Campaign Video of the Day -- August 17, 2007

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has a rule. If you want their endorsement, you have to Walk a Day in the Shoes of one of their members. With 1.9 million votes on the line, candidates make time for the SEIU.
To date Senators Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, Barack Obama and Chris Dodd, and Governor Bill Richardson have all spent time following a service worker around.

Having watched all the videos, it's pretty clear that the candidates all benefit from the experience. Today's campaign video is of John Edwards' day in April. His worker, Elaine Ellis, says something that is profound. Watch for it. I have linked the videos of the others as nominees. The latest uploaded was of Hillary's work with a nurse on August 14. It was Hillary's video that started me looking at this project.

The workers are stars of all 5 videos, but you also get the feeling that the five politicians are real people. Picking the winner was really tough. Watch all five. Hillary's warmth comes across in hers. Bill Richardson, being a governor, makes some interesting observations. Barack fits right in with his family. Chris could easily have been a teacher. John Edwards surprised by showing up ready for real work. In the end Elaine Ellis grabbed my attention.

It might be PR, but I like this program. If we could just talk Republican candidates into participating. Imagine Rudy following a first responder around, or Mitt Romney sweeping a floor. How about Fred Thompson acting?

The videos are all provided by either Newmediafirm or SEIU.



If you see a campaign video that you believe needs to be aired, please send me an email. The address is proctoring.congress@gmail.com Subject Campaign Video of the Day.