While I’m waiting for video, or audio, or transcripts of this weekend’s convention speeches from Markey and Joe Kennedy (and Pemberton and Liss-Riordan) … This is intended to re-introduce Markey to Massachusetts voters. I don’t personally understand why it should be necessary, but you know, I ain’t people — nor are you, very-plugged-in BMG reader. But what do you think?
First impressions are that it’s a good reminder of the current issues that Ed’s been working on. Good fights, good trouble. Glad to see the endorsements of AOC and Warren, and the heavy emphasis on climate and the Green New Deal. He’s running as a progressive, folks!
For pure style points, I don’t like the music (Coldplay-lite, and Coldplay already is lite) — it’s too loud in the mix, and it doesn’t go anywhere — no build, no rhetoric, no climax. The editing is choppy. Getting good sweep, narrative, composition in these ads is actually pretty tough. But it’s early yet, and this piece checks the boxes. Call it a bookmark for later efforts.
fredrichlariccia says
SCORE!!! Ed Markey FIGHTS every day for the kitchen table issues that keep working folks up every night. We need him in the Senate now more than ever.
Trickle up says
Decent. I rate it a decent effort that gets the job done. Not crazy about the style either, but this is not a TV spot.
I guess the thrust is to lay out his progressive bona fides. Which he can do with absolute authenticity.
In terms of Joe and his other opponents: it really leaves them no room to attack him from anyplace other than the right. Which is the wrong place to be on climate change, gun control, opioids.
So, Joe, is that really where you want to go?
Two parts stood out for me: the fire he brought in the clip where he is speaking about gun control, and the endorsements at the end.
jconway says
Pressley found a way to run to Capuano’s left and offer voters generational change and aspirational representation. Kennedy probably can’t offer this, but Pemberton and Riordan could. I think we also tend to forget that most voters have low info on Markey and low opinion of being in office too long. Whether we think this is rational or not-its a real attitude he has to contend with.
This ad seems geared toward motivating his existing supporters to show up and fight. That might be the smarter strategy for a September primary, but it also looks like he’s already running form behind. Capuano ran ads like this to reintroduce himself to voters. I think Markey brings some progressive juggernauts to his side Capuano didn’t have on his.
SomervilleTom says
I still think it’s too early to say whether or not Ms. Pressley’s defeat of Mike Capuano was a net positive or negative. “General change” is too ageist for me. “Aspirational representation” strikes me as happy-talk for “big hat, no cattle”.
We are a quarter of the way through Ms. Pressley’s first term. I’m still waiting for her to show us anything better than what her predecessor would have done.
The most striking aspect of the nascent JKIII primary campaign is the flagrant cheerleading from the Boston Globe — such as this morning’s front-page puff-piece disguised as “news”. Even there, the shift in headlines is interesting. In the print edition, the headline was “Kennedy builds national network with sweat, brand”. In the current on-line edition, the same piece is headlined “Good will with Democrats nationwide could help Joe Kennedy III in clash with Ed Markey”. I’d love to know the reason for the headline change.
I wonder if I will EVER see a spot about JKIII that doesn’t include a reference to his pedigree. So I get that JKIII has been willing to cash in on his famous grandfather in order to raise money and generate publicity.
What I don’t see is anything about what he actually DOES. Looks to me like another guy with a big hat, in this case born on third base and doing his best to steal home.
Trickle up says
Pressley v Cap is really not a relevant frame of reference for this contest. But here are some random observations.
I liked Mike, he was my mayor for a while (before I moved into the 5th), and let’s just say he grew into being as progressive as his district in every way possible.
But the difference between him and a crusader like Markey is night and day. Joe is a lot more like Cap than Markey is in that way.
It may turn out that Markey is too progressive for Massachusetts. He isn’t too progressive for me. If Joe forces his early retirement, I will never forget it.
SomervilleTom says
@ Pressley vs Capuano:
Understood. I was reacting very specifically to this:
“Pressley found a way to run to Capuano’s left and offer voters generational change and aspirational representation.”
