Thurs. - Revival of the STE Bus in Iowa/NH
Official McCain Campaign Revives the Straight Talk Express (STE) Bus, for a Tour of Iowa and New Hampshire
On Thursday, March 15, the official campaign announced that McCain would be reviving his hugely successful - and memorable - “Straight Talk Express” bus tour, for a swing through Iowa and New Hampshire. It triumphantly proclaimed that “The Straight Talk Express Rides Again!”
The STE was created during the 2000 campaign, as a metaphor for McCain’s authenticity and personal appeal as a candidate, due to his reputation for “straight talk”, i.e., candor and frankness, as opposed to the all-too-common parsing and ambiguity used by most politicians. The term “Express” also evokes the nostalgic memories of campaigns of long ago, when candidates would campaign via whistle-stop train tours. Although the highway has replaced the railroad as the way most Americans travel (and thus candidates), the concept is still the same: a metaphor of momentum for the candidate riding the Express.
As McCain bided his time, waiting for another chance to run in 2008, the STE continued as the name for his political action committee (PAC). The PAC - its appellation changed slightly to “Straight Talk America” (STA) - served as the army-in-waiting for the potential 2008 bid, laying groundwork among Republican organizations throughout America. Until the official presidential exploratory committee was announced in late 2006, the STA organization was the sole source for purely political news about any future McCain presidential bid, as opposed to his official duties in the U.S. Senate.
However, the 2008 STE bus tour has many political advantages that late 19th/early 20th century candidates could not even imagine, riding in the back of railroad cabooses and shouting into microphones to large crowds. Back in those days, the local folk in the towns along the railroad would of course know about the event in advance, by reading the local newspapers. They could see the candidate at the train station, hear his speech, and then read about the appearance in the newspaper the following day. And that was about it.
In contrast, the 2008 version of the STE permits the denizen of Iowa and New Hampshire with everything that he/she could possibly need to know about McCain’s activities, while on the tour. The STE bus tour has its own web section (not a mere page) on the official site (www.johnmccain.com/bustour/).
In this section, the citizen can learn all vital information about the STE bus tour, and in easily navigable ways. The section includes the precise dates, times, and exact street locations, within all of the communities slated for McCain’s several town meetings in Iowa and New Hampshire. It provides an opportunity to RSVP for any or all of the events.
It contains a subtle request for campaign donations, with an apt metaphor: a picture of the bus with the plea, “Keep the tank full!” It is off to one side, so it doesn’t dominate the page, but the reader’s eye is caught by the image, and so it’s effective.
Also, McCain supporters can sign up for e-mail updates from the road, which is a good way of keeping the campaign periodically in the supporters’ minds, especially during a week when the national media and popular culture is primarily focused on March Madness and the NCAA tournament. The thrills and excitement of the college basketball tournament annually drown out political communication for the three weeks during which it takes place. This is especially true for a presidential election which won’t begin - formally - for another nine months.
Perhaps most importantly, it permits McCain supporters to communicate with each other. It has a link reading, “Tell your friends - let them know about this tour” - permitting visitors to contact other potential McCain voters/supporters and notify them directly about the tour.