others why it's absurd for Bush to use "Results Matter" as a campaign slogan, an analogy works extremely well because it gives people a familiar frame through which to judge Bush -- after all, why should we hold him to lower standards than we would hold ourselves? Sarcasm and humor did a great job at keeping our letters succinct and to the point. Excellent work!
If you're looking for your next assignment, it's below. Next you'll find examples of some great "Results Do Matter" letters.
Matthew from Oregon wrote, "With a campaign slogan of 'Results Matter,' the current administration wants us to believe that four more years of lackluster-at-best performance is what this country needs. I don't know about your performance standards, but if I turned in the same "results" in my job as the current [R]epublican administration, I'd certainly be one of the more than one million Americans who lost a job between January 2001 and May 2004. [Bureau of Labor Statistics; Economic Report of the President, 2002]."
Rena from Virginia wrote, "Here's a really simple example of results if you ran your household the way George W. Bush has been running the US economy: You would have been out of work at some point in the past year. When you found another job, it would pay about $9,000 less than the one you had previously. To compound the problems created by your unemployment and lower-paying job, you would grossly overspend your means, running yourself into debt from which you would have a nearly-impossible time recovering. Results DO matter, and the President's results speak volumes."
Your Next Assignment:
The Bush Prescription Drug Plan is a sham. The health care industry spent over $150 million lobbying for the Bush drug plan. That's why George Bush doesn't allow seniors to get drugs from Canada that are up to 80% cheaper. That's why the Bush Drug Plan doesn't allow Medicare to negotiate cheaper drugs for seniors like the Veterans Administration does for vets (often 50% cheaper).
We need you to write a letter to the editor telling your community's seniors how George Bush has dramatically worsened the quality of their lives. The senior vote is extremely powerful -- in 2000, 72% of registered seniors ages 65 to 72 voted. In 2000, Al Gore won the seniors vote 50% to 47%.
• Writing points on both Bush's failure to provide for America's seniors and John Kerry's plan for America's seniors are below.
• Click here to send your letter to your local newspaper. If you have the time, please consider handwriting your letter.
• Click here to share your letter with other Media Corps members.
Thank you,
Amanda Michel
Internet Team
Writing Points
Bush and America's Seniors
• George Bush prohibited Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices on behalf of America's seniors. The administration's plan explicitly would not allow HHS to negotiate better prices or allow seniors to get more affordable prices available to Canada.
• George Bush opposed allowing the re-importation of cheaper, affordable prescription drugs from Canada.
• George Bush wants to privatize Social Security, cutting its guaranteed benefit by 40% or more.
John Kerry and America's Seniors
• John Kerry will protect and strengthen the Medicare program by ensuring that seniors have access to both quality care and a real drug benefit by blocking efforts to privatize the program.
• Kerry will fight to cut the costs of prescription drugs that have been rising 17% a year.
• Kerry will allow the safe re-importation of prescription drugs from Canada, because it is the right thing to do and it will dramatically cut costs for America's families and seniors.
• Kerry will allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs like the Veterans Administration does for veterans (often 50% cheaper).
Ohio Facts
UHCAN Ohio (Universal Health Coverage Action Network) of Ohio) has some useful facts from last year.
• An estimated 2,236,000 Ohioans have no prescription drug coverage.
• A recent study by Express Scripts Inc., a St. Louis-based pharmacy benefits manager, shows Ohio as one of 3 states whose residents were given the most prescriptions - 11.
• Last year, Ohio residents paid some $4.25 billion to brand name drug companies. If these same drugs were given the Federal Supply Schedule prices (discounted prices given to certain federal agencies), the brand name drug makers would receive payments of $2.7 billion, and Ohio residents would save some $1.54 billion. That is a 36.4 percent saving.
• U.S. Americans pay 30 percent to 70 percent more than Canadians and Mexicans for the same prescriptions.
• U.S. prescription drug spending rose nearly 17 percent in 1999 - some $99.6 billion, and analysts predict double-digit increases in spending per year until 2010. In the year 2000, Ohio residents paid some $4.25 billion to brand name drug makers.
• Pharmaceutical giants spend two or three times as much on marketing and sales as they do on research and development.
• The pharmaceutical industry is earning profits of 18.3 percent compared to an average profit of 5 percent for other industries.
