From my inbox, the first TV ad for Mary Burke’s gubernatorial campaign:
Ed —
Scott Walker’s D.C.-based Republican Governors Association is spending more than $1 million attacking Mary with false, negative attacks in order to prop up their favorite out-of-touch governor.
We want you to have the real facts about Mary.
Here’s what you need to know:
Mary helped grow Wisconsin’s Trek Bicycle, which employs nearly 1,000 people right here in Wisconsin, into the success that it is today.
During Mary’s final year as Secretary of Commerce, Wisconsin had 72,750 more jobs than we have under Scott Walker.
Under Scott Walker, Wisconsin has fallen from 11th to 37th in job creation, ranks 45th in job prospects, and is 48th in new business starts.
There’s a better way – a strong economy starts with a strong middle class. And that’s what Mary Burke is working on every day.
Let’s get to work, together.
Joe Zepecki
Communications Director
Decent starting advertisement from Burke, the RepubGovsAss is out countering it with a near repeat of the lies in their first ad.
Criticism, yes, we really don’t have a middle class. Including pulling everyone up, leaving no citizen behind, defining poverty and middle class in real terms and addressing improvements to be expected in both “categories,” with Mary Burke need to be addressed in opposition to what the Walke’R’ regime has done to the state.
Leaving aside racial and gender discrimination (needing further mention) poverty or middle class still being defined on a $.28 loaf of bread (Fed Poverty defs) does nothing for me personally in terms of describing real peoples’ lives.
Biggest early criticism: Team Burke has already lost the game in this round, by responding to a campaign agenda and MESSAGE as defined by Repubs. Get out with something ‘R’s need to respond to, rather than simply playing catch-up on their lies.
To our detriment as people opposing the ‘R,’ sociopaths ruining the state now, this is weak tea, uninspiring and same-old, same-old that will lose, simply to the forces of larger quantities of ad buys.
Interested in hearing other thoughts here. Team Burke needs some suggestions. There is an outside to the box.
Yes, weak tea compared to the Republican vituperative cocktails. Walker pic too nice. No response to being called a liar. Positive reach good but not enough. Nothing said about first SW campaign riddled with fraud and felony. Hit harder on movements of Walker years down for Wisconsin with loss of public lands and bill 632 as well as business closings. Counter with Moore Trek upswing from states to exports and foreign sales. Clobber SW with Division of state among workers and management, Public education and teachers, Universities, colleges and students. Find somebody that can distill all this into sound bites and images that register and remain fresh with repetition.
Sorry, senile moment: “Burke Trek” upswing…
Cat,
John Nichols on ‘Sly,’ today had a bit to say about Burke’s first ad. Basically saying she will lose in a back and forth with Walker, because of limited funds to play that game. Burke also made a mistake in her ad about how many jobs that Walker created and Walker has already refuted it. The difference is about what Burke said about Walker’s job numbers and what Burke was ‘intending,’ to convey about Walker’s ‘promised,’ job creation numbers. Sloppy ad copy, blame the staff.
She needs a tack to take, her own message. State authoritarianism, women’s rights, Walker’s criminal buddies, taxing the poor, disenfranchising medically needy and inner city voters, any number of things to take about, but force Walker to defend himself at every opportunity.
I’d go right for release your John Doe transcripts and just keep saying it louder.
It’s a good ad, hitting Walker Admin for its failures and pre-empting some of the RGA’s lies. But sloppy on the unemployment items, since it’s as spin-worthy as your typical GOP ad. No, it’s not a “pants on fire” lie- unemployment WAS lower from 2005-07 vs. today and there were more jobs in the state at the time. But the point could have been made better.
I agree that “integrity” and “ending oligarchy” is the better central message for Burke’s campaign over jobs. Yes, Walker sucks at jobs too, but it’s too easy for those items to get lost in the noise machine. The lack of integrity and general scumminess of the Walker Admin is something the righties can’t spin their way out of, and hits home with more voters. And DON’T BACK DOWN when the noise machine starts screeching, as they’re already doing.
Thanks for saying it a bit more succinctly. I fear voters are not going to see any ‘don’t back down,’ intensity, but hopefully we will. I say that because even with Burke’s numerous anti-Walker ads (featuring Walker’s face fer keerist sake) for the last month or so, it was difficult if near impossible to read the faded out text, the bottom line, paid for by Burke for Gov.
Wendy Davis in TX had this ad which was appearing all over, even on WI web pages for about a month:
http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/simgad/10744135844860209252
Marquette poll suggested what last time? Who is Mary Burke? Better bang for the buck than repeatedly showing Walker’s face, maybe? I certainly think so.
Anyway, I’m not in charge at that office and am not an expert. How the campaigning plays out will tell me if Mary Burke is running her show or not, or hiring it out to supposed experts.
Anyone running against the ‘R’ regime this cycle better have a track record or be showing some real tenacity, as that is what it will take to even begin repairing the damage done in the last four years.
I don’t think Mary Burke can win this election with TV ads and glossy mailers. She needs some public rallies and rousing speeches, some appearances in unlikely places, ( Hillary taking a shot of whiskey with Pittsburgh tough guys ) something along those lines. The TV and the mailbox won’t cut it. And I think Dems across the state need to start talking about the working poor, not just the middle class.
It may be too late for this: I remember Lamar Alexander’s first run for Governor as a Republican in Tennessee which had been dominated for years by Democrats. Lamar doned an ourdoor shirt and a pair of walking boots to erase the academic president image and walked the length of Tennessee giving stump speeches.
Mary Burke could go Lamar one better by riding a Trek bicycle from point to point, creating local buzz as she approached towns, villages and cities. A facebook page would keep the “Trek” updated and interactive. The local papers would have a field day with photos. If she wants to win badly enough and is not using the campaign just to garner recognition and free advertising, this would allow her to become much better known, liked for being serious and laying it on the line, and benefit Trek and Wisconsin manufacturing as well.
As I say, maybe a little late, but some iteration of the idea might help.