Political Ads And The Skeptical Consumer

Interestingly, the Michael J Fox ad is getting more play than just the ad. Rush Limbaugh's clumsy attempted take-down (he's either off his meds or acting for effect) is not going over well.

And Rush Limbaugh's suggestion on his radio show yesterday that actor Michael J. Fox is exploiting and exaggerating his illness -- Fox has Parkinson's -- in TV ads for Democratic Senate candidates just isn't going to play well, even though Limbaugh has since apologized.  Fox cut the spots for a couple of Democrats because they favor federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.  The New York Times' TV critic writes about the ads, which show him swaying back and forth uncontrollably:  "Mr. Fox's display of the toll Parkinson's disease has taken on him turned into one of the most powerful and talked about political advertisements in years...  The issue of embryonic stem cell research is divisive, but Mr. Fox is not." 

More here. Also, the possibility of backlash from the racist Corker independent expenditure ad in TN exists as well. From the first link (First Read):

The Tennessee Senate race has been close enough that if Rep. Harold Ford (D) wins it, nabbing not only a Republican seat but the one held by the outgoing Majority Leader, some will point to the controversial Republican National Committee ad and call it a decisive moment.  Until now, Ford has run perhaps the best campaign of any Democratic Senate candidate this cycle, positioning him to take advantage of any backlash among African-Americans that might arise over what critics call the ad's implicit racism in showing a scantily-clad blonde asking Ford to call her, conjuring up an image of interracial dating.   

RNC chair Ken Mehlman told NBC's Tim Russert yesterday that he doesn't think the ad reflects any such sentiment and that he's legally prohibited from having it pulled because the ad is paid for by an independent expenditure fund with which he can't have any contact.  Coincidentally, Mehlman is campaigning in his home state of Maryland today, where he personally recruited African-American Lt. Gov. Michael Steele to run for the Senate.

Ford told MSNBC yesterday, "I know that they are a little desperate and doing the things that you do when you get desperate in a campaign."  GOP nominee Bob Corker has called for the ad to be pulled.  (Then again, it's also possible that the ad will turn a crucial percentage of voters off of Ford.)

If it's the moderate voter (running 2:1 Democrat in multiple  that matters this election, both ads will hurt the GOP, whatever the effect of the Ford ad elsewhere. MO is too close to call, and so is TN. These are tough states for Dems to win, but they're both within reach.

Especially with the Michael J Fox ad as an example, don't think for a minute that Mehlman and the GOP machine are incapable of error. Pressure matters, and pressure is going to grow from now until election day. It's why Bush is erring today by talking more about Iraq, where there's no coherent message (he was for 'stay the course' before he was against it) and no change in strategy.

If you're feeling nervous between now and November 7, remember that it cuts both ways. Both sides will make errors, but the skeptical American voter is not in a mood to cut the ruling party much slack.

Comments

[Dismayed]

Well, Rove beggs to differ. In an NPR interview he claims access to the REAL math. And the REAL polls show a Repub house and senate in two weeks. MJ Fox, the war, none of it matters all that matters is Dems vote against good things and the voters know it and will go his way in the final darkness of the booth - What say ye to this - DemFromConetecee?

[William Ockham]

I suspect Limbaugh's buffonery is going to hurt Talent in Missouri. Talent is already perceived as being a very negative campaigner and, fairly or not, this episode will color people's perception of him. I don't think a lot of people understand the depth of connection that some TV actors make with the masses. Michael J. Fox benefitted from that connection long before he was diagnosed with Parkinson's and his career since then has made him into a heroic figure. The Right should have simply ignored that ad. Attacking it will depress their base in ways they don't even understand.

[ab initio]

This late in the game TV ads all blend into each other and are likely not very effective as long as both sides have equivalent volume. Many voters have already made up their minds. Now its going to be which side has more motivated voters and which side has better GOTV in getting the less likely voters to the polls.

