Edwards has announced during his announcement tour that he’s decided to run a grassroots campaign. As far as this crowd went today, it’s just in the nick of time because people that I talked to are at the point that they want to start doing stuff now.
We’re all just so sick of it all and there’s no cure for apathy and cynicism like a cause or a mission or something that you can be involved in outside of your job or your home. Maybe more cow-bell is the only prescription for your fever, but you might want to consider the Edwards alternative.
If you could make a difference in just one person’s life then you’re cured.
But you came for video, n’est ce pas? First-up the new webisode:
Video: Episode 4: The Plug
It’s a show with all the behind the scenes footage for The Daily Show appearance last November. Closing line from Edwards:
A politician on TV giving his website couldn’t sound more like a used car salesman. That’s the truth. It’s about as bad as it gets.
Another nice one guys, thanks a lot and keep ’em coming.
Nothing worse than a shameless plug. I agree.
So this is just a teaser vlog diary. I’ll have everything, you know me and I mean everything, up tomorrow morning-ish.
Video: Edwards Town Hall NH – Buzz Clip (4:22)
This buzz clip comes to us from a self-professed “senior citizen nearly twice removed,” a UNITE Here member and President of the local 361 union, Evelyn. She had a great exchange with the Senator during the Q & A. He asked her a question right back, he blew her a kiss at the end and at one point he even said to her, “No ma’am, I’m not going to ask your age. I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid.” Evelyn hooked up with me on the way out to give me her impressions and whatnot.
Thank you so much for speaking with me Evelyn, you stole the show – somewhat. Our boy did okay too. See ya round.
The catch fire thing? Maybe overstated? I dunno. But if I had to predict NH is going to be an intense battle in the grassroots. They’re poised on both sides of the State Line, the one with Massachusetts, to turn the primary into a really exciting experience on the ground.
In NH, you have a whole crew that just ran the Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes congressional races. I know that Carol Shea-Porter was there today with her “our offices are in the streets contingent.” They ran her primary without DCCC support for 30K and won. Then they took out incumbent Jeb Bradley in a surprise victory. By which I mean that Shea-Porter surprised everyone by doing what she needed to do. She turned out her vote on election day and that takes organization and she had it in the grassroots.
In Massachusetts, we have another grassroots campaign that came out of nowhere and dominated in what seemed to be a competitive race at the outset in the Deval Patrick campaign. It seemed to be competitive until the volunteer organizations behind Patrick turned it around for the Caucuses in late winter of 2006 and never looked back. In my town alone, the phone-banking, canvassing and visibilities started in June and July for the September primary. People stood in the rain to hold a sign for an hour two months before the candidates even had their first televised debate for the Primary. The intensity started locally all over the towns and cities and it just became a huge bonfire by the time the general campaign hit in the fall. Healey outspent Patrick by what? 20 million to 4 million? It wasn’t even close. And I bet you they spent a million on Deval signs alone.
In the last month of the campaign I worked in a local office here in my hometown with people just like me that “didn’t do this kind of thing a lot.” We were all inspired by a candidate with a message of hope, opportunity and engagement. Patrick had that essential element in his message and it fit him like a glove because of his life story. He had credibility and smarts. He had passion and vision, but he also had respect for the average people living out in the towns and cities that could turn the whole thing around for him. And in then end, they came through for Patrick. You know that Patrick, “he can’t win.” The grassroots won it for him and the party establishment in MA never saw it coming.
Where did all that passion come from? Where does all that passion go when the election is over?
I’m just asking because I don’t have a shrink or a cow-bell.
Full vlog is coming up in the AM.
