|
Excerpts from The Johnson County Daily Journal October 6, 2003 By Scott Hall Oct. 6, 2003 Sally Hanley’s first try at making a television documentary began tentatively. “I’m a novice at all of this,” the Franklin College history professor said. But now that circumstances have made the project more interesting and timely than even she expected, Hanley said she thinks the eventual result might be worthy of national broadcast, hopefully as the 2004 presidential election hits full swing next summer. The topic is the 2002 election in Minnesota, the front lines of a national battle for control of the U.S. Senate. Among other political heavy hitters, President George W. Bush visited the state several times to boost Republican Norm Coleman in his bid to unseat Democratic incumbent Sen. Paul Wellstone, an outspoken liberal who opposed a unilateral U.S. invasion of Iraq. The heated campaign took a bizarre turn 11 days before the election when Wellstone’s small plane crashed, killing him, his wife and daughter, and five other occupants. Unexpectedly, Hanley and her hired videographer found themselves in front of grieving campaign staffers and anti-war activists who were inspired by Wellstone’s example. For Hanley, however, the real story is the level of enthusiasm and interest that Minnesota residents still hold for the political process. The state’s election turnout often nears 70 percent of registered voters, one of the highest rates in the nation. For comparison, Johnson County’s rate for the 2000 presidential election was about 56 percent. As she interviewed everyday people at home, in diners and elsewhere, she was impressed by their savvy analysis of political strategies and the overall energy that surrounded the campaign. Minnesota also has same-day voter registration, print and broadcast media that take a lively approach to political coverage, and two alternative parties, Green and Independent, that actually slate viable candidates. “Minnesota is a model for the nation,” Hanley said. “I think we need to revitalize political participation in this country.” The shooting began at last year’s Minnesota State Fair, a hotbed for campaigning politicians. Hanley took a sabbatical for the 2002-03 school year to follow events leading up to the election and then to begin editing. The footage, some of which Hanley screened for colleagues Thursday at the college, includes man-on-the-street interviews, candidate debates and rallies featuring Bush and Charlton Heston. After the plane crash, a pilot describes flying over the burning wreckage. Coleman narrowly defeated Wellstone’s replacement, former Vice President Walter Mondale, but Hanley said the key issues in that election will probably be the same ones that determine the outcome of next year’s presidential race: gun control, reproductive rights and especially U.S. involvement in Iraq. “This became a race about George Bush,” she said. The working title is “The Green Bus and the White House,” taken from the former school bus Wellstone used in his campaigns. Although Hanley is more sympathetic to Wellstone’s views than those of the president, her goal is to stoke voter interest in general. “As a historian, I fight this battle all the time, to try to keep bias out of what we do,” she said. |