10/20/2006

Contact: Steve Herrick, info@voteeisman.org,
414-375-2420 (office);
608-239-4296 (cell)
http://VoteEisman.org

Madison -- Today, the Eisman for Wisconsin campaign announced its first television ads. Campaign manager Steve Herrick commented, "It is very rare for Green Party candidates to have the money to run television ads. Our campaign, however, has received enough support for us to buy three spots." This is somewhat fewer than the Democratic and Republican contenders are running, but still a milestone for the Wisconsin Green Party.

The ads feature gubernatorial candidate Nelson Eisman explaining what viewers will miss out on due to his absence from the second presentation hosted by the media consortium calling itself "We the People." Said Eisman, "These events are billed as debates, but no debate takes place in them. The closest they come is a bit of squabbling over details, which is really about framing more than factuality. That's not debate, it's dueling spin."

Eisman's ads are thirty seconds long, just enough time to list his top issues -- issues the other two candidates could never bring up, such as universal health care. However, almost as important as these issues is the very fact that he has been excluded from the events in the first place. This is a glaring symptom of the powerful corrupting force that corporate money has on the democratic process. Some forms are outside the law, like Congressman Green's contributions, but most of this corruption is completely legal -- and shared evenly by the Democratic and Republican Parties. Only a candidate whose standards for campaign contributions far exceed the baseline laid out in law could hope to clean up this mess.

The ads will air at 6:59 and 7:59 PM on WISC, channel 3 in Madison, and at 6:59 PM on WKBT, channel 8 in LaCrosse and Eau Claire. That means people tuning in to watch the "debate" between Jim Doyle and Mark Green will have the opportunity to see all the candidates in the race, in spite of the efforts of "We the People."

Ironically, it is not clear that Eisman himself will get to see the ads air. He will be in LaCrosse, but will be speaking to the press. He has scheduled a press conference for 5:00 PM at the People's Food Co-op (315 Fifth Avenue South), and will be available for interviews from 3 PM until 9. Please contact Steve Herrick at 608-239-4296 to schedule time with the candidate.

-30-