Tuke’s Boots Weren’t Made For Gimmickry
Posted on May 13, 2008 at 10:34 amAs the Donkey’s Mouth and Sean Braisted report that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Bob Tuke will be marching across the State in his combat boots which he did not get at an Army surplus store:
This march also will demonstrate an important difference between Lamar Alexander and me. My boots aren’t a gimmick – they are the real thing, earned by military service in war. Our nation is fighting two wars now and we need at least one more Senator who has fought in combat and understands the difficulty of ending a war with minimal casualties and maximum honor.
This march also will focus attention on the beauty and majesty of Tennessee – something we must not take for granted. Tennesseans need a Senator who will look to develop alternative energy sources so that we can break our dependence on foreign oil and strip-mined coal, a Senator who has hiked the Appalachian Trail through Tennessee, on the Cumberland Plateau and along the Mississippi. I love the beauty of Tennessee, and I believe we have stewardship obligations to preserve her resources.
Tuke insists that the boots aren’t a gimmick but is the march? Fred Thompson was famous for traversing Tennessee in a red pickup but when the cameras were off and the crowds dispersed Thompson would return to the comfort of his luxury sedan.
When asked if this march is an uninterrupted trek across Tennessee or whether the march would stop for candidate to continue traditional campaigning off “the trail” using motorized transport, campaign manager Ben Chao replied:
We will do the March in stages … all on foot. No public schedule of the March is being released yet.
Do you think these marches and walks across Tennessee are gimmicks? Does it matter to you if it done in “stages” or whether it is done, more or less, uninterrupted?
UPDATE:
Jeff Woods
Tiny Cat Pants
Comments
9 Responses to “Tuke’s Boots Weren’t Made For Gimmickry”
Are you kidding? The ability to walk long distances is a vital component to the legislative process.
It seems that if you have to put a “this isn’t a gimmick” disclaimer at the front, it just might be a gimmick. It’s like saying, “No offense” or “I don’t mean to toot my own horn” right before you go off and do just that.
seriously..at least come up with an original gimmick. maybe in between “stages” he could hand out oreos (not vanilla wafers) while traveling in a green ford pickup (not a red chevy) with a desk in the back of the truck to use (not in someones front yard) while uttering the words, “read my lips, I’m a Marine” (not no new taxes). oh, and bob should give senator jim webb some credit for the boots idea (although those boots belonged to webbs son).
who actually thinks that bingo bob is going to walk the whole distance of the state. shouldn’t the “oarsman” to get in his shell and row the distance of the state? now THAT is an original gimmick.
And would it not make more sense if you really wanna connect with and talk to voters to get in a car so you can maximize the number of people you talk to. i wonder, are people going to be lined up on the interstate or local highway in hopes that BOB TUKE will just happen to walk by..
Call me Bob…Shazaaaam
It sure seems like a gimmick to me. And, what commenter “d” said.
Gimmick.
It’s no more of a gimmick than any other campaign location. Photo opps in schools, stopping for lunch in the diner and many other typical campaign tactics are all gimmicks. I can’t effectively communicate any of my constituent concerns to Bob Tuke in a thirty second soundbite any more than he can communicate his views on the war against terrorism in a thirty second soundbite.
On the plus side, if people walk along side him to hear more of what he’s saying as he’s walking, Bob might have stumbled on a solution to the Tennessee obesity problem. Perhaps Bob can tote his fifty pound combat backpack so he won’t walk too fast.
we have stewardship obligations to preserve her resources.
Preservation can’t be achieved without population control.
[…] Tuke invites bloggers to join him on a leg of his “march”: Bob is continuing his march across Tennessee in his hometown of Nashville. Last week’s march […]
[…] Sean Braisted reports from the Nashville “stage” of U.S. Democratic candidate Senate Bob Tuke’s march across Tennessee. […]