I know Scott Brown is a dispicable anti-choice, pro-Bush tax cuts, sock-puppet. But I have to say, if he keeps making excellent ads like this one:
It's hard not to like the guy.
I'm starting to see a very powerful narrative play out here between the two candidates that doesn't bode well for Coakley and, I fear, might be driving the momentum on Brown's side.
Taking a look at the ads these two are running right now, I have to say Coakley's strategy doesn't look promising. As a someone who's worked on commercial's and advertising, I'm very nervous of the increasingly negative tone of Coakley's campaign versus the Underdog, in the streets, approach that Brown is pushing (be it true or not).
Don't we all naturally root for the underdog? A look at the ads below.
Despite what I may believe or know about the candidates, what can we tell from just the advertising and free press?
Brown has successful cultivated an image as a hard worker, an every man. His ads show him driving a truck and often he's not dressed very formally.
He's a polite guy, very cheery and manages to smile while espousing absolutely ridiculous things (like reagonomics).
Contrast that with Coakley. What do we know about Coakley?
As a statewide figure with a long public life, she's already fighting a perception as a part of the Mass. Democratic machine. Her lack of campaigning, was never a good idea. People want the perception that their politicians are working for them. What has Coakley done to further that image? Where is Coakley's voice in all this? Below is the most "biographical" I could find of Coakley's adds, and it hardly plays.
This is very stiff in comparison to Scott Brown's campaign. Very reminiscent of Dukakis. Not very personable and she doesn't explain who she is as a person, a commmen mistake in political advertising. We want someone who has compassion.
But what are Coakley's main ads?
Or this one which embarrassingly misspells Massachusetts?
Coakley's campaign went immediately negative but has yet to define who Coakley is. You can't criticize without a positive alternative option. I still don't know who Coakley is, I only feel that she is a qualified attorney general, which sadly to say, is just a politician. At least to those who don't follow her.
This isn't a great image to have in this political climate and Scott Brown easily responds to Coakley's attack ads in very successful rebuttal.
Brown's rebuttal is both classy and working class, two traits that contribute to his "outside of Washington" and "regular guy" image.
Coakley has done no ads to show herself working hard for you and me. In these hard political times we want a scrapper, a hard-worker everyman (or woman) who shows compassion.
Coakley needs to define herself as a hard worker in her ads immediately or face a populist underdog who's got serious momentum on his side.
I have to say, it's pretty frightening as a Democrat to see this Dukakis style happen all over again.
I'm based out of New York and have a slightly higher than average knowledge of Boston politics. I can catch some political ads driving through Mass and see them posted on the internet. I also have a few friends from MASS, one from inner-city Boston, one from Suburban Boston, and another from conservative Chelmsford. I feel a pretty topical knowledge of the political spheres.
That being said, I can see Brown playing very well in all but inner-city Boston.
UPDATE:
This Diary is meant to provide constructive criticism of a race that can still be corrected, I feel. I'm a life long Dem and I would always vote that way, but I can't imagine complacency or sugar-coating helps anyone at this point.
I treat politics as I would any sport. Don't underestimate your opponent. Train as hard as you can every day like your life depends on it. Find your weaknesses and work on 'em. Don't settle for simply, winning on a decision, knock the guy to the floor!
I'm not a firedoglake or Jane Hamsher suscriber by the by, I don't follow those people at all.