The congressional delegations from Maine and New Hampshire, along with other elected representatives and supporters of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Brunswick Naval Air Station and the Defense Finance Accounting Service center in Limestone, will be in Boston on July 6 to make a joint presentation – a plea, really – to the base closing commission to keep our bases intact.

There was a dress rehearsal Monday to practice the pitch.

We have a suggestion: While it’s good to be practiced, it’s far better to be memorable.

The base closing commission is holding dozens of regional hearings, taking in arguments from thousands of people over the span of many weeks. Every argument will focus on job losses and predict economic doom. The arguments will focus on the need to preserve military strength in various geographic regions of the country, threatening the nation’s security if a single base is shut down.

These hearings will be exceptionally repetitive.

They will be held in places like Boston, Buffalo and Baltimore and, while the names and titles of the presenters will change, the presentations will be remarkably similar. The supporters at each venue will carry signs with similar messages, and the predictable sea of colorful T-shirts on supporters’ backs will blend together by the time the commission has traversed the country.

If Maine and New Hampshire are serious about being heard, our presenters must avoid predictable politiceeze and say something so compelling and present it in such a memorable way that the commission can hear their arguments above the din.

We’re not suggesting a song and dance or, worse, an ice-breaking joke.

What we’re suggesting is that the delegation implant itself on commissioners’ minds. That, when commissioners reconvene to discuss facts gathered through the hearing process, they don’t have to look at paperwork to recall Maine and New Hampshire’s strength and determination. They will remember.

We must lead this debate, not toss around in the froth that will churn up as we move toward final decisions on base closings.