fandomhigh | Political Campaigning (Thursday, January 26, 4th period)

Josh put down the article he was reading about Hamas winning the election in Palestine when the campaign class came into the room.

He sighed. "Okay. First of all, please put your message grids and campaign strategies into my inbox. Today we talk about message. This is the campaign strategy essentially boiled down to about a paragraph. It's why you should be elected and the other guy shouldn't be. It's what you use as your guideline to see if you should talk about an issue--does it fit in with our message? If it doesn't and you address it, you've gone off-message and you're wasting time."

He cleared his throat. "Speaking of time, Elizabeth, how many days do we have until Election Day?" He waited for her response, then continued with his lecture. "Your message should be tailored to address the issues of the voters you need to win--the persuadable voters from the other sides, the undecideds in the middle of the road, and the soft supporters you have from your own party who need incentive to go out and vote."

He turned on a television he'd brought into the classroom. "This is an excerpt from John F. Kennedy's acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1960. This is about as good an example of a message statement as has ever been written."

He pushed play. "...That is the question of the New Frontier. That is the choice that our nation must make--a choice that lies not merely between two men or two parties, but between the public interest and private comfort, between national greatness and national decline, between the fresh air of progress and the stale, dank atmosphere of normalcy, between dedication and mediocrity..." Josh turned off the video. "Compare and contrast. Really great language helps, too, but the specific wording of the message isn't necessarily something you share outside of the campaign." He looked around the room. "But the message itself must be something that the voters understand clearly, or they won't vote for you. The message, if you do it right, is what will get them to vote for you and not for the other guy."

He passed out a handout. "Okay, today's work is easy. Start it in class, finish it up for next week. Fill in the following sentences with words you think best describe your candidate and your opponent. Poof, instant message. Each of you work on one individually, then your groups will discuss which one you think is most effective next week." He looked at the group. "And with Jessica leaving school, Donna has graciously volunteered to shift back and forth between the Morrison and Tester groups to make sure that no one is completely overwhelmed." Josh smiled at Angel. "Thanks."

He sat back down at his desk and waited for group discussions to begin. He's pretty distracted by the news out of Palestine, and probably won't notice if groups aren't really discussing politics today.

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"There was going to be all this yelling about your ex-sweeties getting Vala stabbed, Janet bruised, Marty scared, and my friend Jarod frightened," Parker said, "but it looks like you already tried to do something about that, and comprehensively lost."

"Heard about that on the radio," Angel said. "Tried to go after then. Ran into Dru and about fifty of her closest pets."

"Didja think of taking back-up?" Parker demanded. "No, of course not. You dumbass. This is what I-Club is for, damnit. You could've had five or six people guarding your back...." She grimaced. "But I guess you've learned your lesson. Haven't you." She scowled at his hand. "That wasn't there this morning."

"Five or six people who would've died while we were fighting," Angel said. "Sure, that'll happen." He flexed his hand. It actually was feeling better than it had when he'd come into class. "This is nothing."

"You didn't die, so they might not have either. Aeryn with her pulse rifle, Jake who can't be killed, some of the others, hell, I would've gone in with a flamethrower-- oh, I'm not arguing this with you, I can tell you're going to be thickheaded." She glared at him again. "So. Are they both still unliving and on the prowl? Or are they at least more wounded than you are right now?"

"Only ran into Dru," Angel said. "Managed to hurt her but she snuck away while I was dealing with the minions."

Parker paled, but managed to keep her voice steady. "Minions?"

"Think I got like this just from Dru?" Angel asked, gesturing to his ribs. "Minions. She's got vamps helping her. I dusted as many as I could but I lost count. Some could've gotten away when I rescued the kids."

Parker closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, then opening them again. "Right. And the kids? Are they okay?"

"I got them out of there, got them to the clinic," Angel said. "They went to the mainland from there. Wilson says they're going to be okay."

"Good." Parker slumped a little, then said, "I don't want to act as if you're our only line of defense. I don't want *you* doing the vigilante thing and getting killed! That's as useful as nothing. We have cops now, heavily armed types, from what I've heard. I just want those two dealt with. I am this close," Parker held two fingers together, only a millimeter apart, "to finding a witch, and re-doing that curse. Somehow. Someway. This can't go on indefinitely."

Angel shook his head. "Won't change anything. Stake to the heart, cut off the head. That's it."

"And if that weakens them for the five seconds it did him, and saves one life, I'd think it was worth it," Parker retorted. "And you know it doesn't have to be at your hands, right?"

"If you find anything, keep me posted," Angel said. If Angel was purposefully ignoring Parker's question, it didn't show on his face.

Parker glared at him. And made a dope-slapping motion with her hand. "Go. Rest. Recover. Recuperate. Whatever. And you damn well better keep *me* updated. I still know where the flamethrower is. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Angel said. He paused on his way out the door. His face was that of someone who'd had a burning question for the entire class period. "The principal?"

Parker put her face in her hands, and mumbled. "I really miss Bristow. Just. Go!"

Angel quirked an eyebrow, but went on his way.

Political Campaigning (Thursday, January 26, 4th period)

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