Mtv's `Choose Or Lose' Campaign Breaks New Ground

Today's MTV-weaned, 30-second attention-spanned, media-saturated youth are tomorrow's leaders.

In the meantime, MTV and savvy presidential campaign strategists hope these hip hoppin', rock 'n rollin' Bush babies will at least vote.

There's been a lot of growing up since 1988 - an entire generation of young people, often monikered as vidiots, are now old enough to vote.

That's a lot of votes.

MTV's "Choose or Lose" campaign has devoted a serious chunk of time to covering the presidential election. MTV reporter Tabitha Soren and special guest commentators (from Megadeth's Dave Mustaine to rapper MC Lyte) have delivered some of the slickest, most imaginative coverage of the election this year.

MTV's reporting so far has been informative, despite its now familiar standard of faster-than-you-can-blink pacing (which is in danger of self-parody - how many times can you stand to see riot clips set to songs by Ice Cube and the Clash?).

MTV provided extensive coverage of the Democratic National Convention held in New York earlier this summer. Before anyone could point a finger at MTV's thinly disguised liberal bias, MTV sent its troops, led by Soren and rocker Ted Nugent, to Houston.

But political issues still taste like News McNuggets. A comparison of the Republican and Democratic platforms is reduced to a Pros/Cons chart. (Abortion: Democrats - Pro. Republicans - Con. Gay rights: Democrats - Pro. Republicans - Con. And so on.) Tom Brokaw reveals to Soren that (gasp!) "a political campaign is about humor." Ted Koppel and Nugent shake hands. And who really understands what a capital-gains tax is, anyway?

For the benefit of those restless vid kids, MTV limited Soren's time to one-shot punches:

Why did George Bush first choose Dan Quayle as Vice President? ". . . To appeal to the far right and the young."

What happened during Bush's presidency? "The Berlin Wall fell, Nelson Mandela was freed. . . .and the Cold War ended."

How about the state of the nation? "L.A. burned brighter than 1,000 points of light."

In an effort to stress its youth-oriented campaign, Soren interviewed Bush's son Marvin, an investment advisor who, at the tender age of 35, is a spring chicken compared to everyone else at the convention.

Does Bush bashing affect Marvin? Soren asked.

"Of course, it does," Marvin said. "I will never apologize for the family." He also called the Democratic Convention Clinton's "early victory lap," but predicted Dad's comeback.

And what about Dad's alleged mistress? "It makes me laugh," Marvin said, adding that he could never see his father having an affair with anyone.

Nugent, that rock 'n roll holdover from the '70s trying to breathe more life into his new band, Damn Yankees, is the requisite rock star guest commentator. Unlike Megadeth's more liberal Mustaine, Nugent is a registered Republican and likes to hunt.

Nugent's report lacked focus - humorous in an aw-shucks manner, he self-consciously ambled through the Astrodome, haphazardly badgering people for quotes. "You know I fit in here," Nugent sheepishly admitted as he passed well-dressed, well-coiffured Republicans, who briefly stared at his rock 'n roll long hair and jeans.

But this is MTV. Through the miracle of patient editing, Nugent's random questions became a coherent presentation of three themes:

Young people are only Democrats until they leave college, get a job and start paying taxes. "If you want a job, please vote Republican," says a youthful, clean-scrubbed Louisiana delegate.

Political conventions are a great excuse for lots of cheesy merchandise. "This is pure capitalism. . . .this is Americana," Nugent says, pointing at the dozens of elephant souvenirs. "Elephants, elephants, elephants. . ."

And some people can say the dumbest things. "Why are you here?" Nugent asks Miss Texas 1992.

"Well, George Bush is from Texas, and I'm a Republican," Miss Texas 1992 said.

Well, there you go.