The letters you wrote for this assignment were unique in that many of you framed the issue with an analogy -- and you did it with humor and sarcasm. When telling others why it's absurd for Bush to use "Results Matter" as a campaign slogan, an analogy works extremely well because it gives people a familiar frame through which to judge Bush -- after all, why should we hold him to lower standards than we would hold ourselves? Sarcasm and humor did a great job at keeping our letters succinct and to the point. Excellent work!
If you're looking for your next assignment, it's below. Next you'll find examples of some great "Results Do Matter" letters.
Matthew from Oregon wrote, "With a campaign slogan of 'Results Matter,' the current administration wants us to believe that four more years of lackluster-at-best performance is what this country needs. I don't know about your performance standards, but if I turned in the same "results" in my job as the current [R]epublican administration, I'd certainly be one of the more than one million Americans who lost a job between January 2001 and May 2004. [Bureau of Labor Statistics; Economic Report of the President, 2002]."
Rena from Virginia wrote, "Here's a really simple example of results if you ran your household the way George W. Bush has been running the US economy: You would have been out of work at some point in the past year. When you found another job, it would pay about $9,000 less than the one you had previously. To compound the problems created by your unemployment and lower-paying job, you would grossly overspend your means, running yourself into debt from which you would have a nearly-impossible time recovering. Results DO matter, and the President's results speak volumes."
Your Next Assignment:
The Bush Prescription Drug Plan is a sham. The health care industry spent over $150 million lobbying for the Bush drug plan. That's why George Bush doesn't allow seniors to get drugs from Canada that are up to 80% cheaper. That's why the Bush Drug Plan doesn't allow Medicare to negotiate cheaper drugs for seniors like the Veterans Administration does for vets (often 50% cheaper).
We need you to write a letter to the editor telling your community's seniors how George Bush has dramatically worsened the quality of their lives. The senior vote is extremely powerful -- in 2000, 72% of registered seniors ages 65 to 72 voted. In 2000, Al Gore won the seniors vote 50% to 47%.
• Writing points on both Bush's failure to provide for America's seniors and John Kerry's plan for America's seniors are below.
• Click here to send your letter to your local newspaper. If you have the time, please consider handwriting your letter.
• Click here to share your letter with other Media Corps members.
Thank you,
Amanda Michel
Internet Team
Writing Points
Bush and America's Seniors
• George Bush prohibited Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices on behalf of America's seniors. The administration's plan explicitly would not allow HHS to negotiate better prices or allow seniors to get more affordable prices available to Canada.
• George Bush opposed allowing the re-importation of cheaper, affordable prescription drugs from Canada.
• George Bush wants to privatize Social Security, cutting its guaranteed benefit by 40% or more.
John Kerry and America's Seniors
• John Kerry will protect and strengthen the Medicare program by ensuring that seniors have access to both quality care and a real drug benefit by blocking efforts to privatize the program.
• Kerry will fight to cut the costs of prescription drugs that have been rising 17% a year.
• Kerry will allow the safe re-importation of prescription drugs from Canada, because it is the right thing to do and it will dramatically cut costs for America's families and seniors.
• Kerry will allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs like the Veterans Administration does for veterans (often 50% cheaper).
Ohio Facts
UHCAN Ohio (Universal Health Coverage Action Network) of Ohio) has some useful facts from last year.
• An estimated 2,236,000 Ohioans have no prescription drug coverage.
• A recent study by Express Scripts Inc., a St. Louis-based pharmacy benefits manager, shows Ohio as one of 3 states whose residents were given the most prescriptions - 11.
• Last year, Ohio residents paid some $4.25 billion to brand name drug companies. If these same drugs were given the Federal Supply Schedule prices (discounted prices given to certain federal agencies), the brand name drug makers would receive payments of $2.7 billion, and Ohio residents would save some $1.54 billion. That is a 36.4 percent saving.
• U.S. Americans pay 30 percent to 70 percent more than Canadians and Mexicans for the same prescriptions.
• U.S. prescription drug spending rose nearly 17 percent in 1999 - some $99.6 billion, and analysts predict double-digit increases in spending per year until 2010. In the year 2000, Ohio residents paid some $4.25 billion to brand name drug makers.