I’ve known Ed Markey much longer than I’ve known Mike Capuano. I first met Mr. Markey way back in the 1980s when I first got involved with politics. At that time, I lived in Billerica — ironically, then part of CD-7, as I recall. The nuclear freeze movement was at the top of my priorities then, and Ed Markey was the obvious best choice. That was also my first experience with the state Democratic caucus process.
There is just no way to credibly argue that JPIII is the more progressive choice, no matter how convoluted the argument.
jconway says
Emotions and feelings win elections. I think Markey has to offer something they gets voters excited to support him, particularly the plurality of voters who apparently have never heard of him.
I’ll add the reason you even encountered Markey in that race is because he was running in a crowded field and needed to stand out. He’s in s crowded field again, and he should remember any voter under 50 didn’t see the chair ad. He’s got to think and act like a challenger if he wants to win. Make Kennedy and his entitled family the incumbent.
SomervilleTom says
I understand that emotions and feelings win elections.
I view that as a weak point in our democracy, especially when it is so straightforward to do better.
Emotions and feelings paralyze us about climate change. Emotions and feelings created Jim Crow and delayed our efforts to address racism long after we knew that there is no rational basis for racial discrimination. Emotions and feelings hurt women and minorities every hour of every day. Emotions and feelings made our acceptance of gay marriage — like our acceptance of interracial marriage before that — a headline-generating political revolution rather than a footnote.
I decry the increasing reliance on and pandering to emotions and feelings rather than more objective and rational aspects. Sometimes government must do things that aren’t popular. Sometimes elected leaders must tell us the truth rather than what they know we want to hear.
I was there during the nuclear freeze movement. Ed Markey was there because he passionately supported the nuclear freeze movement. He would have been with us even if he had had no competitors.
I invite you to consider this 1984 piece in the CS Monitor (emphasis mine):
Ed Markey is the real deal. He was the real deal in 1984 and is the real deal in 2020.
jconway says
It’s relevant in one sense. They are both long time pols who got caught off guard by challenges they didn’t expect. I think Markey supporters have to acknowledge that they are staring from behind if the incumbent has to effectively reintroduce himself to voters to start a campaign*. Or if the challenger has double digit leads in several polls at this stage**.
*i’m putting on my campaign consultant hat here and not advocating for or against Markey. One hopes we can still look at the horse race through a reality based lens without getting attacked. I would’ve hoped we learned that from Brown and Trump surprising us.
**early polls are totally meaningless name recognition contests, but it says something that a 4 year House member is better known than a 40 year + veteran of Congress who has already been elected statewide twice. Markey absolutely should be the front runner and the fact that he isn’t is real and important to acknowledge.
drikeo says
JK3 doesn’t have name recognition. The Kennedy family has it. I think Markey lining up supporters is pretty smart. It gives voters permission to stop treating the Kennedy name like a free pass. I suspect people even will come to savor the notion of taking a Kennedy down a peg, especially when his challenge is based on birthright.
Christopher says
I’ve read that his House colleagues see him as someone who works hard and does not lean on his name.
drikeo says
I assume House colleagues would say the same thing about Bill Keating.
Christopher says
It was much more a convention video than an ad anyway, and those have two different goals and definitely different audiences.
jconway says
I have no doubt he’ll win the convention endorsement, but true bigger picture is introducing insekf to the much wider pool of voters who have no idea what the convention is or why it’s meaningful.
Christopher says
My point is it should be judged as a convention video and not as an ad for public consumption.
joeltpatterson says
About the ad, it’s merely OK. I agree with Charley about the music. Now, let’s talk about Ed Markey’s speech last Saturday in Springfield. That was a fantastic speech: Ed took all the fights–against the gun lobby, for the Green New Deal, and his parents’ personal struggle with Alzheimer’s disease–and showed that he is in these fights because he believe that every person deserves to live their life with dignity right to the end. That’s why I”m supporting Ed Markey.