Old-time tactics mark campaign

At first, the van cruising down Walnut Street looked like any other van blasting music too loud. But this song had some different lyrics. Lucien's the man. The man who can, Got the plan And so on. The truck is Lucien Blackwell's, and has made several recent appearances on University City streets. It is one of many of the old-time campaigning tactics which the candidates hope will bring their message, or at least their name, to the common voter. · Philadelphia's mayoral race has yet to cross its first hurdle, the May 21 primaries, but voters have already been bombarded by accusations of financial improprieties, forged petitions and drunkenness. But in addition to this modern mud-slinging are tools that harken back to the days of yore -- the sound trucks, loudspeakers and soapboxes of candidates trying to convince voters that a back-to-the-basics mayor is just what the city needs. Democrat Blackwell's sound truck is charcteristic of campaigns of the 50s, when everyone liked Ike and it was more common to see a candidate on a street corner than on a television commercial. And this year's candidates think these tactics can wipe away some of the disillusionment that Philadelphians are feeling about City Hall. "An old-fashioned campaign . . . creates excitement, and we want to touch people," David Wofford, press secretary for Democrat Peter Hearn said. "Peter went through Italian Market last weekend with a bullhorn. We want to show that he's not a professional, not a career politician." Besides Hearn's Italian Market jaunt and Blackwell's van, Democrats James White and Ed Rendell have also pulled out the sound trucks. The campaign orchestrators are emphasizing their candidate's honesty and how much their candidate is like the voter. But as each candidate tries to be the people's candidate, the message can quickly become diluted. "We have sound cars out at least four days a week. Ours is a grassroots approach," said Bernard Stiefel, campaign manager for White. "We believe the strength is in the neighborhoods." In addition to those who view this as a Wonder Years-era campaign, there are some observers who say these tactics are simply quintessential Philadelphia politics. Steve Kaplan, the field manager for Democratic candidate Ed Rendell, said that his workers are working the streets every weekend. "We went in South Philly last weekend with a couple of cars and some loudspeakers," Kaplan said. "That's something that's always been done, it's long established in South Philly. It's part of the Philadelphia experience." The big question is, however, will all of this people-level campaigning work? Frank Luntz, an adjunct professor of American Civilization, teaches a class entitled Candidates, Consultants and Campaigns. He said at this point, the voters in Philadelphia are going to be very hard to convince. "Philadelphia is very different than the rest of the country," Luntz said. "The voters in Philadelphia are truly fed up with politics as usual, they're tired of getting kicked in the butt." Luntz added that the old-fashioned style of campaigning only works when the campaign is conveying a popular message. But there are some obstacles even the greatest campaigners can't overcome. "If the candidates don't have the right message, all the sound vans in the world aren't going to help," Luntz said.

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