• Pharmaceutical giants spend two or three times as much on marketing and sales as they do on research and development.
• The pharmaceutical industry is earning profits of 18.3 percent compared to an average profit of 5 percent for other industries.
Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Sunday's Columbus Dispatch had an interesting article examining some of the data from the recent Dispatch Poll. It noted that the undecideds were leaning towards Kerry. As Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio put it: "Clearly, if these undecided voters were leaning any harder against the door of the Kerry camp, they would crash right through it."
That's not to say we can take the undecideds for granted, of course. We still need to work hard, doing things like improving our media outreach.
If you're a Dispatch subscriber you can read the article on their website, along with a chart showing the demographics of the undecided 7%, otherwise, read it below...
Key bloc of voters leaning to Kerry
Group that could deliver Ohio open to change, Dispatch Poll indicates
Sunday, August 08, 2004
Darrel Rowland
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
This hotly contested presidential election might come down to the 7 percent of Ohio voters who say they are undecided.
And danger signs aplenty lurk for President Bush amid that voting bloc, according to the latest Dispatch Poll.
More than three-fourths of undecided respondents said the country is on the wrong track, and more than 7 of 10 disapprove of the way Bush is handling the economy and the situation in Iraq.
Such numbers are significantly closer to those of supporters of Democratic challenger John Kerry than of Bush's backers.
Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio found similar results when he looked last month at undecided voters in 19 battleground states, including Ohio.
"If you look at them, they're clearly not favorably disposed to the president," said Fabrizio, who was Bob Dole's pollster in the 1996 presidential campaign. "Under the best circumstances (for Bush), those undecideds will break 60-40 for Kerry."
The Dispatch Poll showed Bush topping Kerry 47 percent to 44 percent, with 2 percent favoring consumer advocate Ralph Nader and 7 percent undecided. The margin of sampling error was 2 percentage points. The July 14-23 mail survey from was based on returns from 3,047 registered Ohio voters who said they intend to cast a ballot Nov. 2.
Kerry will work hard to win the support of Ohio's undecided voters because "the outcome of the presidential election is in their hands," said Jennifer Palmieri, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts senator's campaign in Ohio.
"By and large, these voters have shown themselves to be dissatisfied with Bush's performance on the economy and Iraq," she said. "We will spend the next 90 days making sure these voters learn what plans Kerry and (running mate John) Edwards have to make our economy stronger at home and America respected abroad."
Bush will make his case with undecided voters by "showcasing presidential leadership" through an emphasis on a growing economy and the need to keep America safe, campaign spokesman Kevin Madden said.
"He looks forward to looking an undecided voter in the eye and making the case for why he's the right president at the right time," Madden said. "We'll make sure we contrast our optimism versus the Kerry campaign's doom and gloom."
But unless the Bush team can improve voters' perception of the economy and lower their view of Kerry, the undecideds "appear poised to break heavily against President Bush in John Kerry's favor," Fabrizio said.
"Clearly, if these undecided voters were leaning any harder against the door of the Kerry camp, they would crash right through it," he said in an analysis of his July 8 poll.
Although the Bush campaign has spent as much as $100 million in ads against Kerry, they almost are forced to step up the assault, Fabrizio said.
"They've got to do a better job of bloodying him up," he said.
In many respects, the undecided voters are not remarkably different from those in the Dispatch Poll who already had made their selection. They are neither concentrated in any particular region of Ohio nor defined by racial background or union membership, and they are spread proportionally across all income and education levels.
The share of undecideds is somewhat higher among female respondents and those ages 35 to 44.
Undecideds are unlikely to vote for a sitting president, political experts say.
An established incumbent would be lucky to pick up a third of undecided voters, said Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report, in a recent National Journal column.
"Voters who now consider themselves `undecided' have already made a tentative decision not to support the incumbent; the remaining decision is whether to vote for the main challenger," he wrote.
After reviewing data on the nation's undecideds from several polls, Cook predicted Bush would lose the election -- barring a major, unexpected event.
Media outreach meeting on Wednesday
I'm hosting a meeting at my house in Dublin (NW suburb of Columbus) this Wednesday night from 7:00-8:30 pm to discuss how we can better organize the central Ohio letter-writing campaign on behalf of the Kerry/Edwards ticket.
