http://professor-lyman.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] professor-lyman.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2006-01-26 12:45 pm

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.

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 03:18 am (UTC)(link)
Angel's there. He's quiet, but he's there.
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (the hell?)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 04:59 am (UTC)(link)
Logan sat down next to Angel. "What happened to you?" he asked in a low voice.

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
"Dru."
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (Bitch please)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
Logan swore softly. "She still alive?" he asked.

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
"Yep," Angel didn't look pleased about it. He might have been talking to himself when he said, "Least I got the other ones."
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (Eyebrows & Handcuffs)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
Logan raised his eyebrows. "How many were there?"

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
"Lost count," Angel admitted. He rubbed his eyes tiredly with the hand that wasn't bandaged. "Once I hit double digits I focused more on the wood plus heart equation."
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (Over here!)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
"Fuck," Logan said, impressed. And he'd had to be rescued by a freshman from a single vampire, he thought bitterly. "And what'd you do to your hand?"

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
Angel winced, this time not from his ribs. Trust Logan of all people to notice that was new. "Nothing."
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (Eyebrows & Handcuffs)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
Logan reached out and yanked the hankerchief off Angel's hand, revealing bloody knuckles. He raised his eyebrows at Angel.

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 05:22 am (UTC)(link)
Angel flexed his hand. It was better than when he'd walked into the classroom, but not so better that it didn't move with obvious difficulty.

Since it worked with Prof. Lyman, Angel tried it again. "You should see the other guy?"
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (Bitch please)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
"Was it Bel?" Logan asked grimly.

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
"Ran into him in the lounge."
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (Bitch please)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
"Is he dead?" Logan asked.

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
"No."
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (Bitch please)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 05:28 am (UTC)(link)
"Damn," Logan said. "Coma? Crippled? Missing limbs?"

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
"Didn't have the right tools."
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (Default)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
"Ah, well, there's some left for me, then." Logan leaned back in his chair and twisted his pen between his fingers.

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
"He wanted me to get you to stop going after him," Angel said.
fh_jackass: Logan Echolls (Bitch please)

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[personal profile] fh_jackass 2006-01-27 06:22 am (UTC)(link)
Logan looked at Angel for a moment, then laughed. "Yeah, right."

Re: Group work: Logan, Elizabeth, Angel

[identity profile] notstakedyet.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 01:06 pm (UTC)(link)
That actually got a small smile out of Angel as well. "Thought you could use the laugh."