There Are Other Ways To Campaign. Maybe We Can Take Some Lessons
By Thomas D. Segel (10/27/08)
Harlingen, Texas, October 24, 2008: Texas has an early voting law. That gave me the opportunity to hold my nose more tightly than in most elections, visit the polls and cast my ballot for the least offensive candidate running. I did this with the hope it would help rid my mind of almost two years filled with false statements, verbal bribes, race baiting, class warfare, back stabbing, political lies and enough bovine excrement to fertilize all crops on the planet.
Sadly, this country seems to have reached a stage in its development where civil discourse is no longer possible. To many people it appears to be open warfare between the haves and have-nots. Campaigning has also progressed to a stage where “party” seems to be more important than principle and winning is more important than doing the right thing for the country.
Perhaps things would change for the better if we formulated a common sense or “Roberts Rules of Order” way of campaigning. The political landscape might improve even more if we could develop a system where average guy, “Joe the Plumber” types could effectively run for office and have some chance of winning an election. As things stand today only the very rich and political elite even have a chance to reach high office.
I lived for some years in Japan. During my stay in that country I always had a chuckle at the way the Japanese ran political campaigns. To these western eyes their approach to elections was quite comical. Today, I reflect back on what I remember and it doesn’t seem so strange. In fact, we might be able to learn a few things from Japanese campaigning.
First of all, their campaigns are quite short. During the years I lived in Tokyo, the actual campaign was limited to four months.
Political parties may run advertising in the media stating their specific platforms. When the campaign season starts, those ads can no longer be run. The individual candidates are not allowed to advertise on television or in the print media. This is to keep the elections open to all and not dominated by the rich.
There is a fixed dollar amount that candidates can spend on their campaigns. There are a specific number of campaign posters, brochures or other handouts that can be purchased and used. I even recall an election where one candidate’s posters were all removed because he violated the rules and printed them too large.
Candidates are not allowed to go door to door seeking votes. They are not allowed to enter businesses. They cannot have campaign buttons with their photograph displayed. No telephone campaigning or email solicitation is allowed. T-Shirts advocating a candidate cannot be worn.
In Japan every person running for office wears a sash with his name and party printed across its face. The candidate must stand in a public place and speak to the general public when seeking votes. This is usually in front of a train station because most people in Japan travel by train. The person running for office has little time to reach the fast moving crowd, so he usually just keeps repeating his name over and over again and asks for votes.
The only thing there is no limit on is talking, so every candidate has a large van or truck equipped with big speakers. They all drive the streets of the city with loud speakers blaring out their particular campaign pitch. This goes on constantly, early morning until dark.
They can also send volunteers into neighborhoods to inform residents a candidate will speak and ask people to attend. Then in some open space, the truck will pull up; the candidate will stand in the bed of the vehicle and recite his rationale for running.
It is my understanding that things are changing a bit in Japan today. In the past, candidates would tell their audiences that they knew nothing about politics or the issues, but if elected they would study hard and learn. This was to show they were not self centered or arrogant. They all wore white gloves while campaigning as a symbol of having clean hands. Today the white gloves seem to be gone and candidates are getting a bit more boastful.
I’m sure we will never see the day when gutter politics and yammering at us until we are brain dead come to an end. But, wouldn’t it be great to have no television ads, no radio messages, no late night telephone calls, no printed distortions and an end to multi-million dollar political campaigns? Four months of loud speakers sure beats two years of blather.
Semper Fidelis,
Thomas D. Segel
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