Columnist Joan Barron writes, “Having just ended the candidate filing period for the August primary election, we, the voters, need a little rest, a little breathing space.”
CHEYENNE — Push polls, yard signs and TV campaign ads are already with us, although the election season doesn’t begin for another month.
Having just ended the candidate filing period for the August primary election, we, the voters, need a little rest, a little breathing space.
The big campaign will come soon enough for the general election in November — with its endless TV candidate ads, wads of fliers in the mail, yards cluttered with posters and pesky pollsters.
As a political columnist, this is an exciting and fascinating time, as are all elections. As a citizen and voter I can see the downside.
I agree with Wyoming’s Rob Wallace, a high-ranking government official in the first Trump administration, aide to Sen. Malcolm Wallop, and a political forecaster.
Wallace, in a story in Cowboy State Daily, said it is too early for polls and endorsements and the like. The real part of the race, he said, doesn’t start until after July 4.
That is soon enough.
Meanwhile, I had my own encounter with early-bird candidates.
A week or so ago I was watching episodes from the1990s hit, “The Sopranos.”
When the show first came out and won all sorts of awards for TV drama, my work schedule kept me from viewing more than one or two episodes.
“The Sopranos,” I found, was as mesmerizing as another HBO product, “The Wire,” about Baltimore police work to nab the leading drug dealer, Omar.
However, the old HBO subscription did not even mention ads. Now I have the HBO MAX subscription that charges for blocking ads. I have the one with ads. It’s cheaper.
They weren’t too bad until later in the “Sopranos” series.
Then, during every break, two campaign ads popped up: The first from Megan Degenfelder, the second from Frank Chapman.
Both are Republicans. Degenfelder is a candidate for governor; Chapman, for the U.S. House.
The campaign spiel was about the same from each candidate — emphasis on Wyoming values and connections.
OK, a couple more regular ads, then back to the show.
During the next break the two ads popped up again. And again. And again. The last round showed just the Chapman ad.
The next day, during the final episodes, there were no TV campaign ads from either candidate.
As a viewer I found the ads particularly irritating because of their number.
Nobody likes ads, anyway, especially those that intrude on an intense plot line.
I wondered if the placement was in error, with so many so close together.
I am assuming this show, which has pretty raw content, was chosen because it is such a big hit with viewers even today, nearly 20 years after the last episode played.
If I were a campaign manager, I would have chosen something a little less bloody, with fewer naked women and characters who could speak without using the “F” word.
And I certainly I would not have run ads back to back.
Anyway, candidates used to give voters souvenirs of their candidacy. Usually it was a pen or a lapel pin with the candidate’s photo on it.
I have a very small collection of candidate pins.
I also have a rubber thingy that is great at opening recalcitrant jar lids. It still bears the name of Walt Urbigkit, a candidate for the state House where he was a Democratic leader. A lawyer, he went on to serve on the Wyoming Supreme Court, then lost his bid for another term.
One of the most clever candidate souvenirs I recall was edible.
It was a Herschler candy bar, a chocolate bar under the wrapping of a shiny brown paper like the real Hershey bar.
It was a big hit for the candidate, Democrat Gov. Ed Herschler, who went on to serve three terms as chief executive.
It also was a lot more popular than TV ads in the middle of a dramatic series.
Contact Joan Barron at 307-632-2534 or jmbarron@bresnan.net
