( – promoted by NanuqFC)
As a candidate, I think about messaging a lot. I’ve tried to keep my messaging positive. We have buttons and T-Shirts and stickers that say “I Like Mike”. Makes some people think of Facebook, which is good for me, if they’re on Facebook. Makes some people think of the very likable Eisenhower campaign messaging in a nostalgic and positive way. I hope it makes people think of me as a friendly candidate that they come to with their concerns and questions.
When I first saw that a “Pure Vermont” tour was coming to St. Albans as part of Brian Dubie’s campaign I thought of white supremacists, the Spanish Inquisition and a host of other unsavory associations. Then I started to think about it some more and things really got scary.
I thought “Pure Vermont” must be referring to Brian Dubie, the man. He’s a likable, good looking Vermonter. He’s the kind of guy some folks would “like to have a beer with”. Remember where it got us the last time we voted on likability over substance?
Wait a minute though. Haven’t I seen virtually billboard-sized campaign signs for B-Dubs sprouting up on barns and on the corner by the interstate off-ramp at Exit 19? Maybe that’s the Dubie campaign’s vision of a “Pure Vermont”. They must really understand that the bigger the sign is, the better it blends in with the natural beauty of our rolling countryside.
When it comes to campaign finance, it’s hard for anyone not to tap their friends from out of state for help buying lawn signs and other expensive collateral. My Aunts in Delaware and California both sent me a little contribution for my campaign. Brian Dubie’s campaign contributions are particularly interesting. I take the PhARMA contribution as a sign of what’s to come of health care reform if Mr. Dubie is elected. Sounds like “Pure Vermont” to me, if you want drug manufacturers to decide who gets what drugs and how much they cost.
A fascinating summary of Shumlin and Dubie contributors here:
http://vtdigger.org/2010/09/16…
I also think that the “Pure Vermont” slogan doesn’t work so well for a campaign that is so obviously engineered by out-of-state consultants. It’s no secret that Harris Media based in Austin, TX was instrumental in crafting Dubie’s slick, but somehow still down-home campaign look and feel. “Pure Vermont” is a good slogan for this campaign, if your vision for Vermont’s future means spending your dollars importing ideas from out-of-state.
In all seriousness, who buys that Brian Dubie’s campaign can be described as “Pure Vermont”? When choosing a campaign slogan I think it’s best to think about how people will take it once they sit with it for a while.
This does not make you look rational.
…to a little jealousy that Mike’s post has garnered more comment and debate than mine below… ;-P
This is, after all, a blog; which is an appropriate place for reflection and discussion. I do not get the impression that Mike intends to pursue Dubie on this, so there is no need to get the strategy engine in gear, guys.
I also have to say that my immediate reaction to the Dubie slogan was the same as Mike’s. “Purity tests,” “purity pledges,” “purity drives”…the word “pure” is loaded with baggage that connotes intolerance and exclusion for me. Perhaps it is generational; but then, Mike is a couple of generations younger than me.
No doubt Brian Dubie himself sees only the humorous reference to syrup labelling; but I have a hunch some of his DC handlers are aware of the sophisticated subliminals they are telegraphing to the extreme right who have become so significant to this election cycle throughout the country. It rings all the right bells for them without implicating Dubie in anything more than an innocent joke: immigration, Christian values, Yankee Doodle fundamentalism.
That’s what I hear in “Pure Vermont.”
…I do get the notion of dog whistle communication. It’s clearly intended to keep the base rabid, and sadly much is still very into, uh…”purity”.
Case in point, the only person who refused to sign my petition this spring was the GOP chair in our town. He didn’t think ballot access was important, and after rejecting my request proceeded to go on a rant about all the “non-whites” coming to Vermont and all the cry babies who want money.
I turned around and Ericka was already halfway down this driveway with Sam in the stroller. She was right: there was no point in engaging that guy since he his reality is the code words.
“I don’t think Dubie is a bad person, just picked a bad slogan and some unfortunate stances on the issues.”
Which shows a huge problem on the part of Dubie’s ability to think things through. Of course, his handlers down in Austin, Texas, or wherever they are, have probably studied the state and are working on the old native versus flatlander thing to come up with votes. Yet, it is probably not far off to say that a great many Dubie supporters are flatlanders with second homes here that do not want to see their property taxes go up — a strange notion since Douglas/Dubie tried to raise property taxes.