From: dave@ratmandu.esd.sgi.com (dave "who can do? ratmandu!" ratcliffe)
Subject: Politican Watch--making candiates accountable for what they say
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: University of Missouri
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 15:53:47 GMT


Subject: Politican Watch--making candiates accountable for what they say
Keywords: want to challenge the rhetoric of politicians?--hook into polit watch


   politician watch sounds like just the kind of group to lend yer energies
   and financial support to in order to make this election sweepstakes year
   possibly be something more than just another commercial-founded show.


========================================================================

    "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,
    "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less."

    "The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean
     so many different things."

    "The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master --
     that's all."

                      -- Lewis Carroll:  _Through the Looking Glass_


            **  What is Politician Watch?
    
    Politician Watch is a non-profit organization challenging the
    rhetoric of politicians.  Hundreds of national committees and ad hoc
    organizations spring up during an election year, but very few focus
    on the manipulative language used by candidates and parties.  Fewer
    still have an aggressive strategy for making an issue out of political
    language and its abuse.  This year Politician Watch will break new
    ground as a non-partisan project analyzing and confronting the
    rhetoric of national politicians.  Politician Watch will not back any 
    candidate.
    
    
            **  Our Focus:
    
    Politician Watch will be particularly vigilant in calling attention
    to the use of language that evades or distorts issues having to do
    with, race, gender and the economy.  Meaningless  generalities about
    "environmental protection" and "education" will be swiftly attacked
    as evasions.  And endless prattle about "national security" will be
    assailed in the light of national conditions that render U.S.
    residents anything but secure.
    
    
            **  Our Strategy:
    
    The Politician Watch strategy, based on swiftly responding to
    statements and campaign ads by candidates for national office, will 
    involve the use of media on several fronts:
    
      * Press Conferences and news releases on the campaign trail.
    
      * Appearances on TV and radio talk shows.
    
      * Op-ed articles.
    
      * Newspaper ads and TV/radio commercials.
    
    The four prongs of the Politician Watch strategy will have a
    synergistic relationship to each other.  Great potential exists for 
    the Politician Watch critique to snowball with angry voters 
    throughout the country.
    
    Politician Watch will build a fax and telephone networking system that 
    can respond quickly and emphatically to the latest rhetorical 
    onslaughts of national politicians.  In a matter of hours, Politician
    Watch will react with press releases, telegrams, phone calls and faxes
    to talk show hosts around the country arranging for appearances of
    Politician Watch spokespeople.
    
    At the Democratic National Convention in New York, and the Republican
    National Convention in Houston a few weeks later, Politician Watch
    will provide fast responses to speeches and other statements by
    candidates and political operatives.  The Politician Watch releases
    will circulate to thousands of journalists on hand at each convention.
    This project's momentum will continue during the two months between
    Labor Day and Election Day.
    
    
            **  If You've Ever Wanted to Be a Politician -- 
	        or Strangle One -- This Book's for You:
    
    Norman Solomon, co-author of _Unreliable Sources_ and the director
    of Politician Watch, has authored a new book, _The Power of Babble:  A
    Politician's Dictionary of Buzzwords and Doubletalk for Every Occasion_.
    The purpose of this book is in sync with the goals of Politician Watch 
    -- to encourage and assist the general public in decoding routine 
    obfuscation on the campaign trail and in public office.  _The Power of 
    Babble_, being published by Dell as a mass-market paperback, is 
    scheduled to reach retailers across the country a few weeks prior to 
    the Democratic National Convention in July.  _The Power of Babble_ can 
    serve as a guidebook for participating in Politician Watch.
    
    
            **  Lend Us Your Support:
    
    If you are excited about the impact that Politician Watch can have, we 
    invite you to join us by becoming a supporter.  One component of our 
    campaign will be to register our disgust with politicians' evasive
    language by taking out full-page ads in the "New York Times" and other
    newspapers.  By including your name among our supporters we can really 
    show our strength and have an even greater impact.
    
    
    
    Politician Watch
    1850 Union Street #1412
    San Francisco, CA 94123
    TEL: 415/281-0859
    
    
    Politician Watch is a project of the Institute for Social Justice,
    a non-profit tax-exempt organization.
    
    
--
                                             daveus rattus   

                                   yer friendly neighborhood ratman

                              KOYAANISQATSI

   ko.yan.nis.qatsi (from the Hopi Language)  n.  1. crazy life.  2. life
       in turmoil.  3. life out of balance.  4. life disintegrating.  
         5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.