Democrats Take Their Campaigning Cue from Hollywood
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

HONG KONG – Martin Sheen, meet Martin Lee.
One of Hong Kong’s leading political parties hopes that a little Hollywood polish will carry its group, which is struggling in the polls, to victory. The Democratic Party here is creating its own mini-version of “The West Wing,” in the hopes of influencing next month’s Legislative Council elections.
The Democratic Party is producing a two-minute video that portrays its candidates as hard-working, professionally-attired public servants, much like the characters in the television show, which is set in the White House.
“I love the American soap operas so much, ‘The West Wing’ so much, I came up with the idea of using that blueprint to make our own Democratic Party video,” said a party organizer and district councilor, Gary Fan.
In the first part of the still-unfinished video, the candidates are shown holding serious discussions. The imagery is in black-and-white and was shot using a gauzy, soft focus.
The scenes most evocative of the TV program show candidates walking briskly through a colonnade. Classical music underscores the dignified atmosphere.
“It’s very classy and elegant,” said Mr. Fan, a 37-year-old with a background in graphic design.
The second half of the video shows the candidates working in their districts with constituents. The music is more upbeat. Mr. Fan said he hopes it will convey a youthful, energetic image.
All of this may seem less than revolutionary to Americans, who have been subjected to televised political advertising for decades, but in Hong Kong it is groundbreaking, Mr. Fan said.
“Never have people in Hong Kong made this kind of video,” Mr. Fan said. “If we do well this time, in the next campaign and election a lot of candidates will follow our way.”
Among those featured in the video is a legislator who is one of Hong Kong’s best-known advocates for civil liberties and democratic freedoms, Martin Lee.
“I was quite bemused by the idea,” Mr. Lee, who served as chairman of the party from 1994 until 2002, told The New York Sun. “I thought it was fun.”
Mr. Lee, 66, said he has never seen “The West Wing,” but was pleased to join in the publicity effort being mounted by younger party activists.
“I remember what I was told to do. It was funny,” he said. He noted that he was not offered a speaking part in the video.
Mr. Lee and his party are known for taking a tough line against what they perceive as meddling in Hong Kong’s political affairs by the mainland’s communist regime.
He said he hopes the video will combat the perception in some quarters that the Democrats have little to offer beyond their strident criticism of the government.
“A lot of people seem to have slandered us deliberately. They came up with the suggestion that if we were in the majority after the election, we would paralyze the government. One of the reasons behind this is to show people, well, the Democrats could govern.”
Mr. Fan said that the party plans to distribute the video through its Web site and via e-mail to its members. Versions of the video may also air during blocks of time local broadcasters are expected to make available to candidates.
Democratic Party officials said they do not expect to take out the kind of campaign ads that are commonplace in America. However, Mr. Fan said some scenes from the video may be placed in print ads that will appear in subways.
The publicity campaign may be a timely relief for the party, which recently experienced something of a public relations embarrassment.
Earlier this month, one of its candidates, Alex Ho, was allegedly caught in a mainland hotel room with a prostitute. Without a trial, Mr. Ho was sentenced to six months of “re-education” on the mainland.
The story received front-page attention in Hong Kong, especially after party leaders claimed that the arrest was staged as part of an elaborate scheme to hurt the party’s chances in the September 12 election.
More recently, party officials have suggested that Mr. Ho might be guilty but was still being treated far more harshly than others who had engaged in similar behavior.
Mr. Lee tried to put the best face on the episode. He said it “highlighted the two different legal systems.”
On the mainland, public security officials can bypass the courts to send certain offenders to jail. Such a parallel track for punishment does not exist in Hong Kong.
Mr. Lee said he is focusing his efforts on turning out the vote in the upcoming election. For the first time, he has ceded the party’s top slot in his local race to a younger colleague. Under the proportional representation system used here, the veteran activist and legislator will retain his seat only if a third or more of the voters select his party. Right now, polls show the Democrats below 30% in the area.
“It’s a pretty dangerous move. I’m campaigning very hard,” Mr. Lee said.