This election the Repubs have not had the message frame that they have had for the past few election cycles and Iraq has continues to dominate. Bush has not made it easy with his message flip-flopping and incoherence on Iraq. The closeness of several senate races makes the outcome quite interesting.

[freepatriot]

limpbag might be hurting talent, but John Danforth is KILLING Talent on stem cell research

I saw a diary at DKOS that cronicled how a false talent ad was directly followed by an independent ad explaining exactly how the talent ad lied

and this ad sequence was broadcast during the World Series, IN ST LOUIS

lush limpbag is small potatos compared to John Danforth

[Meteor Blades]

I agree with you both, William and freepatriot. I know a couple of people in Cape Girardeau, Rush's home turf, and they're normally the kind of folks I'd want to stay out of the voting booth. But on an issue like this, I think Rush and the Republicans may have over-reached themselves in a Terri Schiavo kind of way. And that Danforth ad, broadcast directly after the Talent ad (in which he tries to link the stem cell law with human cloning) is just devastating in a state where Republicans and a hefty chunk of Dems give Danforth a level of adoration some Missourians used to reserve for the James gang.

[TenStepsLeft]

This is entirely off topic, but your email link doesn't work, and I wanted to pass this on:

Emptywheel, you may have heard this before, but I thought I’d pass it along just in case you hadn’t.

I met Joe Wilson at a fundraiser last night and commented to him how many hours that should have been billable hours I had burned reading the blogs about the investigation. He immediately responded how unbelievable your work was (I had only mentioned blogs in general, not you in particular) and how he relied on your posts more than anything else.

You’ve probably heard this before, but I felt I had to pass it on to you. Thanks for all your efforts.

[freepatriot]

addendum to TenStepsLeft:

me thinks emptywheel may appear in some history books in the future

and maybe a few of the coloring books at the bush libury too

[DemFromCT]

Dismayed, we can believe Rove or we can believe Cook, Amy Walter, Stu Rothenberg, Craig Crawford and every poll, internal and otherwise, on the internets. Do we think only R internal polls are correct?

As for emptywheel, she's writing her own book, to join the history and coloring books of the future.

[Dismayed]

Yeah, Rove's such an ass. Couldn't help but yank your chain just a bit. His comments made it sound like he has some sort of predictive calculation that factors in his 'polls' along with war chest balances. At the end of the day he was pretty testy, and that makes me think that he's mostly just full of shit and didn't like being called on it.

[Daniel DiRito]

See a tongue-in-cheek visual that gives Mr. Mehlman a dose of his own "Innuendo" medicine...here:

www.thoughttheater.com

[janinsanfran]

Glad to see you mentioned Bush trying to talk about Iraq today. Have they forgotten the basics? When you are losing on an issue, attack your opponents on something else, don't wallow in the swamp of your own making. Of course, Bush has no idea how to get out of his swamp, but still, I'm shocked they let him add to the focus on Iraq.

Meanwhile, we must keep the focus on Iraq. Not very hard as the dying continues. Folks might like to take a look at this Guardian video.

[freepatriot]

bush says "talk about Iraq" ???

Frist says "don't talk about Iraq"

Concord, New Hampshire - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says if Republican candidates want to succeed on Election Day, they should turn their focus away from the Iraq war.

so it don't matter what you believe, the repuglicans have a policy to fit every budget

Cut the Course and Stay The Run

if you don't understand the repuglican retoric, you're probably a latte drinking libural terrorist lovin commie

[bugsy]

Dear Mr President: you can schedule a press conference for every day until 2008 to peddle this war. No one will buy it. You just can't sell something that stinks.
Vote on November 7. Bring the troops home now. You owe it to them.

[windje]

Once one gets branded as an incompetent (KKKatrina) liar (WMD's, etc.), there's not a lot you can say that everyone will believe. That's been one of KKKarl's trademark ploys, the unsubstantiated smear that enough people believe (or want to believe) to create a winning margin.

A large number of people in the US made an understandable mistake - they believed the President of the United States.

You can fool all of the people . . .