If you're interested in coming or just getting more information, please email me so I can send you the details, including a map to my house.
See you Wednesday!
Friday, August 06, 2004
Responding to Bush's Columbus appearance
Bush's show yesterday at the Aladdin Shrine Temple offers a couple of useful opportunities for letters to Ohio editors. For instance, in the letter(s) I sent today (and reprinted below), I brought up today's woeful employment numbers.
Another approach is to bring up the Bush's talk about "comp time" and "flex time." As the Center for American Progress points out in excruciating detail, these innocuous terms camouflage eliminating overtime for millions of Americans. Check out the report for a variety of devastating talking points. (And, as noted below, those points are known to be persuasive with those oh-so-important swing voters.)
Here's my letter. Write one of your own.
To the Editor:
It's no wonder George W. Bush only talked to pre-selected Republicans when he held his "Ask the President" forum yesterday in Columbus.
Days before Bush got here, Techneglas laid off nearly 400 employees.
The day after he left, the Labor Department reported that payroll growth slowed dramatically in July with only 32,000 jobs being added nationwide. As the Associated Press noted, that's "the smallest gain in hiring since December." It's also barely 10 percent of the 300,000 monthly new jobs Bush promised if he got his tax cuts.
Adding to the woes, the payroll figures for May and June were both revised downward. At this rate, Bush is well on his way to becoming the first President since Herbert Hoover to leave office with fewer people employed than when he started.
We better get ready for more articles about local Bush supporters getting their teenage daughters to steal Kerry yard signs. After all, they can't win on Bush's economic record.
JB Lawton III
Another approach is to bring up the Bush's talk about "comp time" and "flex time." As the Center for American Progress points out in excruciating detail, these innocuous terms camouflage eliminating overtime for millions of Americans. Check out the report for a variety of devastating talking points. (And, as noted below, those points are known to be persuasive with those oh-so-important swing voters.)
Here's my letter. Write one of your own.
To the Editor:
It's no wonder George W. Bush only talked to pre-selected Republicans when he held his "Ask the President" forum yesterday in Columbus.
Days before Bush got here, Techneglas laid off nearly 400 employees.
The day after he left, the Labor Department reported that payroll growth slowed dramatically in July with only 32,000 jobs being added nationwide. As the Associated Press noted, that's "the smallest gain in hiring since December." It's also barely 10 percent of the 300,000 monthly new jobs Bush promised if he got his tax cuts.
Adding to the woes, the payroll figures for May and June were both revised downward. At this rate, Bush is well on his way to becoming the first President since Herbert Hoover to leave office with fewer people employed than when he started.
We better get ready for more articles about local Bush supporters getting their teenage daughters to steal Kerry yard signs. After all, they can't win on Bush's economic record.
JB Lawton III
Don't forget smaller papers
This week's Media Corps assignment is to explain to your local papers that Bush is right-- "Results matter"--and that's why you're supporting John Kerry. As I was thinking about writing my letter, it occurred to me that I ought to hit some of the smaller papers in the central Ohio media market, particularly those free community papers that don't get a lot of letters.
And since a letter is more likely to be printed if it's written in response to a specific article, I chose to springboard off a column that appeared in today's ThisWeek newspaper. The results are below. I already sent the first letter; the second one is going out under a pseudonym.
Try your hand at your own letter. Email ThisWeek's editor. (If you're looking for facts and figures, go here or here.
------------First letter----------
To the ThisWeek Editor:
In today's column ("It's the right time to turn to Twain"), Kevin Parks observes the saturation of campaign ads with their "accusing and unpleasant voices telling me how truly awful is the opponent of the candidate they're promoting."
At the risk of sounding accusing and unpleasant, I'd like to point out that those attack ads are only coming from one of the Presidential candidates. And he's spending a lot of money doing so. As USA Today reported in May, the Bush-Cheney campaign has spent nearly two-thirds of its ad budget on negative attacks.
Worse, the attacks are often factually wrong. The Washington Post ran a front-page story noting Bush's "Unprecedented Negativity: Scholars Say Campaign Is Making History With Often-Misleading Attacks."
Meanwhile, the Kerry campaign has taken a break from television ads entirely, preferring instead to concentrate on its coast-to-coast tour. So far, it looks like John Kerry is following the mandate he set for himself in Boston: "Republicans and Democrats must make this election a contest of big ideas, not small-minded attacks."
