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Metaphor time. What you’re looking at is a standard configuration for connecting a Local Access Network to the Internet. See all the happy servers on one end, the internet on the other, and a firewall in between. The firewall, of course, prevents unwanted intrusion by acting as gatekeeper for the “ports” that allow information to flow back and forth between the two. Generally, they are programmed to block virtually any passage through these ports, except for a few key services delivering “safe” sorts of information, and allowing for “safe” interaction.
In this analogy, the firewall is the traditional media, the servers are all us happy voters sitting at home, and the internet is the Symington campaign – or for that matter, the Parker campaign or the Clavelle campaign. Unlike internet firewalls, though, we don’t have access to the filters, so we’re stuck with it as is. And the result is a skewed picture of what’s really going on.
Many weeks back, I was among those wondering where the Symington campaign was. They started late, but the realities of the election make no accommodations for such inconveniences. Nowadays, I haven’t been joining in those calls because I check their website every day and I know what they’re doing. And it would surprise a lot of people, I suspect, to see just how much is going on. |
From the Symington website:
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9-11 Education Focus of Debate (Free Press) |
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9-11 Symington Unveils New Education Plan (VT Press Bureau) |
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9-10 Symington Program will Send More Kids to College |
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9-9 Democratic Governors Association Congratulates Symington |
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9-9 Douglas More Concerned with PR than Truth (Reformer) |
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9-8 Symington Calls on Douglas to Pull His Ads (VPR) |
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Burlington-DFA Endorses Symington! |
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9-5 Bridge Closure More Proof of Douglas’ Failures |
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9-3 Telecom Goals Stir Debate (VT Press Bureau) |
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9-2 Symington Stresses Importance of Labor Day (Politicker) |
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8-29 Democrats Rally for Obama and Symington (WCAX) |
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8-28 Budget Cuts Approved; Symington Criticizes Douglas for Preserving PR Jobs (AP) |
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8-27 Douglas Wrong to Choose Public Relations Over Public Services |
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8-26 “She’s for Symington” Will Help Campaign Spread Message of Change |
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8-25 Symington Maintains Strong Fundraising Pace |
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8-24 Symington in Denver for Convention (WCAX) |
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8-22 Symington Warns of Worsening Budget Problem; Says Douglas Must Offer Long Term Plan (AP) |
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8-21 Symington Says Douglas Must Level with Vermonters on Potential $100 million Deficit |
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8-21 Symington Challenges Accuracy of Douglas Ads (Free Press) |
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8-20 Symington Launches “Fact Check” Project; Calls on Douglas to Cease making False Claims |
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8-19 Wind Energy Proposal Should Be Addressed (Free Press) |
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8-18 Symington Praised for Determination (Free Press) |
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8-14 Symington Offers Offender Plan (Vermont Press Bureau) |
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8-13 Symington Releases Five-Point Plan on Sex Crimes |
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8-11 Douglas Tricks Press and Public with Distractions (Reformer) |
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8-10 Symington Makes Strong Case for Wind (Rutland Herald) |
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8-7 Symington Says Wind is Energy Answer (Rutland Herald) |
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8-6 Symington Calls for 20% Wind Power in Ten Years |
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8-5 Symington Says Douglas Has Power to Staff Sex Crimes Units and Should Do So Immediately |
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8-4 Symington Releases Radio Ad on New Energy Ideas |
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7-31 Symington Sets Strong Fundraising Pace |
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7-29 Douglas Uses Outrageous Tactics (Free Press) |
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7-29 Douglas’ Motives Are Questionable (Free Press) |
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7-28 Douglas Wrong to Saddle Vermonters with More Debt |
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7-28 Douglas Shuts “Eyes and Ears” of Vermonters Out Of Vermont Yankee (Brattleboro Reformer) |
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7-24 Symington on the Issues (Manchester Journal) |
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7-21 Symington Petitions Show Broad Support |
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7-21 Governors Race Kickoff Debate Proves Feisty (VT Press Bureau) |
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7-18 Politicking A Tragedy (Brattleboro Reformer) |
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7-17 Tough Questions From Symington (The Valley News) |
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7-15 Symington Calls Douglas to Task in Bennett Case (VPR/AP) |
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7-14 Symington Calls For Investigation of Jacques Early Release |
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7-11 Symington on Leak in VT Yankee Cooling System |
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7-10 Symington Announces Roadmap To Energy Independence |
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7-8 Symington Says Douglas Moving Slowly on Weatherization (VPR) |
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7/6 Douglas Takes Credit He Doesn’t Deserve (Free Press) |
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7/3 Symington Works for Positive Social Change (Politicker) |
