Letters at 3AM
How to beat Bush
BY MICHAEL VENTURA
1) MONEY – A crucial fact of this presidential election received little attention when reported by the Associated Press on March 18: As of March 1, the Kerry campaign had $2.4 million in the bank, against $7.7 million in campaign debts. That's a shortfall of $5.3 million. Contrast the Bush campaign's bank account on March 1: $110 million. A 115-to-nothing advantage. The New York Times reports that "so far, Mr. Bush's campaign has spent nearly $20 million in advertisements while Mr. Kerry has spent nearly $2 million." A 10-to-1 disparity. Kerry can't win that way. Everyone who feels that the re-election of George W. Bush would be catastrophic to the economy, the Bill of Rights, and the safety of the world had better get serious and put their money on the table. The Kerry campaign and advocacy groups such as MoveOn need all the money we can spare from now through the fall, when federal financing kicks in. As Howard Dean's campaign proved, small contributions are important. Anyone who can afford 5 or 10 dollars must contribute 5 or 10 dollars. Anyone who can afford more must contribute more. And continue contributing as often as possible. There's more to elections than voting. Especially this time. We can complain all we want about fat cats and corporate contributors, but unless we act, it's their election.
2) ADVERTISING ON THE CHEAP – As Thomas Pynchon wrote, "If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." The Bush crowd excels at getting folks to ask the wrong questions. How can a financially outnumbered Kerry campaign keep the real questions in focus?
Television is the most but not the only powerful medium. Cheaper venues, used cleverly, can effectively keep key issues in the foreground of the national debate. This could prove crucial in an election that may be split literally down the middle. Anything that can influence even a few people might decide the outcome. For example:
In the election of 2000, three states were decided by less than 1% of the vote: Florida for Bush, Iowa and New Mexico for Gore. Three were decided by 1%: New Hampshire for Bush, Wisconsin and Oregon for Gore. Minnesota went to Gore by 2%, Missouri to Bush by 3%, Nevada and Ohio to Bush by 4%, and Pennsylvania to Gore by 4%. Eight of these states have lost jobs under Bush, and the biggest losers – Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Missouri – total 52 electoral votes. Bush is more than vulnerable, he's beatable. But Kerry and the advocacy groups will not be able to match Bush's television onslaught ad for ad. And Bush owns right-wing radio.
Obviously, there must be as many pro-Kerry and anti-Bush television spots as possible, but other venues are necessary. For instance: Every day, urban and suburban Americans drive slowly through rush-hour traffic jams to and from work. Those routes could be plastered with billboards (the cheapest form of public advertising). Keep the billboards simple: on a black background, white letters that read (one sentence per billboard), HEY, BUSH – WHAT ABOUT OUR JOBS?; HEY, BUSH – WHAT ABOUT SOCIAL SECURITY?; HEY, BUSH – WHAT ABOUT MEDICARE?; HEY, BUSH – WHERE ARE THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION?; HEY, BUSH – WHAT ABOUT HOMELAND SECURITY?; HEY, BUSH – WHAT ABOUT THESE GAS PRICES? At the same time, in the rush-hour time slots, run 10- to 30-second radio spots with "just folks" voices giving clear succinct facts that address the questions drivers are seeing on the billboards. Such as: "Ohio has lost 225,700 jobs under President Bush, and he has yet to tell us anything specific about what he intends to do about it."
more:http://www.austinchronicle.com/issues/dispatch/2004-04-02/cols_ventura... 
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