This is Sherrod Brown’s “Both From Ohio” ad:
<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/ettjF5iOc4E?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
I asked my focus group of one person, my just-turned-19 year old son, what he thought about this ad when we saw it on tv and he thought it was funny and memorable but only because it looks like an ad for the car, rather than a political ad.
This son describes himself an independent, although he has been eligible to vote in only one election, 2011, and in that election he voted against Governor Kasich’s union-busing initiative. He also says he will vote for Obama in November.
He is working this summer as a temp at a local plant that has a huge auto industry contract and he’s getting lots and lots of overtime, money he is saving to buy a car, so I thought he would be receptive to Sherrod’s ad in particular and the auto industry rescue in general. I don’t know that he is making the connection. As I said, he’s not really a politically-oriented person, and it isn’t like he had an auto industry job and then feared losing it. Prior to this job he was in high school and working part-time at Wendy’s.
Do you like the ad? I do, but I’m hardly a neutral observer on Sherrod Brown at this point.
Trakker
Two enthusiastic thumbs up! That’s a winner.
Rathskeller
It’s a good ad, but not a terrific one. A sharp contrast between him and his opponent on this issue would have improved it.
JPL
I thought it was good because it also highlights the difference between Romney and Obama.
Libby Spencer
Like it a lot. Seeing a trend in the Obama ads toward this format too. I think it works as targeting for the less engaged voters. Short. One simple message. Easily digestable. Easy to remember.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@JPL: that was my thought, it’s almost more of a subtle anti-Romney ad, maybe a bit of political jujitsu to get Mandel or local mini-Limbaugh’s spluttering about “socialism”, to which Brown can reply, ‘you mean the 850,00 private sector Ohio jobs we saved?”
Kay
@Rathskeller:
I think he’s trying to point up that all Mandel’s ads are negative, and this is a practical accomplishment, something they were actually able to DO in DC, so that’s why I liked it.
gypsy howell
@Rathskeller:
Agree. If you’re a typical swing/undecided voter not paying a whole lot of attention to political news over the last few years, would you know that it was the republicans who tried desperately to kill the auto bail out?
Sometimes I think Democrats hugely overestimate the intelligence level and/or attention span of the average voter.
Of course WE know who’s responsible for the auto bailouts, but we don’t need a TV ad to convince us who to vote for.
japa21
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I am at work and can’t see the ad, but based upon the comments this does sound like a two-fer. It boosts both Brown and Obama. Your son may not have had to be concerned about losing his job, but lots of Ohioans did, all along the supply chain and the service chain.
This sounds like it is a gentle nudge to make sure those people don’t forget who was responsible for them still having a paycheck.
El Cid
This is contemptible. Brown simply says that he and that car are from Ohio, but offers no evidence.
I give it Four Pistachios.
MikeJ
Cantwell runs ads on getting the AF tanker contract moved to Boeing. I’d love to see her kicking the tires on a 767.
Uncle Cosmo
The Cruze drives nice; I seriously considered it to replace the car that was totaled on Memorial Day. If Chevy had seen fit to make disc brakes standard on all 4 wheels (instead of putting drums on the rear & requiring a jump of not 1 but 2 trim lines to get discs) I might be driving one now.
Cute ad, but it does kinda sound like the car that’s being promoted.
Kay
@El Cid:
But he has drawn-in arrows! I love the arrows.
I would make fun of this ad if it wasn’t Sherrod Brown, but then I am a savvy political sophisticate, so would like it if we discussed issues without that barbarian Harry Reid busting in on our round table debates :)
drew42
@El Cid: Also, this is a slap in the face to Ford drivers everywhere.
I give it five Calvin-Peeing-on-Pinocchios.
gbear
Oh Kay! How can we trust you on anything anymore!?
NotMax
OT:
The experts have voted on the candidates in the field, and the Romneys fall short.
Linda Featheringill
I live in Ohio and I approve this message. :-)
A couple of things I really like: It sticks to one point, period. And he specifically mentions where these things are made/assembled. Very good for a US Senate candidate.
