Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Khazei’s TV ads — compare and contrast

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I just saw Alan Khazei’s new ad on the teevee. A lot of it looked familiar — and, as it turns out, a brief review reveals that it uses a fair amount of video footage from his first ad. There’s nothing wrong with that — I actually think it’s a much better ad, essentially taking the good advice first offered by Khazei supporter FrankSkeffington to pitch City Year as an inspiring story of service to community and country rather than as a jobs program. See for yourself.

Original ad: New ad:


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  1. “Hope to two million kids.” “Change always comes from the people.” Hope … Change. Where have I heard those words before.

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    p>I agree this ad is better than the first, but I think it is still essentially a retread of themes advanced by others. First, jobs (and, of course, not even real jobs, as discussed). Now, hope, at least for children, and change.

    <

    p>The candidate’s campaign, from its ads to its typos, is less impressive than the candidate. I think this helps to explain why his favorables, at 11 percent, are less than one-third that of the next-lowest Democratic candidate, Pagliuca (who is at 35 percent). He’s not moving the needle at all.

    • it’s not fair to criticize Khazei for adopting “themes advanced by others.”  Long before anyone knew who Barack Obama was, Khazei was actually delivering hope ‘n’ change in a far more effective way than Obama ever did in his community organizing days.  Give him some credit for acting — successfully — on his beliefs.

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      p>Now, whether all of that translates into an effective Senate campaign is of course another question.  And I agree that he needs to get himself out of the basement polling-wise right quick if he wants to shoot for a respectable finish.

      • The point is that to the vast majority of voters — who know nothing about Khazei — this ad comes across as a retread, and is therefore unlikely to impress.

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        p>The issue isn’t fairness, it is effectiveness. In short, the issue is your second para, not your first, unfortunate though that may be in some larger sense.

    • better than his earlier one, which wasn’t bad.

      <

      p>I’m not saying he’ll be able to come from behind, but anyone who thinks that David Axelrod invented hope and change needs more RAM (or less cynicism).

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