One thing Bob and I are questioned about when we talk on The Elements of Persuasion is the connection between the five story principles we use (Passion, Hero, Antagonist, Awareness and Transformation) and the actual Greek Elements (Fire, Earth, Water, Air and Space). The relationship is more than metaphoric – or if it is metaphoric it is such a deep cultural metaphor that you have to consider it as a given anyway.
Case in point: The ads being run by the DNCC against Elizabeth Dole’s reelection to the Senate. This is a very effective campaign that moves from two Good Ol’ Boys on rocking chairs on a porch to the even more effective direct attack below. The message – Elizabeth Dole isn’t really from here any more, so how can she possibly continue as our Senatorial Hero - is as personal as that quiet moment when you are alone in the voting booth.
All politics is local. When a candidate loses their connection with the unique patch of ground they represent, they are toast. Pointing this out is particularly effective in the South – new or other wise - which has long memories and gave us the term “carpetbagger” in the first place. The folks we see talking in this spot are justly described as “the salt of the earth” – heroes in their own right.
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