Nick posted this yesterday, but I haven't seen Kos frontopage this ad yet. This ad shows Bill Clinton explaining to Marylanders why they should vote for Martin O'Malley for Governor.
We need Bill supporting all our candidates with TV ads, because no matter what folks feel about Bill Clinton, he makes you remember better times. He has a steadying influence, where George Bush makes one feel insecure and angry.
We need to remind folks that Democrats really can lead responsibly, unlike what Bush and his corrupt cronies say.
In Maryland, I believe the consultants and campaign staff have once again taken Maryland for granted with its 2-1 D to R ratio. Unfortunately, I know from experience that many that are registered D are not really Ds. But many Unaffiliated voters are in fact Ds, but we need to make the effort to reach those individuals.
Many voters still do not know Martin O'Malley and Ben Cardin. While I believe Cardin will win the Senate seat, I think the Governor's race is far closer than I'd like it to be. (As shown by a number of polls) While Ehrlich hasn't really done a great job as Governor, I fear he hasn't done as poor of a job for some voters to vote against him. Some voters base their votes strictly based on who they think will not raise taxes. And the devil you know is safer than the devil you do not know.
I did my best to explain all the problems with Ehrlich to one unaffiliated voter I know, but she seemed far more interested in who would raise her taxes. I instructed her to visit both candidates websites and do some research. Hopefully she'll decide to vote for O'Malley after learning more about him. But I'm not holding my breath. At least I do know she plans to vote for Cardin.
Another unaffiliated voter I know is planning to vote for O"Malley and Cardin and even put their yard signs in her yard. But she too feels that both campaigns have lost the ad battles with the Republicans. Everyone saw commercials from Steele, while Cardin's were less memorable.
Where are all the good ad people and consultants? We have good candidates, but one wouldn't know it based on the ads! And what about the direct mail? There has been a definite lack of it, except for some of the local candidate races.
Campaigns need to focus on reaching the voters directly with their literature and their ads. The material needs to be catchy and memorable, while also showing the voter who the candidate is and what he/she stands for. One of the most frequent reasons drop off voters give for not voting is that they don't know who's running for office!
When we take back Congress and perhaps the Senate, what we need to continue to place and keep good candidates in office is more effective ads and literature. I hope many folks in the dKos community get involved in that area, as I've seen a wonderful amount of creativity and passion here for providing an effective message to voters. If we can improve in that area, I predict Democratic majorities will be common place in the future, allowing for a progressive social and economic agenda to be put in place for this country.
"Don't stop thinking about tomorrow."
Whenever I hear that song, I can't help thinking about the good times experienced in the 90s. I want us to be able to look to the future that same way once again. It won't happen right away, given all the problems Bush & Co. ignored. But maybe in 5-10 years.
And if you want to relive that feeling today, be sure to come out for the Democratic Rally for O'Malley/Brown featuring Bill Clinton TONIGHT.
Please join President Clinton, Martin O'Malley, Anthony Brown & Ben Cardin THIS SUNDAY NIGHT, November 5.
Doors Open at 9:00 PM
Camelot of Upper Marlboro, 13901 Central Ave., 20774, in Upper Marlboro, MD. Plenty of free parking!
Please RSVP to Ashley Peddicord at 410-366-1900 or e-mail Clinton@MDDems.org for more info.