Here's hoping Kerry continues to take that high road. Maybe Bush will follow his example, for all of our sakes.
JB Lawton III
Dublin
------Second letter----------
To the Editor:
With all due respect to Mark Twain and Kevin Parks (ThisWeek, Aug 5, "It's the right time to turn to Twain"), not all of us interested in politics think our opponents are insane.
I don't think George W. Bush and the Republicans are insane. I think they are well-meaning individuals trying to do the right thing.
But after four years of one-party rule in Washington (and twelve years in Ohio), it would be insane to ignore the reality that the Republican approach isn't working. Let's look at the facts:
In 2000, the United States had a $5.6 trillion surplus; now we're facing a $3 trillion deficit, with no end in sight.
Since Bush took office, there has been a net loss of jobs, the first time that’s happened since Hoover was President Ohio alone has lost nearly 250,000 jobs.
Republican tax reform hasn’t worked either, particularly for the middle class, which has gotten squeezed. Five years ago, Ohio ranked 15th in the nation in overall tax burden. Now, we’re ranked 3rd.
I'm not going to vote for Kerry because I hate Bush. I'm voting for Kerry because I hate what Bush's policies have done. Things need to change.
Sincerely,
[Pseudonym]
And since a letter is more likely to be printed if it's written in response to a specific article, I chose to springboard off a column that appeared in today's ThisWeek newspaper. The results are below. I already sent the first letter; the second one is going out under a pseudonym.
Try your hand at your own letter. Email ThisWeek's editor. (If you're looking for facts and figures, go here or here.
------------First letter----------
To the ThisWeek Editor:
In today's column ("It's the right time to turn to Twain"), Kevin Parks observes the saturation of campaign ads with their "accusing and unpleasant voices telling me how truly awful is the opponent of the candidate they're promoting."
At the risk of sounding accusing and unpleasant, I'd like to point out that those attack ads are only coming from one of the Presidential candidates. And he's spending a lot of money doing so. As USA Today reported in May, the Bush-Cheney campaign has spent nearly two-thirds of its ad budget on negative attacks.
Worse, the attacks are often factually wrong. The Washington Post ran a front-page story noting Bush's "Unprecedented Negativity: Scholars Say Campaign Is Making History With Often-Misleading Attacks."
Meanwhile, the Kerry campaign has taken a break from television ads entirely, preferring instead to concentrate on its coast-to-coast tour. So far, it looks like John Kerry is following the mandate he set for himself in Boston: "Republicans and Democrats must make this election a contest of big ideas, not small-minded attacks."
Here's hoping Kerry continues to take that high road. Maybe Bush will follow his example, for all of our sakes.
JB Lawton III
Dublin
------Second letter----------
To the Editor:
With all due respect to Mark Twain and Kevin Parks (ThisWeek, Aug 5, "It's the right time to turn to Twain"), not all of us interested in politics think our opponents are insane.
I don't think George W. Bush and the Republicans are insane. I think they are well-meaning individuals trying to do the right thing.
But after four years of one-party rule in Washington (and twelve years in Ohio), it would be insane to ignore the reality that the Republican approach isn't working. Let's look at the facts:
In 2000, the United States had a $5.6 trillion surplus; now we're facing a $3 trillion deficit, with no end in sight.
Since Bush took office, there has been a net loss of jobs, the first time that’s happened since Hoover was President Ohio alone has lost nearly 250,000 jobs.
Republican tax reform hasn’t worked either, particularly for the middle class, which has gotten squeezed. Five years ago, Ohio ranked 15th in the nation in overall tax burden. Now, we’re ranked 3rd.
I'm not going to vote for Kerry because I hate Bush. I'm voting for Kerry because I hate what Bush's policies have done. Things need to change.
Sincerely,
[Pseudonym]
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
Bush is coming to Columbus! Ask questions
Bush is coming to the Shriner's Temple here in Columbus this Thursday for an "Ask the President" dog-and-pony show. I just wrote a letter on the subject to the Columbus Dispatch. I'd encourage you to write your own version to the Dispatch and other local papers like Columbus Business First, This Week Community Newspapers, Suburban News Publications, and OSU's Lantern.
