Our Take On The "Issues" Page

We've just added two new videos to the issues page of buckey08.com. Instead of simply having dense blocks of text, we've decided to spice the issues page up by showing Jay discussing them. The videos on this page are all entirely unscripted, and we did 2-3 takes of each topic. We're finding that Jay is much more effective and authentic when he speaks extemporaneously. His command of the issues, his genuine concern, and how he thinks about them comes through very well. One of Jay's strengths is his understanding of the interconnected nature of the various issues.

Over the next month we're hoping to produce some videos with greater polish, in-depth analysis and more dynamic visuals.

We've also been hard at work on "policy perspective" papers, which explain in much more detail how Jay is approaching the issues. Later in the campaign we'll be publishing "policy prescritions" that propose concrete solutions. We've been convening groups of experts in various fields to consult with Jay and ensure that he's working based on the latest information and strategies. The central goal is to form policy based on the most effective solutions, rather than political talking points and rhetoric. The policy perspectives will also appear on the issues page. The first one, on Health Care, is undergoing a final edit and will be posted later today. Jay, Josh, Sarah, and Karen have been putting in some great work there. It also represents work from Mike Zegans, who organized a panel of doctors and others in the medical community to help Jay, all the members of that group, and Brian Ward who did some great research into medical statistics.

Everybody stand back -- democracy's comin' through.

53 Seconds Of Awesome

There are plenty of things that I could tell you about the production of the video that's now on the front page of the website, but that would ruin the magic of film making, and with me making the videos we certainly have no magic to waste. I will, however, tell one little story.

Near the end of the video, just as Jay is talking about "taking the first steps" leading to a new energy economy, there's a short clip showing a figure walking towards a windmill, silhouetted by a perfect blue sky. Now you can draw your own conclusions, but for me that clip just fits perfectly in the flow and context of the video. But, you must surely be asking, how did we find and get the rights to an astoundingly perfect clip like that?

When making videos it's very important to be sure that you have the rights to every audio and visual element. All of the pictures and diagrams are from public domain government work, and the video of Jay was filmed by the wonderful and talented Jim Sargent, who's been generous enough to donate his time for some filming.

But with all those pieces in place, the video really needed something else that moved, especially because a photo of a still windmill is just not dynamic or interesting at all. So to get a windmill, I went to the world's premier video sharing website -- youtube, of course. And when I found a nice video with windmills in it, I looked up the guy who posted it and sent him an email. All of this took place with about a day and a half left before the video had to go up for the campaign's "Launch Tour."

The walking figure scene was perfect for the context, but without permission, we just couldn't use it (I must admit that I was tempted to use it and hope no one noticed, but I knew that I couldn't). I didn't really expect to ever hear back, and certainly not in time to use the video for the launch tour. But he got back to me, and quite soon. It turns out that, like Jay, he's a former Air Force Officer. He's also into renewable energy. Though I offered compensation, he let us use the video for free. The total cost of producing the video to the campaign was about a day of my time and $125 for the music rights.

Even on Youtube, haven for one of the most difficult user groups on the internet, there are some great people. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you just reach out to people.

Photos, Press, and Perspicacity

Karen may have covered today's events very well below, but I have pictures. So who's cooler, really?

Also, check out the coverage of the launch in the Concord Monitor. Here's the opener:

When Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jay Buckey talks about creating an "Apollo program" for energy independence, he can do so with authority.

In a year when Democratic candidates work references to John F. Kennedy and the Apollo program into their speeches - an attempt to describe the need for leaders with vision - Buckey has bragging rights: He's actually completed 256 orbits of the earth, traveling 6.3 million miles aboard the space shuttle Columbia. And when the astronaut-turned-candidate launched his Senate campaign in Concord yesterday, he did so on the 38th anniversary of the first moon landing.

My favorite part was this quote from our good friend Arnie Arnesen from Political Chowder among other projects.

"You know how people are looking for change?" asked Arnie Arnesen, who has interviewed Buckey for her political talk show. "He defines it. Here's someone who has more credentials than you could ever want from anyone."

From here it's just a hop, skip, and a 500 mile jump to Washington.

On to the photos! More can be had on our flickr page.

6 Counties, 1 Hybrid

What an incredible day its been. Jay, JM, and I hit 6 counties in just one day in the Ford Escape hybrid. We put the time in the car to good use, covering a variety of public policy issues. But we also had some light-hearted moments. Here are some of my notes from the road...

We set off at 7:30am armed with homemade egg sandwiches made by the First Lady of our campaign, Sarah Masters Buckey (thank you!). Got to Lancaster around 9am. Harry Potter is playing in the movie theater that happens to be right in the middle of downtown. We met some really interesting people at the farmer's market. The organic farmer who was an Earth Science major at Dartmouth, a couple from New York (the wife is a Cornell Med School grad like Jay), the folks who are beginning their own great adventure with "Momma Nookie's Homemade Cookies" (good luck!). We talked about issues ranging from health insurance for start-up businesses to the truck driver licensing program at the New Hampshire Technical School.

Back into the Escape to travel along New Hampshire's "scenic byways." Destination: Rochester. We drove through Jefferson, then by Santa's Village - at which point JM began whistling the tune of "Good King Wenceslas." (Not in the running for campaign theme song.) We drove by Six Gun City, and then it was time for a Fun Fact: How did the Brown family (of Brown University) make their money? Apparently, it was from whaling.

Tuna sandwiches as we drove through Gorham, made by JM (not too much mayo, lots of relish, very good), and then a pit stop at the base of Mt. Washington. A friendly driver with Massachusetts plates gave us an opportunity to test our brakes as we were driving through the White Mountain National Forest. After trying to make a few phone calls (without success), we all noted that cell and broadband access in the North Country is an important campaign issue.