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7/2 Symington Slams Douglas at Forum (Brattleboro Reformer) |
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6/30 Symington Calls for Debates in All 14 Counties |
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6/27 Strike Three for Douglas on Lake Clean-up |
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6/27 Douglas, Symington Spar Over Property Taxes |
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6/26 Douglas Blame Shift on Property Taxes Won’t Work |
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6/25 Gubernatorial Candidates See Different Reasons for Layoffs – Free Press |
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6/20 Symington Statement on Taylor Street Bridge, Montpelier |
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6/19 Symington Statement on Douglas Re-election Campaign |
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6/12 Symington Counters Douglas on Efficiency Plan – VPR |
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6/18 Douglas Launches Campaign – Associated Press |
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6/12 RELEASE: Symington Calls for Emergency Meeting of Joint Fiscal Committee |
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6/12 Statement from House Speaker Gaye Symington |
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6/12 Symington’s “Shift Vermont Into Gear” Campaign Comes to Thunder Road |
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6/4 After Six Years Lake Champlain Clean-Up is Stuck in Neutral |
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5/31 Democrat Gaye Symington Wraps Up Tour WCAX |
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Three-way race raises prospect of lawmakers picking governor |
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Speaker Symington emphasizes jobs, energy in her run for governor |
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Symington campaign strategy: Hold Douglas accountable for his record |
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Press releases almost every day, and a variety of them. From reactive tidbits to proactive policy announcements. Yet, even others on the left are oft heard to refer to Pollina as the “only candidate talking about issues,” which is nonsense. Like them or hate them, Symington has more specific programmatic proposals than any of the candidates.
The problem is what the problem always is – the information is not breaching the media firewall.
And when something does get through, you never know what it’ll be. Barely a mention of Symington’s energy plan proposals, but plenty of ink this week on her plan to help more kids afford college. Mainly, though, it’s that very little gets through.
Why? Part of its simple personpower. Again, the ranks of the political press corps are depleted. Also, as we know, the press has in the past been inclined to protect Jim Douglas, and although they’ve come a long way from the dark days of AP’s Chris Graff, the Freeps editorial, and Marselis Parsons setting the bar for the whole lot of them, we’re not completely beyond that.
Also, a lot of the political reporters respond to what they find interesting – and a lot of times, as with a lot of us, dry policy stuff kind of bounces off.
The thing is, when the reporters just let themselves give in to that impulse and allow things to bounce off that they find boring, it feeds a narrative – an impression – that Symington isn’t doing anything.
As I said, this is nothing new. And as I said two years ago, the most comprehensive way to confront it is to start the campaign early and build a movement-style, self-sufficent ground game community by community. That’s been our strength in the past, and we’ve forgotten that, even as we’ve seen it in rather dramatic play with the Obama campaign and Dean’s amazing surge-from-nowhere before that. Building a grassroots movement does two things: it makes the movement the story, rather than the policy checklist (reporters dig that), but it also builds the candidate into a credible threat – and the press loves a horserace. A lot of the lack of coverage reflects the fact that the press decided a long time ago that Symington can’t win (again, something they do every year) so they find her boring. A self-fulfilling prophecy if ever there was one.
But by starting so late, Symington had no chance of that. Which means the way she can break the logjam in the coming weeks is to keep doing what they’re doing (just to break even and keep from losing ground) and try to break into the news cycles in creative ways. I agree with the poster who said there should have been a press conference AT the closed Richmond bridge right away. Supportive groups can also make news (news that the press will find more intersting than campaign press releases), and when they do, Symington should be right there. VSEA’s recent Douglas-administration email disclosures, for example.
And new media can help – but only so much (and not that much in Vermont – at least not yet). The problem is, blogs and new media are still largely dependent on that firewall. Oh, sure – we do our own amateur “journalism” sometimes (Nate’s bridge video, for example), but for the most part, we’re stuck with what gets through that filter as well. To continue the analogy, here’s another image:
Consider GMD to be in “Server A” in the DMZ.
But the big way you break through the conversation at this point is paid media – which also buys some limited earned media as well. There’s probably still time for targeted media buys, but the problem here is money – they cost a lot, and Symington isn’t raising any. Honestly, I’m not sure why I haven’t been receiving an email ask every week from Symington. I’m not even sure if I’ve received one, frankly.
One thing (and again, its getting kind of late for this) that can be effective is a menu-based fundraising strategy. If you need a commercial, crank out the web ads (which can be done in house) on a regular basis to get people coming to your website. Then, if you need money for a media buy – put the professionally developed ad on the web (and linked via email) and ask people to contribute specifically to get the ad up and on the air. It’s a good way to involve your supporters in a tangible way and it can excite your supporters, as well as give them some reassurance that things are happening at the HQ.
Clearly, there’s a need for creativity, as – at this point – the odds are still long, but its far from a done deal (especially – especially – when you remember that legislative option if Douglas doesn’t reach that 50% threshold…).