Kay
@gbear:
Dear Lord. Here I thought I was just like Justice Roberts. Just calling balls and strikes.
Firm, but FAIR.
NotMax
@drew42
Rating: Five Pintos. On fire.
PeakVT
Decent, but Brown could have tweaked Romney without using his name (“and we proved the so-called business experts wrong by making GM stronger than ever” blah blah blah). Maybe his campaign wanted to be 100% positive in this ad, which is probably refreshing to the Ohio viewing public at this point,
El Cid
@NotMax: Win, internet, etc.
chuck butcher
I’d call this a soft ad, which works for the “I’m a nice guy working for you” theme. If Mandel’s ads are all smoke and heat (being a GOPer that’d be my guess) it works as a contrast and as a “you don’t have to be angry to vote for me” thing, a feel good vote. Undecided voters, especially this time around, don’t tend toward real pissed off so if you can make them feel good about voting…
burnspbesq
Works for me, but living in California and hardly watching any non-sports TV, I am far from current with the state of the art in political TV spots.
Elizabelle
OT, but Robert Hughes, Marvin Hamlisch, now Judith Crist. Folks are dropping like flies this week.
gbear
@Kay: Well all-righty then.
Raven
I’d rather push a Chevy than drive a Ford.
Chat Noir
I like it. And I agree with Connie Schultz that Sherrod Brown is cute.
lamh35
hey kay,
question? greg sargent wrote on his blog that major newspapers in Ohio are starting to write up articles on the Romney camps “Obama stops Vets from Voting” lie. Is this making big news in Ohio? I’ve been to Ohio for the last 3 weeks, but this is a faily new lie (about a week right?). Is this becoming bigger news in Ohio?
Roger Moore
@burnspbesq:
I thought Jerry Brown had some pretty state of the art ads in 2010. I especially approved of the one where he had a clip of Meg Whitman talking about how great California was when she moved here, followed by the announcer pointing out that Brown had been governor at the time. It’s hard to get pwnage any stronger than that.
artem1s
@Rathskeller:
well it would be great to draw a contrast between him and his opponent but there is no there, there. the guy has been in office for less than 2 years and hasn’t done anything except raise money for an office he said he wouldn’t run for. I’m sure that Brown has some ads in the can about that, but really Brown is running against the Koch brother’s money and against their negative ad campaigns. chances are most repubs in the state couldn’t even tell you who is opponent is at this point, just that he will have an R behind his name and he’s not Brown. It’s one of the few cases where I think the old adage about not giving your opponent free advertising by mentioning his name is actually the right strategy.
I was relieved to see this because it highlights who Brown is, and why the voters elected him into office in the first place. the last thing he wants to do is spend all his time refuting the lies that the Koch PACs have been spewing about him.
SuzieC
Love it! It’s in heavy rotation on central OH TV station during the Olympics.
kay
@lamh35:
I think Ohio newspapers are doing a good job. Early voting is popular, and no one really knows why Republicans are so determined to limit it.
They did a good job on the “I supported the auto rescue” lie too.
These lies are just adding up. National political media aren’t adding them up, but Romney is playing a really dangerous game. Elections are as much in states as they are in a country, and he just doesn’t seem to care that people here are being told he makes shit up.
I don’t think credibility crashes, in one dramatic swoop. I think it ERODES and people just stop believing anything he says.
gbear
@lamh35: Steve Benen went bananas about that new Romney lie over at Maddow Blog this morning. He was beside himself (at work so no link). It’s pretty hard to make Steve Benen go nuts.
trollhattan
O/T: Prop 8–the gift that keeps giving.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/08/prop-8-campaign-faces-fines-for-violating-campaign-disclosures.html#storylink=cpy
trollhattan
Have to say, the dude’s a natural on camera, far more energy and polish than most politicians. He’s no Basil Marceaux, but then who is?
Ruckus
@Raven:
I’d rather drive either than push.
