NY-26: Jack Davis A "Brand New Man"

Candidate, Where Art Thou? (0.00 / 0)

   After the stunt at the Greece Gas station, this song puts Jack's campaign squarely in 1930's Mississippi.  All he needs is the white suit and hat to be Pappy O'Daniel. http://thebatavian.com/blogs/r...


  Don't judge other people by your own limitations.

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by: RussElba @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 07:39:06 AM CDT

Too much money will buy you pure crap (0.00 / 0)

There's this, and then there is Golisano's PR on how he would pick which candidates to give millions to (complete with misspellings and incorrectly-used words).... and anybody looking at Treadwell's ads very hard is sure to notice how lousy they are.  Too much money in politics doesn't just distort the political process, it also subjects us to truly awful PR.  That's because people with skill tend to also have a little bit of self-respect and not want to sell out to plutocrats like that.

So, what are we left with?  Pidgeon, and whatever talentless hack wrote that ridiculous ditty you quote.  Cultural degradation, causing people to turn off to the political process.

Clean Money, Clean Elections!

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by: robinia @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 08:33:39 AM CDT

Money & PR (0.00 / 0)

One way of looking at it:

Publicity is an art.  As with any art, there are many hacks out there, pretending to be artists.  In the case of publicists, the odd thing is that so many of those hacks are quite good at selling themselves (pun intended).

Having money usually means one of two things -- either you were lucky enough to get it the old-fashioned way, or you have an expertise in something.  Either way, the odds that any given wealthy person knows anything about communicating a message to the general public are slim and none, and Slim's generally on vacation.

So Jack Davis got hoodwinked.

Another way of looking at it:

We are so angry at Davis for getting the millionaire's amendment struck down, and so caught up in our elitest, liberal ways, that we don't know how the upstate New York, working-class mind works.

So we laugh at this jingle, and talk about how stupid it is, but the voters of the 26th district will not only remember the jingle, they'll see our reaction and have the predictable "equal and opposite reaction."

Which way is right?

That's a good question.  We'll find out in 6 1/2 weeks.

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by: Dan Jacoby @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 10:28:14 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

This jingle (0.00 / 0)

Being from this district, I can tell you that a self-loathing jingle isn't going to cut it with the voters of NY-26. Will they remember it? Possibly. That is, if they heard it.

I had one candidate for office once tell me that he raises all this money knowing that he won't need to spend it all but he spends it anyway, buying signs, t-shirts, buttons, bumper stickers, etc. The things people want.

Jack Davis is the same way. He spent well over $300,000 in the last quarter. And for what? A bunch of mailers, television and radio ads and overpaying campaign staff. But hey, it's his money. And he's using it.

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by: robert.harding @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 10:54:54 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Like Tonto said to the Lone Ranger when surrounded by Indians.... (0.00 / 0)

"Who's we, white man?"  

If having crooked teeth, not being able to afford college until I was in my late 40's, eating venison because I can't afford to buy meat, and working construction for a decade makes me "elitist".... well, was there some rule that anybody a bit to the left was automatically well-paid?  'Cuz I wanna know where you sign up for that.

News flash: you don't have to be stupid and illiterate to be working class.  Plenty of working class people are liberal, too.

I am the "upstate NY working class mind," and I know how my mind works (quite nicely, thanks).  When you insult people's intelligence, they feel... well, insulted.  Jack's getting ripped off by talentless hacks. The ditty is dumb.  You don't need an upper-middle-class background to tell.

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by: robinia @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 15:19:56 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Steel toed boots (0.00 / 0)

   Anybody else think there's a segment of the rural community that's gonna wanna pull a Toby Keith on Jack Davis for screwin' up a Brooks and Dunn classic?

  Do I have 'kicker cred, or what?

  Don't judge other people by your own limitations.

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by: RussElba @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 15:31:20 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Remember, It's a Primary (4.00 / 2)

scandal/handle?
bone/home?

Somebody's really working the rhyming dictionary.

The Jack Davis campaign is a textbook mis-application of political techniques.  He's using general-election mass-market ads to try to win what will probably be a very low turnout primary.  Jack needs to convince hard-core Dems, who will be the folks voting, to pull for him.  Those people are generally not the kind of low-information voter who responds to cheesy direct mail, stunts calculated to make the evening news, and moronic jingles like this one.

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by: rottenchester @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 11:56:31 AM CDT

Huh? (0.00 / 0)

How can a man of Jack's "advanced" age re-image himself as a "brand new man?" On another note, I know Davis has money, but running a 60 second commercial on the radio can't be very cheap...I guess I won't put anything past 'Ol Jack "I'm Richer Than You" Davis after the gas station stunt

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by: blueyork05 @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 14:37:13 PM CDT

What people are saying (0.00 / 0)

   After just now returning from a Powers voter identification canvass in the village of Warsaw, Wyoming County, and having canvassed in a couple other rural villages, it doesn't sound like much of what Jack is putting out there is getting through.  It may not seem like a large number in many areas, but I've personally spoken with well over one hundred registered Democratic voters and can honestly say that less than 5 (yes, five) have said they plan on voting for Jack Davis.  Even those who may not be overly familiar with Jon Powers had no intention of voting for Davis.  People know he's a millionaire and they know he's a two-time loser.  Jack's the John McCain in this race; whatever base he has is nowhere near as excited as is Powers'  base.  

  Occasionally I pose the question to people at their door; "Have you seen any Davis supporters?".  The answer, without fail, is a quick and definite, "No".  

  People recognize Jack's shtick and its not working.  

  Don't judge other people by your own limitations.

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by: RussElba @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 14:55:08 PM CDT

Coulda been worse (0.00 / 0)

At least he didn't set it to the tune of "Friends In Low Places."

I'm curious as to what Brooks & Dunn think of the Davis campaign's butchering their song, too.

The song that I think best sums up the Davis campaign is not a country tune, but rather a 2004 punk rock smash hit: Green Day's "American Idiot."  Touche!

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by: Soundpolitic @ Sat Jul 26, 2008 at 15:12:19 PM CDT

Jack Davis shall now be called "Bob Roberts" (0.00 / 0)

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by: JML @ Sun Jul 27, 2008 at 18:29:20 PM CDT