Looking for more information? Check out the Resource Links I've provided over to the right. And don't forget to follow my ten letter-writing tips. (Don't like mine? Look at the John Kerry Media Corps tips.)
-----------
Looking for more information? Check out the Resource Links I've provided over to the right. And don't forget to follow my ten letter-writing tips. (Don't like mine? Look at the John Kerry Media Corps tips.)
-----------
To the Editor:
George W. Bush is coming to Columbus on Thursday to hold an "Ask the President" event. Here are a few questions I'd like to ask:
- Do you think the 1300 workers who were laid off from the Timken Company a few weeks after you campaigned there would have any advice for the 300 workers who were just laid off when Techneglas closed its Columbus plant?
- Last month, the Dispatch reported that "Ohio has 231,700 fewer jobs today than when President Bush took office - including 173,300 fewer manufacturing jobs." When do you anticipate that Ohio will see the 485,000 jobs that were supposed to be created here from your tax cuts?
- According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 100,000 Ohioans have lost their health insurance since you took office. That brings us up to more than 1.2 million Ohioans who lack health insurance , a ten percent increase since 1999. Given all that, why haven't you proposed a real plan to bring down health care costs?
- According to the EPA, Ohio is the #1 state for air pollution in the entire U.S. and #2 state for levels of toxic mercury. Why are you gutting the Clean Air Act and making it easier for polluters to poison our kids?
Ten letter-writing tips
These are old hat to veteran writers of letters to the editor. But for those of you trying to get in the habit of writing a letter in this important election year, the following tips may be useful. (And if you don't like 'em, check out John Kerry's Media Corps site for other tips.)
1. Keep it short. Concise letters are more likely to see print. Try for under 100-150 words. 200 max.
2. Stick to a single subject. Deal with only one issue per letter. (Got more? Write another letter and have someone else send it in.)
3. Keep your cool. Don't be shrill or abusive. Always write as if your target audience is an intelligent, thoughtful person who can be persuaded by a good argument.
4. Organize your argument.
6. Defy stereotypes. Liberals get (mis)characterized as effete, godless, intellectuals who are out of touch with mainstream values. When appropriate, try some rhetorical jiujitsu by citing unexpected sources. For example, the Bible--and religion in general, for that matter--is a valuable resource that the Left underutilizes. Surprise your reader.
7. Provide your own headline. Use the subject line of your email to summarize your letter in a punchy way. The editor might decide to use it. Get your message out to even the casual reader skimming the editorial page.
8. Proofread. Editors usually clean up mistakes, but why take the chance?
9. Contact information.Always include your name, address, and day-time phone number so that the newspaper can verify that you wrote it.
10. Just write. Don't worry about perfection. Even if your letter isn't published, it can help sway an editor's opinion about whether to print another letter expressing your point of view.
Sample letter:
To the Editor:
Last Sunday, the Dispatch editorial ("A World Changing Election") noted that voters "will face a striking, historic choice on the issue of foreign policy." I could not agree more. George W. Bush's radical agenda of "preemption" has led to the deaths of nearly 600 American service men and women since he declared "mission accomplished" a year ago.
That death toll is only going to grow as more countries abandon the quagmire Iraq has become. John Kerry, a Vietnam veteran and decorated war hero, has spent his life fighting for this country and fighting against policies that needlessly sacrifice American lives. He has a plan to work with the United Nations to restore order to Iraq. For me, the choice in this November's elections is clear.
J.B. Lawton III
1234 Home Address
Columbus, OH 43221
614-123-4567
1. Keep it short. Concise letters are more likely to see print. Try for under 100-150 words. 200 max.
2. Stick to a single subject. Deal with only one issue per letter. (Got more? Write another letter and have someone else send it in.)
3. Keep your cool. Don't be shrill or abusive. Always write as if your target audience is an intelligent, thoughtful person who can be persuaded by a good argument.
4. Organize your argument.
- Begin by summarizing the point that prompts your letter. Ideally, this should be a specific article or editorial appearing in the newspaper. If so, mention the headline and date.
- State your own position.
- Provide example(s) to support your position. Use facts, figures, and independent experts whenever possible.
- Close with a short restatement of your position or pithy comment.