Time's up. A majority of us won't be fooled again.

[test4]

Well Rush is just Rush. Don't pay too much attention to him.

Rush is an entertainer. He likes to be "notorious."
"Say what you want, just spell the name correctly."

He has gotten his turn in the barrel getting bad publicicity a few times lately about pain medication (illegal) and HIS VIAGRA(quite legal) HABIT. I felt sorry about the publicity on Viagra. It was uncalled for to present that to the news groups.

Rush is no worse than some on liberal talk radio.

As for Rush's actions concerning MJ Fox-

Well it is one thing to express his thoughts about a possilbe exageration by Mr Fox (though personally I differ) but quite another to mimic him like that. That becomes not just an attack on Mr Fox, but a slur on people with an awful malady.

[Jodi]

test

[William Ockham]

That video tape of Rush Limbaugh is going to hurt Republicans all across the country. Limbaugh is seen as an important ally of the Republican party. The sheer stupidity of what he did in this incident is hard to fathom. Imitating the symptoms of Parkinson sufferer is reprehensible. Even people who might do that in private know better than to do it in public. This is a huge self-inflicted wound by the conservatives. If he had pulled a stunt like this 6 weeks ago, it might have gone largely unnoticed by the public at large. Now, on the other hand, they are just tuning into the election story. I couldn't have come up with a better way to alienate the voters that the Republicans depend on for victory (well, except for the Foley mess). Karmageddon indeed.

[Daniel DiRito]

See a tongue-in-cheek visual that gives Rush Limbaugh a dose of his own medicine...here:

www.thoughttheater.com

[http://facilluaer.info/homeland-security-stock/index.html]

http://facilluaer.info/homeland-security-stock/index.html

[Carolyn]

bakers shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/3]bakers shoes[/url]
keen shoes shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/8]keen shoes shoes[/url]
shoe show [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/13]shoe show[/url]
shoe repair [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/12]shoe repair[/url]
crocs shoes crocs shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/30]crocs shoes crocs shoes[/url]
steve madden shoes steve madden shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/9]steve madden shoes steve madden shoes[/url]
baker shoes shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/25]baker shoes shoes[/url]
bakers shoes bakers shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/3]bakers shoes bakers shoes[/url]
broadway shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/28]broadway shoes[/url]
bape shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/27]bape shoes[/url]
shoe warehouse shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/14]shoe warehouse shoes[/url]
shoes carnival shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/21]shoes carnival shoes[/url]
bape shoes shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/27]bape shoes shoes[/url]
bcbg shoes shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/26]bcbg shoes shoes[/url]
shoe warehouse shoe warehouse [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/14]shoe warehouse shoe warehouse[/url]
merrell shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/7]merrell shoes[/url]
keen shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/8]keen shoes[/url]
shoe warehouse shoe warehouse [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/14]shoe warehouse shoe warehouse[/url]
asics shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/16]asics shoes[/url]
merrell shoes shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/7]merrell shoes shoes[/url]
broadway shoes broadway shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/28]broadway shoes broadway shoes[/url]
jessica shoes simpson jessica shoes simpson [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/15]jessica shoes simpson jessica shoes simpson[/url]
camper shoes camper shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/23]camper shoes camper shoes[/url]
pickyourshoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/22]pickyourshoes[/url]
steve madden shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/9]steve madden shoes[/url]
merrell shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/7]merrell shoes[/url]
bcbg shoes shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/26]bcbg shoes shoes[/url]
keen shoes keen shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/8]keen shoes keen shoes[/url]
steve madden shoes steve madden shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/9]steve madden shoes steve madden shoes[/url]
shoe show shoes [url=http://shoesstore.blog.drecom.jp/archive/13]shoe show shoes[/url]

[http://holeword.info/candida-infection/index.html]

http://holeword.info/candida-infection/index.html

[Visitor864]

I have visited your site 663-times

[Visitor253]

I could not find this site in the Search Engines index