Stop me if you’ve already heard this ad, but really? Really? Listen for yourself here: http://www.youtube.com/user/scottbrownma#p/u/1/l2Zxa-107Q4
Sen Brown’s campaign spends thousands, if not more, on a full minute spot where he talks about great moments in New England sports history and gives a shout out to the Patriots for their Super Bowl appearance. You have got to be kidding me! If I was one of his financial supporters, I’d be asking for my money back right now.
This ad highlights several things. First, Senator Brown has plenty of money to spend. Second, he has nothing to say on the issues important to residents of Massachusetts. If he did, he wouldn’t waste money on ads like this and he’d commit to participating in town halls. Whoever is responsible for generating this ad should be sent packing. Finally, for me, it indicates some key differences between Sen. Brown and his likely opponent Elizabeth Warren. In November you can vote for a man who will talk with you about his passion for sports or a woman who will talk with you about her passion for fighting to save the middle class. You can vote for a man who’s raised millions from Wall Street while gutting financial reforms in the Senate or a woman who worked and fought hard developing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. My vote is for Elizabeth Warren, the candidate fighting for all of us.
Scott Brown’s reelection campaign reads a lot like Macbeth:
“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
on people just basically liking him. I agree that it suggests that he hasn’t got much else to say … but don’t underestimate how many votes this kind of thing can move.
these types of things are tested, but if people outside of his base bite on this type of thing…
I’d say the position of the candidates on New England sports teams is probably the #1 factor in their electability. Not the only factor, or even the only important factor, or the #1 factor for many voters — maybe even just a plurality — but the most important factor for the largest number of voters. This ad won’t do it on its own, but it is not a bad way to spend some money.
Brown, as always, is pretending to be something he is not: in this case, a leader who wants to bring people together. In fact, he has used his time in office to drive people apart, voting to make the rich richer and turn his back on specific, pragmatic efforts to help all of us because of his blind commitment to his GOP bosses. If he really loved the spirit of the sports teams he is trying to tie himself to, he would also love Massachusetts and want to help it, instead of exploit it for his own ego and personal advancement.
is shorter than many on here. Has anyone seen/heard an ad quite like this one? I’m not dismissing the fact that people take issue when elected officials and candidates make mistakes in discussing sports, but to make this the primary focus of your ad? Really? It STINKS of a campaign that lacks substance (e.g., barn coat, pick-up truck, sports talk…).
If you’re a MA pol you root for the Patriots, but it risks phonyism if like me you really don’t care. However, someone PLEASE reassure me that Martha Coakley didn’t lose the last Senate race because she misidentified Curt Schilling as a Yankees fan!
A theme of his kick-off speech was that he was an independent who was going to work for “all” Bay Staters and he wasn’t going to “divide” people. This ad emphasizes how we “all” are united in our support for Boston sports teams. (Not even true but maybe true for those who might vote for him.)
Possibly too as Christopher makes me think, he’s running as the Anti-Coakley, as someone as likely to be interviewed by ESPN as CNN.
There’s an odd metaphor. We support our local sports franchises even though their victories give us no benefits. We identify with them (“We beat the Yankees,” etc.)
So too perhaps, he wants us to identify with the wealthy and their victories which likewise confer on us no benefits.
…that he is NOT running against Martha Coakley again, right??
There’s a tradition in the State Legislature that lawmakers select the occasion for their “maiden” floor speech with special care.
The subject of Scott Brown’s maiden speech, in 1999? His support for a $70 million contribution by the state for the construction of a new stadium for the Patriots in Foxboro.
If you’re wondering how that squares with his “fiscal responsibility” theme, he said, “I look at it as a business, not as giving something to a sports franchise.” So there.
Brown has money to burn. It makes sense to build his favorbility numbers now and using an event that most of the state is focused on is a smart bet. He loses nothing and gains an impression that he is a “good guy” so ignore his record.
This is a winning strategy for Brown. The average person does not give a $hit about policy, can’t stand politicians and is disgusted by the whole system. Voters get to feel good when they vote for someone they want to perceive and relate to as the “regular guy”. The other very real intangible is that he is a jock/sports fan, unlike Plastic Mitt Romney who looks like a tool every time he tries to be “real.”
Remember the Bush election…..who would do you see yourself having a beer with Scott Brown or Elizabeth Warren?
Answer: for both men and women – Scott Brown
Oh, and Massachusetts has a dismal record electing women to political office. In part because the good ole boys are still in power and because the corruption is a turn-off for would be female candidates.
Where do you get that? This is from the most recent poll:
Maybe you’re right about the beer, but as of now, the polls suggest that that isn’t translating into votes.
“……who would (sic) do you see yourself having a beer with Scott Brown or Elizabeth Warren?” I did not say “who do you see yourself voting for?”
It’s about beer…..and sports….and who people “perceive” or “wish” they relate to.
I am talking average people, who are a bit different than the average BMGer.
-:)
But then again I’m not the typical voter, as I would much rather talk policy over beer than sports.
on TV and debates and such, they will want to have a beer with her. If indeed you can say that that’s what voters in MA want (I disagree, I think it’s more about connecting to people on a personal level a la “I feel your pain.”)
The fact is, she is way more folksy and direct than folks give her credit for. The only problem is that most of MA has not met/seen her.
Maybe next time Warren is doing an interview with the Boston Globe or other paper, she should order a Sam Adams and make sure there’s no way to take the photo w/o it being in the frame with her. lol
she just doesn’t pay to do it. And she doesn’t sound like a sycophant either. Hereeee’s Elizabeth!
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-24-2012/elizabeth-warren