Valdivia
I love love this ad. Full of win.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Roger Moore: that was hilarious. Short of picking Palin, I can’t remember a bigger gift to the opposition than that.
Valdivia
@Kay:
Kay, just have to say it: you are the best.
Firm and fair ;)
Wyrm1
I generally like it, and I think that a positive ad will stand out in this environment.
I’m not from Ohio, but Brown seems to be in this ad something of a goofball, if that is his image then cool, otherwise I think that might be something that people might be a little turned off by.
I think the ad does a very good job of taking something that everyone can understand (JOBS) and tying it to Democrats in general and Brown specifically.
burnspbesq
@Roger Moore:
That sounds good, but all you had to do to beat Whitman and Fiorina was use their own quotes.
kay
@Wyrm1:
What he knows a lot about is trade. That’s hugely important here ( or anywhere where people produce actual products).
I think trade isn’t discussed enough, and he can just rattle it off. It was his area of interest when he was in the House and it was smart to focus there, because it’s under-valued so gets ignored.
We have a candymaker here. Good union jobs. The Guy who owns the company does his own lobbying. He went to see Brown and he said Brown knew everything about sugar, US price supports, overseas sales, the candy trade. He was impressed.
Ohio Mom
@kay: The candymaker guy sounds like he’d be good in a Sherrod Brown commercial. One of my pet peeves is people who claim Republicans are better for small business.
I liked the car commercial but I wish it stressed Brown’s support for the auto companies with a little more oomph and detail. I don’t know if you can count on most folks remembering something that happened more than a couple of months ago.
The Other Chuck
@kay: Credibility is, like a lot of other attributes, much like a dam breaking. It might erode slowly, but build up enough cracks and eventually it all falls down, and the default position will be to disbelieve a single thing he says.
Romney is not just losing, he’s committing some fairly spectacular brand damage. Luntz may have to retire a lot of his stock phrases like “job creators” when this one is over.
The Other Chuck
@Wyrm1: Brown is known in Ohio for being something of a dishevelled Colombo-esque figure. It’s a known quantity, part of the package.
ExurbanMom
@artem1s: THIS.
Mandel is a weasel. He shouldn’t be mentioned at all, if possible. I like this ad because it’s such a refreshing positive look at things, instead of the mud that Mandel’s been slinging nonstop.
WaterGirl
@NotMax: Nicely done! I wonder if any of the young pups caught that one?
WaterGirl
@Wyrm1: I think he comes off as loose (in a good way) and comfortable in his own skin, doesn’t take himself too seriously.
SiubhanDuinne
@Elizabelle:
Wow, Judith Crist. I have to confess I haven’t thought of her in years, but I used to watch (and like) her on the Today Show back in the ’60s or so.
As for the Sherrod Brown ad, I think it’s excellent. To the point, positive, humorous without trying for the yuks (which would get very old very fast), and Brown himself is extremely engaging. Thumbs up!
(FWIW, FYWP tried to turn “yuks” into “Yuma,” but I was too quick for it.)
johnny gentle famous crooner
Hopefully Ohio voters actually get to see it amidst the 10,000 SuperPAC ads flooding the state.
WaterGirl
@johnny gentle famous crooner: I think there are going to be so many ads and so many accusations of lying that people will be on overload and won’t know what to believe.
At that point, I think they have to go with a gut feeling, and hopefully by then they will have a sense of Mitten’s character, and they will break for Obama.
rikyrah
I love the ad.
I love that he can point to differents parts of the car and name Ohio cities.
It rocks.
And, your son is only 19. for those now working on the 3rd shift at one of those auto plants, or someone who knows someone who works there, it means a lot.
Willard said
LET.DETROIT.GO.BANKRUPT
and nobody in Ohio should forget that
debbie
I think this ad is a really good counterpoint to the one Romney’s now running here, with a guy who asks, “My dad built this business with his own hands; I’m running it with my own hands; why is Obama demonizing us?” He comes across as a real whiner — someone who knows but isn’t saying his and his father’s hands wouldn’t have gotten much done without those who built the infrastructure enabling his business to grow.