Now, it's the same old song
Here in Portland, we're very big on recycling. And that passion extends all the way down to our local politicians' campaign flyers.
Last week, as we left a lunchtime function at a downtown hotel, the candidates for mayor and their entourages were also exiting the building, having just concluded a debate. We got to chat briefly with Sho Dozono, and one of Sam Adams's supporters held the door for us and handed us this (pardon the creases -- we folded it so that we could put it in our pocket):
It's another Mark Wiener special -- a four-page color glossy flyer extolling the virtues of a well connected City Hall incumbent. Wiener is the same guy who crafted Erik Sten's last campaign (before Opie became bored with the whole thing and retired to his West Hills mansion), among many others. And it seems like old Mark didn't push the creative envelope too hard this time around. Indeed, a lot of the Sam the Tram mayoral pitch reads like Sten Warmed Over:
Translation: Never vote for anyone other than an incumbent. You can't trust those new faces.
Then there's the enemy:
And of course, no Portland campaign literature would be complete without the P word:
Even Adams's main slogan appears to have been microwaved from four months ago:
Guess who!
We don't know about you, but we're starting to find this Orwellian barrage somewhere between insulting and frightening.
| Posted at 1:35 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (14)
I wonder if the "energy" part of the slogan is an attempt to draw attention to 40-something Adams' relative youthfulness as compared to 60-something Dozono.
Posted by tb | April 23, 2008 2:16 AM
There's all sorts of code in the flyer. That's one of several.
There are at least two more direct pot shots at Potter in there.
The hip, black eyeglass frames are interesting. They show them in only two of the five photos. They probably get some negatives in test groups. To me they're creepy.
Three suit shots -- two with the same tie.
The whole "shake up City Hall/shake up the Mayor's Office" malarkey, which appears on each of pages 2, 3, and 4 (including coming out of John Kitzhaber's mouth) is truly repulsive. Here is a guy who has never really worked anywhere else but in City Hall and the mayor's office, but he's "shaking" things "up." Sure.
Posted by Jack Bog | April 23, 2008 3:08 AM
Sam Adams is all about change, but he using the same old cliches to get elected.
What kind of "change" would Sam support?
More streetcars
More debt/taxes
More public art
More traffic in South Waterfront
More neglect of basic services
More meaningless Bush Bashing
Or, maybe he's just being honest and talking about the small change left in our pockets after we pay for all the new taxes and bond issues.
Our home is assessed at less than $300k, and I'm paying over $500/month in property tax and water/sewer bills (no outdoor irrigation, small lot, water conserving toilets/showers/washing machine). That's the cost of renting a studio apartment in Tualatin, just for a shorter commute?
If Sam Adams is worried about housing affordability, then why does the City of Portland represent one third of my housing expenses? And he is doing everything in his power to make it even more expensive to live here.
Posted by Mister Tee | April 23, 2008 6:12 AM
"shake up City Hall/shake up the Mayor's Office"
Adams has only been there 16 years, give him a break, he's just learning the tricks still.
Gawd, these politicians think the average voter is an idiot.
Posted by Steve | April 23, 2008 7:30 AM
Let's elect a millionaire neophyte to elected office.
Oh wait, we did that already. His name was George W. Bush. Look what happened to our beautiful country.
Posted by James | April 23, 2008 8:00 AM
Again, everything from the Adams campaign looks like fast food advertising. Terrible.
Posted by touring | April 23, 2008 8:16 AM
Look at who's in office and it's not too hard to come to the conclusion that the average voter is an idiot.
Posted by Phil | April 23, 2008 8:19 AM
And a hungry idiot at that.
Posted by touring | April 23, 2008 8:25 AM
"Again, everything from the Adams campaign looks like fast food advertising. Terrible."
Why shouldn't it? He's a junk politician.
Posted by Hal | April 23, 2008 9:52 AM
"Again, everything from the Adams campaign looks like fast food advertising. Terrible."
And just like taco bell, you have to barf after consuming it.
Posted by ThatDude | April 23, 2008 11:37 AM
Gawd, these politicians think the average voter is an idiot.
Change that to "all voters" and you nailed it.
And they know as long as there is a "D" next to their name, and they throw the word "progressive" around enough, they can get away with anything here.
Posted by Jon | April 23, 2008 12:35 PM
I think Sam looks kind of creepy. The sleepy eyes and the shy smile. Creeps me out.
Posted by BB | April 23, 2008 1:09 PM
And they know as long as there is a "D" next to their name, and they throw the word "progressive" around enough, they can get away with anything here.
i probably count as "progressive", and I think both mayoral candidates are unworthy of the job.
Posted by ecohuman.com | April 23, 2008 2:58 PM
Actually, the only thing that annoys me about all of this is how it underscores that political consultants don't actually have to work to earn their money. They just recycle s**t they created years ago for other people and get paid a crapload of money for it.
Posted by b!X | April 23, 2008 4:08 PM