It’s not exactly an “attack ad,” since all it does is call attention to the fact — and it is a fact — that a number of things haven’t gone so well over the last four years. But I’d be hard-pressed to describe the latest Deval Patrick ad as “positive” either. Here’s the text:
After four years of crushing property tax hikes triggered by deep cuts in state aid to cities and towns. Four years of rising crime and violence while cash-starved communities were forced to slash their police forces. After placing near last in jobs growth, and the worst public works disaster in our state’s history, all they have left to offer are misleading negative ads.
Tired of the same old politics? For real change, new ideas, a fresh start, Deval Patrick for Governor.
The visuals prominently feature Mitt Romney — the ad is basically an effort to tie Kerry Healey to the Romney administration’s record. As well it should, since really, what else has she got to run on?
And speaking of Kerry Healey, I just took a tour over to her website to check out the new ads everyone’s been talking about. Here’s the “cop killer” ad, all of which is read by scary voice-over guy:
A young Florida state trooper, heading home, stops to help a stranded motorist. The driver, an escaped convict, kills the trooper with five shots [soundtrack: blam blam blam blam blam]. The killer is tried and convicted. Liberal Democratic Governor Bob Graham signs death sentence. [Visual of
Willie Hortonguy who was convicted flashes across screen.] Attorney Deval Patrick is hired by convicted killer, gets sentence reduced. Now killer is eligible for parole.While lawyers have the right to defend admitted cop killers, do we really want one as our Governor?
That last line made me laugh out loud.
And here’s her new “hey, don’t worry folks – I’m not really a Republican” ad (at the moment it’s running on the Healey/Hillman front page):
[sappy piano music begins playing] On some issues, Deval Patrick and I agree. We’re both pro-choice, and support stem-cell research. We’re both from modest means, and we’ll both make a little history as Governor. But there are critical differences that affect your family. He’ll let the legislature spend whatever they want, tax whatever they can. I won’t. He’ll give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses and in-state tuition. I won’t. I’ve fought for victims’ rights. Too often he’s on the other side. If you agree with me, let’s change Massachusetts together.
It’s hardly worth the effort to dissect that one. Let’s just say this: Kerry, you may not want the legislature to do whatever it pleases. But the fact is, there isn’t a dang thing you can do about it. Mitt couldn’t stop ’em; you won’t be able to either. The only way to change Beacon Hill is to install a new standard-bearer for the only party that has any clout up there — one who isn’t tied to the establishment. Good thing we’ve got someone like that running for Governor.
UPDATE: Here’s the Patrick campaign’s statement on the new ad:
For the past 18 months, Deval Patrick has visited cities and towns across Massachusetts, listening to voters in their communities and making the case for change.
Today, Deval Patrick brought his message of change to the airwaves with a new television advertisement that highlights the challenges facing Massachusetts, and calls for real change, new ideas, a fresh start.
The ad points out that under the Romney-Healey administration residents are struggling with crushing property tax hikes, triggered by deep cuts in state aid to cities and towns, rising crime and violence, the Big Dig crisis and a struggling economy.
Deval Patrick has outlined several plans for tackling these challenges.
Hey, it’s true! He has!
As I argued here about 5 minutes before you posted, Deval’s new ad is hard hitting, effective, and fair rather than slimy. I have to say that the whole discourse about “negative” ads is often pious in the most pejorative sense of the term, although even Deval–deftly, effectively–evokes “negative” as a term of crtitique. I think we should be clear: it is ok to criticize shortcomings, as such. But a candidate also needs a positive message, a substantive vision worth embracing. And it’s not ok to do what candidates like Healey do: that is, fundamentally distort an opponent’s record, stigmatize immigrants or other marginal groups, suggest that mounting a constitutional appeal of a criminal sentence–or, for that matter, representing a confessed murderer–is wrongful, etc., etc., etc. (By the way, on that “cop killer” ad, there’s a slippage in the last line: it’s not clear, grammatically, whether the “one” we don’t want for governor is “lawyer” or “murderer.” Talk about sleazy subtexts.) Meanwhile, on the sunnier side of the street, I think, again, that Deval’s new ad dismantles Healey in a way that is as definsible (honorable) as it is effective. As my kids say, it rocks.
regarding its truthfulness. Did he do the same when Healey launched her attack ads?
