Jill Stein Third Party Candidate

Jill Stein - A New World Is In Our Hands!

Jill Stein: A New World is in our Hands

This 2 minute campaign video is comprised of the following components: a speech by Jill Stein at an outdoor arena, interspersed with her as voice-over, three second frame views of 32 hand written placards, a multi-layered sound track of cheering crowds, clapping and strong percussive music and culminating in a graphic containing the campaign’s key slogan: People, Planet and Peace before Profit.

Jill’s opening lines send a very direct message of inspiration and a call to action. “We have the power and we are gonna use it” The sound track surges behind these words to simulate the effects of power and positive action. Jill follows up quickly to say that this power does not come from the big political parties paid for by Wall St thereby setting them up in the speech as the opponents. She goes onto to draw attention to this class/power divide by highlighting the areas where ‘their’ policies are not ‘our’ choices – in finance, political nominees, economy, government, prisons, police and wars. All this is delivered in single sentences using much repetition of the words and the same format and interspersed with the cheers and the soundtrack. It is a strong message about ‘them’ and ‘us. She has drawn on people’s fears about the big issues that make them feel powerless.

There is then a clear mid way turn in the speech issued as kind of threat to the ‘other’, this one per cent. “The people are now waking up and have the power.” Jill makes this statement as a direct appeal to her audience who affirm with cheers and clapping. The music builds as Jill lists the areas where change is going to happen with ‘people power’ – a living wage, climate change, citizenship, racism and drugs. She has focused on the immediate and everyday issues to align the power and the people and tells the crowd it is in their hands –ie the power to vote to make the changes they want and need.

The speech moves to its crescendo, (literally) with a striking graphic of the key slogan, “People, Planet and Peace before Profit.” It is a neat summation of the main areas of concern touched upon earlier and a simple message – easy to remember and repeat.

In addition to the music, there is a visual commentary on 32 hand written placards on all the topics. The placards are held by the target audience and show a diversity of age, background, gender, ethnicity, values and life style. People are shown standing in the street, the parking lot and the front porch. There is no hint of the neon and gloss of money and corporate life. These are home-spun, ordinary Americans – who can have the power.

It could be possible to suggest that Jill’s delivery style is at odds with her audience. The single sentences are delivered in a ‘hammering tone’ with no variation in pitch or pace and with the heavy pounding music, there is a mismatch with the 32 different messages on the placards. Too many placards? Too many messages? The campaign is using both hard and soft approaches and this makes for a somewhat confused viewing.