6. Defy stereotypes. Liberals get (mis)characterized as effete, godless, intellectuals who are out of touch with mainstream values. When appropriate, try some rhetorical jiujitsu by citing unexpected sources. For example, the Bible--and religion in general, for that matter--is a valuable resource that the Left underutilizes. Surprise your reader.
7. Provide your own headline. Use the subject line of your email to summarize your letter in a punchy way. The editor might decide to use it. Get your message out to even the casual reader skimming the editorial page.
8. Proofread. Editors usually clean up mistakes, but why take the chance?
9. Contact information.Always include your name, address, and day-time phone number so that the newspaper can verify that you wrote it.
10. Just write. Don't worry about perfection. Even if your letter isn't published, it can help sway an editor's opinion about whether to print another letter expressing your point of view.
Sample letter:
To the Editor:
Last Sunday, the Dispatch editorial ("A World Changing Election") noted that voters "will face a striking, historic choice on the issue of foreign policy." I could not agree more. George W. Bush's radical agenda of "preemption" has led to the deaths of nearly 600 American service men and women since he declared "mission accomplished" a year ago.
That death toll is only going to grow as more countries abandon the quagmire Iraq has become. John Kerry, a Vietnam veteran and decorated war hero, has spent his life fighting for this country and fighting against policies that needlessly sacrifice American lives. He has a plan to work with the United Nations to restore order to Iraq. For me, the choice in this November's elections is clear.
J.B. Lawton III
1234 Home Address
Columbus, OH 43221
614-123-4567
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
Words to use
As I mentioned in the last post, I attended a training at the Ohio Democratic Party. Session presenters also offered a list of specific messages and relevant facts that have been tested and polled. These work, particularly with undecided Ohio voters .
Feel free to use them. But also personalize them for your own reference. Filling out the following list can help.
Local job losses or company closures:
People you know who have lost jobs:
Local taxes rising because of state and federal cuts:
Local tuition increases:
Families whose health care costs have increased:
School Districts on the ballot because of cuts:
Education programs cut:
ONE-PARTY RULE HAS FAILED OHIO'S JOBS & ECONOMY
Protecting American jobs should be our top priority!
FACT : Since George W. Bush took office, Ohio has lost 250,000 jobs , while the United States has lost over 3 million jobs .
FACT : George W. Bush supports eliminating overtime for 8 million Americans--almost half a million in Ohio alone!
ONE-PARTY RULE AND THE GEORGE W. BUSH LEGACY FOR OHIO:
* $94 million lost for health care in Ohio.
* $50 million lost for police and security in Ohio.
MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES NEED A BREAK!
The middle class in America carries much more than its fair share of the tax burden. We need real tax cuts in America that help the middle class, not tax breaks for the top 1% of millionaires. We need to start by closing corporate loopholes that benefit only large corporations.
FACT : Five years ago, Ohio ranked 15th in the U.S. in overall tax burden.
The Bush Middle Class Tax Shift:
After 12 years of one-party rule and four years of George W. Bush, Ohio ranks 3rd in overall tax burden . We need tax fairness . 2.5 million Ohio taxpayers will get less than $100 in Bush tax breaks in 2004, while the richest 1% of Ohioans will get a $37,910 Bush tax break.
In 2001, six of Ohio's largest corporations paid only $50 in Ohio taxes.
OUR HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE SKYROCKETING!
Under George W. Bush, Ohioans are losing prescription drug benefits, health care insurance coverage and, worst of all--our veterans are facing cuts in health care services.
FACT : George W. Bush's Medicare bill is a big win for Drug Companies.
FACT : Health care and Veterans should never be sacrificed. George W. Bush has:
George W. Bush left Ohio's children behind when he slashed 130 million dollars in education funding to the state.
FACT : George W. Bush has cut over $3 million for educating children in rural schools .
FACT : George W. Bush cut $2.7 million in teacher quality programs .
FACT : George W. Bush cut $10 million for low-income college student scholarships .
Feel free to use them. But also personalize them for your own reference. Filling out the following list can help.
Local job losses or company closures:
People you know who have lost jobs:
Local taxes rising because of state and federal cuts:
Local tuition increases:
Families whose health care costs have increased:
School Districts on the ballot because of cuts:
Education programs cut:
ONE-PARTY RULE HAS FAILED OHIO'S JOBS & ECONOMY
Protecting American jobs should be our top priority!
