What the campaigns intend to say is only part of the story. More interesting is what videos reveal.
There are four Democratic candidates for the position. Julian Bell, Athena Goldberg, Jeff Golden, Kevin Stine. Bell, Goldberg, and Stine have campaign videos. Golden has an archive from his TV show.
Their videos reveal something about the character and political assumptions of each candidate. Today we will look at Julian Bell, with the others to follow in alphabetical order.
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| Click Here: Introduction Video |
Julian Bell
Julian Bell is a physician in Ashland. His first video was an introduction. Bell spends little time describing himself, his history, political values. He says, "I'm a doctor, I work in an intensive care unit." and then he bangs right into his motivation. He has a political position to advance: "I'm running for office to build an all-inclusive, government run, not-for-profit health insurance system--a single-payer health insurance system for Oregon. It's the only rational thing to do for our state. This will contain health insurance costs and provide insurance for everybody in our state."
This first video is home-made and primitive. It is the least expensive possible way to do a campaign video. He sat in front of his computer, pushed a button on some video program that came pre-loaded, and then read a script he wrote and had placed--awkwardly--to the left of the camera eye.
No music. No text. No graphics. No apparent editing.
This first video is home-made and primitive. It is the least expensive possible way to do a campaign video. He sat in front of his computer, pushed a button on some video program that came pre-loaded, and then read a script he wrote and had placed--awkwardly--to the left of the camera eye.
No music. No text. No graphics. No apparent editing.
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| Video 2: Jordan Cove |
In his second video he learned and improved. He looks directly at the camera.
He describes his position against the Jordon Cove LNG plant and the pipeline that would go through this Senate District. He cites facts his Democratic and environmental viewers will care about--that it would be a major methane emitter, that it delivers Canadian natural gas to Asia and does little for America or southern Oregon, and that it requires eminent domain to get a pipeline route through Jackson County.
He describes his position against the Jordon Cove LNG plant and the pipeline that would go through this Senate District. He cites facts his Democratic and environmental viewers will care about--that it would be a major methane emitter, that it delivers Canadian natural gas to Asia and does little for America or southern Oregon, and that it requires eminent domain to get a pipeline route through Jackson County.
There is a message underlying the Julian Bell campaign revealed in his campaign video, largely by what he does not do.
He does not try to sell himself as a nice guy just like you, from whom one can expect a certain behavior and political choices, because you and he have a lot in common. It isn't all about him, the person of Julian Bell. He doesn't describe his childhood, his education, his philosophy of life. He appears likable, but his videos are not about likability. They are about policy.
There is nothing soft focus. There are no rosy views of the Table Rocks or pear blossoms. We do not see him walking across a green lawn in semi-slow motion--the way Jessica Gomez's ads portray her, floating as a dreamy fulfillment to some inchoate political wish. There is no mellow foundation of music. It is just Bell, telling us his positions.
There is no mushy babble of pleasant political cliches. This is unusual in political ads and it deserves notice. Jessica Gomez's string of happy talk was essentially meaningless (after all, who isn't in favor of jobs, happy families, and people working together for a better world?) but in her case it projected the underlying message that she wasn't a Trump-Republican ethno-nationalist. In Julian Bell's case, his videos demonstrate he is no-nonsense and happy to take clear stands.
In the aftermath of the Hillary/Bernie primary, voters on the left are skeptical of vague talk. It might disguise centrism or apostasy from true progressive thought, or compromise.
Julian Bell proves up with straight talk.
He doesn't soften the edges of controversy with words like "community", or "working hand in hand", or "cooperation for the betterment of all." Bell is communicating that he understands politics to be a matter of controversial choices. The government-run, not-for-profit healthcare system he advocates means current health insurers are going to be furious with him. OK with Bell. He takes a stand. Stopping a pipeline will anger the Port of Coos Bay, pipeline owners, and the union laborers who hope to build it. OK with Bell. He takes a stand.
In the aftermath of the Hillary/Bernie primary, voters on the left are skeptical of vague talk. It might disguise centrism or apostasy from true progressive thought, or compromise.
Julian Bell proves up with straight talk.
He doesn't soften the edges of controversy with words like "community", or "working hand in hand", or "cooperation for the betterment of all." Bell is communicating that he understands politics to be a matter of controversial choices. The government-run, not-for-profit healthcare system he advocates means current health insurers are going to be furious with him. OK with Bell. He takes a stand. Stopping a pipeline will anger the Port of Coos Bay, pipeline owners, and the union laborers who hope to build it. OK with Bell. He takes a stand.
Julian Bell's opinions on issues are essentially similar to those of his Democratic opponents, but Bell distinguishes himself in projecting a "fact based" understanding of policy and governing. He doesn't describe pulling a coalition of people; he is making choices based on information, not wants or constituencies. Note he did not argue that landowners didn't want a pipeline near them. He argued that the pipeline polluted everyone, and that eminent domain was improper.
Here is the link to his Facebook page:
Julian Bell for State Senate
Preview for tomorrow: Athena Goldberg and a very different approach.
Here is the link to his Facebook page:
Julian Bell for State Senate
Preview for tomorrow: Athena Goldberg and a very different approach.
1 comment:
Very interesting. Dr. Bell gives the impression of a scientist with a purely rational (he uses the word) and technical approach to the healthcare issue. He has the reserved competence we like to see in our professionals. This may be counter intuitive for politics.
The larger point is that single payer is first a philosophical issue. Supporting it means that one is in favor of shifting priorities away from existing systems and creation a new paradigm, and a recognizance that it is a huge undertaking requiring a commitment of time and resources. There is no guarantee it will be better than the current for-profit system, but it will at least attempt to be fairer.
Dr. Bell did not say he believes health care is a right. If we are to completely remake our healthcare system at enormous cost and effort this should be a fundamental part of the debate. If he believes this he should say so.
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