A writer of a letter to the editor in the Springfield Republican brought an interesting perspective to Kerry Healey’s ad.
<
p>
The tag line was “do we really want one as our governor”, and it was presented right after a shot of Deval Patrick.
<
p>
She was from South Carolina, and she said that from that perspective, the word “one” had a double-meaning. It referred to both a trial lawyer, and to a Black man.
<
p>
When I thought about it, it really does echo the old “I’ve got a lot of Black friends, but I wouldn’t want one marrying my sister” epithet.
<
p>
Of course, you can’t prove the intent, but that’s what crypto-racism is all about — planting the seeds in an all-too-fertile fertile ground.
Deval’s ad is just the right balance. Agressive but not nastly. It tells the Healey folks that Deval is stepping up his “comparative” ads and if the Healey folks decide to get even nastier, they can expect tougher stuff from the Patrick camp.
<
p>
As for Kerry’s new spot–if that is their version of showing the human side of her, game over.
Sure, we could call that non-positive. I’m sure Keller will hem and haw too, and I’m sure the Glob will be out decrying the ‘negative’ ad, as well as the fact that Deval said he wouldn’t ‘play in that gutter’.
<
p>
Well, the truth hurts…And this is the truth. This is not a negative ad. This is a lousy, dirty, negative candidate from a lackluster, absentee administration being called exactly as they are. No cop-killer word twists and no intentional misstatements of the opponent’s strategy ie. raising taxes or MCAS. Good on the campaign for doing it.
<
p>
Now, everybody head for the upper-right of the page to help them pay for it !
One claim in Patrick’s ad was that Massachusetts ranked “near the bottom” in job growth. Jon Keller dismisses that as “spin” and misleading, after all Keller points out, MA ranked 42nd!
<
p>
Is 42nd anything other than horrible – c’mon!!! It’s the bottom fifth for god’s sake. I think it’s plenty near the bottom, 7 states below and 41 above, yeah, I think that qualifies as near the bottom.
Let me just say how much I have really dispised Keller since the primary night, when he cut into the heart of Deval’s speech to offer his own worthless commentary. It’s not that I’m surprised that he’s not Deval’s biggest fan or that he wasn’t when it became clear that the primary victory would be a big one. No, I can respect that…
<
p>
It was, first and foremost, his arrogance in cutting in on the winning candidate’s speech, right in the heart of it, that upset me enough to write my first letter to supposed political expert Jon Keller. Such a political expert should have realized the change in tide and hopped upon board whilst it was still cool…
<
p>
As it stands, Keller wishes to set up his no-lose. This in essence offers him a win in terms of readership and an inflation of his already overhyped predictions. But…If he wishes to be prescient, he ought jump on board with the Patrick campaign. He WILL LOSE unless he backs the Patrick/Murray ticket and soon. Pundritry lives, but it serves to benefit the unconventional players like the BMG crew more and more with the passing of each day.
<
p>
Keller will be obsolete in an election cycle or two. The only way he/they can avoid this is to understand that times are changing faster than their newsprint.
<
p>
The times, they are a’ changin’…
I actually like Jon Keller even though I often don’t agree with him, I think he’s smart and does a better job than most at political analysis. He is right-of-center and I think that does at times bleed through into his analysis, but generally I think he’s at least interesting and often insightful, but I stand by my first comment that I think he blew it on this spot analyzing Patrick’s new ad. By the way he probably didn’t make the decision to cut into Patrick’s speech on Primary night, the news producers at the station usually make those decisions…He’ll also lose respect and credibility if he is perceived to having “jumped onboard” any candidates campaign. Keller does have a lot of respect for Patrick though.
Saying that Deval used information ‘from 2003’. While crime may be down across the state, in the Commonwealth’s largest cities-most notably Boston-it is WAY up. More obfuscation by Keller-what else is new.
You can call it a negative ad whenever your ad mentions your opponent. That’s technically negative.
<
p>
But it seems to be a different level when you have to hire actors to reenact a scary murderer shooting a cop.
He does a nice job of avoiding the “Let him deny it” tactic and bringing the discussion back to the his issues. It’s good to see the campaign recovering from this hit.