FACT : Since George W. Bush took office, Ohio has lost 250,000 jobs , while the United States has lost over 3 million jobs .
FACT : George W. Bush supports eliminating overtime for 8 million Americans--almost half a million in Ohio alone!
ONE-PARTY RULE AND THE GEORGE W. BUSH LEGACY FOR OHIO:
- 250,000 Ohio jobs lost!
- Ohio now ranks 3rd in the U.S. in overall tax burden!
- The Clinton 5.6 trillion dollar national surplus that Bush inherited is now a 3 trillion dollar deficit!
- Millions of dollars in aid to Ohio cut including:
* $94 million lost for health care in Ohio.
* $50 million lost for police and security in Ohio.
MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES NEED A BREAK!
The middle class in America carries much more than its fair share of the tax burden. We need real tax cuts in America that help the middle class, not tax breaks for the top 1% of millionaires. We need to start by closing corporate loopholes that benefit only large corporations.
FACT : Five years ago, Ohio ranked 15th in the U.S. in overall tax burden.
The Bush Middle Class Tax Shift:
After 12 years of one-party rule and four years of George W. Bush, Ohio ranks 3rd in overall tax burden . We need tax fairness . 2.5 million Ohio taxpayers will get less than $100 in Bush tax breaks in 2004, while the richest 1% of Ohioans will get a $37,910 Bush tax break.
In 2001, six of Ohio's largest corporations paid only $50 in Ohio taxes.
OUR HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE SKYROCKETING!
Under George W. Bush, Ohioans are losing prescription drug benefits, health care insurance coverage and, worst of all--our veterans are facing cuts in health care services.
FACT : George W. Bush's Medicare bill is a big win for Drug Companies.
- 150,000 Ohioans will lose employer-based benefits .
- 200,000 Ohioans will pay more for prescriptions.
FACT : Health care and Veterans should never be sacrificed. George W. Bush has:
- Proposed a new $250 enrollment fee for veterans .
- Tried to double veterans' co-pays for prescription drugs.
- Proposed closing seven V.A. Hospitals --including one in Ohio that serves 48,000 residents .
George W. Bush left Ohio's children behind when he slashed 130 million dollars in education funding to the state.
FACT : George W. Bush has cut over $3 million for educating children in rural schools .
FACT : George W. Bush cut $2.7 million in teacher quality programs .
FACT : George W. Bush cut $10 million for low-income college student scholarships .
Words to avoid
Some time ago, I attended a media training session at the Ohio Democratic Party headquarters here in Columbus. The training confirmed what we've always known: The next President of the United States is going to be chosen by the 6-10% of voters who still haven't made up their minds yet.
So how do we convince them to vote for John Kerry and the Democrats?
Drawing upon polling and research done here in Ohio, session presenters offered some valuable tips on the arguments and rhetoric that can turn an undecided voter off or on. Consider the points below as you write your letters to editors and talk to undecided voters. They work.
WORDS TO AVOID
WORDS TO USE
So how do we convince them to vote for John Kerry and the Democrats?
Drawing upon polling and research done here in Ohio, session presenters offered some valuable tips on the arguments and rhetoric that can turn an undecided voter off or on. Consider the points below as you write your letters to editors and talk to undecided voters. They work.
WORDS TO AVOID
- Republican
- Democrat
- Any "tax and spend" rhetoric
- Words that buy into or repeat Republican rhetoric
- Words that feed into rhetoric about "waste and big government"
- Attacking the rich without attaching a value such as greediness or unfairness
- Attacking the Bush tax cut without providing an alternative for swing voters
- Attacking people instead of issues
WORDS TO USE
- Any discussion of the Middle Class, including giving them a break
- Terms about values
- Need to play fair with those who work hard and play by the rules
- When people work hard, they should be able to earn enough to send time with their families and children
- Protect us against greed
- The unfairness of "one-party" rule
- Close corporate loopholes
- Target tax cuts for families who pay more than their fair share
- Protect overtime pay
Ohio newspaper links
Here are links to some key Ohio papers: Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Post, Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Akron Beacon Journal, Canton Repository, Columbus Business First, This Week Community Newspapers, Suburban News Publications, and OSU's Lantern.