Around noon, we drove through Jackson and saw people teeing off at the Wentworth Golf Club. Conway came up next. We heard the bell toll for the Scenic Railroad, saw a lot of cars with kayaks on the roof (great day for it!), and noted that Sicko is playing at the Majestic Theater. As we continued along the road, we drove by a cute store that had hundreds of flags arranged in a display outside. We just had to stop and see what it was about. A woman from Miami comes up to Albany in the summer to run her store, and she created the display to honor the soldiers who have died in the Iraq War. It was very moving...

From there, we continued on, passing by the adorable Gingerbread Farm in Ossippee, another farm that boasted "orgasmic organic blueberries," and the Miss Wakefield Diner. We stopped in at the 4 Corners Antique Store in Rochester, where another farmer's market was under way. Met some great people there, who told us that Duncan Hunter had also recently stopped by. (They liked us better.) We chatted with the store owner who had had a previous career in child care. Excellent Tip: Put peanut butter on both pieces of bread and the jelly in the middle to prevent soggy sandwiches.

We headed for the American Independence Festival in Exeter, where we chatted with the owner of an independent book store owner. "Do something to restore the balance of power between Congress and the Executive Branch," he said, which was neat because we had just been talking about this very issue in the car. We ran into the wonderful State Senator Maggie Hassan who told us a great story about her son. (Sounds like a real rascal!) We saw many now-familiar representatives for the presidential campaigns, which we always enjoy. We met a teacher and had a good discussion about education policy. Met the folks at New Hampshire Public Radio, and saw the many people in costume for the festival. It turns out that it took two weeks for the town of Exeter to learn that the Revolutionary War had ended, so they celebrate the 4th of July two weeks after the rest of us! What a great story...

We hit a high of 29.9 miles per gallon as we drove out of Exeter toward Cheshire County. We drove along Route 101 all the way to the end. We stopped for a visit at the Rocky Point Grill a few miles outside of Keene. Delicious mint chocolate chip ice cream!

Soon we were back onto Route 91, heading up to our House Party in Plainfield. We ate bananas. After throwing some bad banana out the window, Jay said, "Notice that I didn't throw the banana *peel* out the window. I didn't want the next car to slip." It was late afternoon; we were getting a little loopy.

We met with some wonderful people at the house party. It was nice to be able to have longer conversations and really get into issues. I zipped up to the office for a few finishing touches for the grand opening. And we enjoyed a wonderful chocolate cake from Lou's with our friends in the Upper Valley. The campaign office looks great, thanks to all of the help from family and friends getting it ready.

Tomorrow we'll visit the Londonderry Dems and then the Belknap County Dems in Laconia, the final stop on our 10-County Launch Tour. This weekend has been a whirlwind. Campaigning is hard work, but it's a lot of fun! Stay tuned for photos from our adventures around the state...

3 Days of Crazy

As Karen said below, today was the big kickoff of the campaign. Basically that entails trucking the entire campaign across the entire state. The main idea of this 3-day tour is to go to events in all of New Hampshire's counties-- which would be an easy afternoon, if we were campaigning in Rhode Island. As it is it's a bit crazy, but we seem to be holding up well. At least I am – I'm only going to attend about half of the events.

This morning we all piled in the cars and headed down “New Hampshire's Autobahn,” I-89, to the New Hampshire Technical Institute for a Press Conference. Having won the press's full and undying support, we jaunted off to the Downtown Market Days in Concord. We met a lot of interesting folks, and Jay chatted with lot of people. The only problem was that he kept getting into productive, in-depth discussions with people about Iraq, Health Care, Energy, and all kinds of stuff. Whatever happened to “shake the hand, kiss the baby, and on to the next one”? I'm telling you, these “issues” really get in the way of proper politicking.

While in Concord we paid a quick visit to our friends at the NHDP headquarters, leaving a swath of literature and stickers in our wake. We also stopped at the Merrimack Restaurant, where we met with some wonderful folks from grassrootsandgranite. There's nothing as chic as hanging out at a cafe blogging the afternoon away, and these three made it look good. I would say it was very European but my pollsters tell me that European is “out” this decade, so I'll just say it was fun.

After that I headed home while Jay (the candidate) and his son Jay (that other guy who looks just like him) went to an event with the Moose Mountain Democrats. I don't know what happened there, but from the name I can only hope that there was an actual moose involved.

Launching the Campaign

Today marked the 38th anniversary of the first Moon Landing, a particularly fitting day to launch Jay's campaign for US Senate. We're visiting all 10 of New Hampshire's counties over this weekend in our campaign Launch Tour. We'll be coming back for listening sessions over the next few months.

We had a packed schedule today with a press conference at the New Hampshire Technical Institute, Market Days in Concord, the Merrimack Restaurant in Manchester, Moose Mountain Daylilies and Democrats in Brookfield...

Tomorrow we'll be at farmers' markets in Lancaster and Barrington, the American Independence Festival in Exeter, the Ice Cream Shop in Jaffrey, and a house party in Plainfield. We'll close the day by opening the doors of our campaign headquarters in Lebanon.

Our campaign will be a true grassroots effort. The idea is for Jay to meet as many people as possible. He wants to engage in an active conversation with New Hampshire citizens about the issues affecting our state and nation. He has a vision for an America that inspires the nation with a new Apollo program, this time to develop the technology for a New Energy Economy that will protect America's leadership in the global economy and halt climate change. And he's just the right person for that job!

It was a treat to be out today meeting with people, and I know tomorrow will be great too. As Jay said, "What a great excuse to visit festivals!" We had a good time on the road.

The campaign has begun, and we're off to a great start.

Hello World

Here I am, blogging for buckey.