To Reduce the Influence of Campaign Contributions,

Why Not a "Video Stump?"

by Robert Winter

SYNOPSIS:  If used intelligently, the prerecorded videocassette could help revitalize American politics..

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Could independence, substance, and vitality be restored to American politics by the likes of Blockbuster Video?  The prospect is not entirely farfetched.

With the right format and packaging, videocassette-based political communication could begin luring back more than a few of the currently disaffected, by providing an antidote to the trivializing effects that other media have had on our political processes. 

At the same time, it could help reduce the dependency of today’s candidates on campaign contributors to pay for media time to reach voters.

Video's potential is based on certain innate, structural ways in which this medium differs from newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV.  By capitalizing on video's structural differences, we can significantly improve the political process--without having to improve either politicians or voters.  Instead of continuing to blame politicians for being too superficial or voters for being too apathetic, we can simply provide information in a more reasonable and convenient form.

(c) COPYRIGHT 1998 ROBERT WINTER.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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More Specifics

	Politicians still communicate in more substantive ways;  it's just not reported.
	The news media operate under constraints of time-sensitivity that make it hard for them to report more substantive political communication.
	Home video is not overly time-sensitive, and operates under different economics than the news media.
	Home's video's structure and economics can give it an edge over the news media in conveying meaningful political communication.