Obama Allies Preparing To Launch TV Ad Blitz Targeting GOP Senators
Updated below.
One thing that the success of Obama’s agenda will depend on is the help of outside groups that will raise big money to drive his message and to blitz the opposition with TV ads.
I’ve just learned that an ad campaign blitzing a half dozen GOP Senators will be launched in the middle of next week by one such outside group, Americans United For Change, which will air ads for at least four days pressuring the Senators to back Obama’s stimulus package.
The ads will reflect the aggressive style of the group’s chief, Brad Woodhouse, a well-known and hard-edged operative who helped drive the Democratic National Committee’s message during the 2008 election.
“The ads will say, `Senator, you have a stark choice. Are you going to play politics as usual and embrace the failed policies of the past, or will you support the Obama plan?’” says a Democratic operative involved in the project. “Mentioning the Obama plan is central because his approval rating is at 70% or more. In our polling, he is a dominant messenger.”
The ad, which is currently in script development, will feature imagery of Obama, or audio of his voice, or both, the operative says. Woodhouse declined to comment.
The group has already raised some $300,000 for the campaign and is on track to spend as much as half a million on it, which is a sizable sum for an ad blitz running for less than a week in a limited number of states.
Some or all of the Senators likely to be targeted: Sen. Olympia Snowe (Maine), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Judd Gregg (N.H.), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), and George Voinovich (Ohio).
The spot is likely to be similar to this TV ad that the group ran for a day in Ohio when Obama visited the state recently.
Such issue ad campaigns will soon be in full swing from both sides on a number of fronts, and the Obama administration will be relying heavily on this type of outside spending to help beat back well-funded groups striving to block his agenda.
Update: A couple quick housekeeping notes. First, the new RSS feed for this blog:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/?feed=rss2
Also, for the near term I won’t be posting on weekends, so please consider this an open thread. Back first thing Monday morning.
Why would they want to target Voinovich? Not running for reelection and likely to vote for, isn’t he? As a matter of fact, why target ANY Republicans? Why does Obama even need Repub votes to pass this stimulus? Are there that many Democratic Senators who plan on voting No?
O I love it so very much. And coincidentally, this is just what I told John Cornyn in an email I sent to him about his blocking Eric Holder’s confirmation. I mean, exactly what I said – that he’d do well to remember that he’s in the minority and he would also do well to remember that President Obama has overwhelming public support.
I threw in that he’s relegating Texas to a backwater, allied with Oklahoma, Arkansas and Appalachia. Not good for *bidness*.
I am pleased to hear this, because I was concerned that the “It’s a whole bunch of money for contraception!!!!” theme was(is) starting to gain traction…
THis is great news. I am so glad to have sopme aggressive advocates for a change.
Why would they want to target Voinovich?
Because he and the rest are moderate Repugs who are reachable and might be persuaded to vote in favor of Obama’s agenda.
Why does Obama even need Repub votes to pass this stimulus?
Really? You really don’t see that the more support he gets, the easier it is to move this thing* off the precarious perch it now occupies?
*the country/the economy
aggressive advocates
What an interesting concept for Democrats.
O my – The Global Gag Rule is dead! Ding Dong the witch is dead!
Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this is terrific idea. the repubs have to be held accountable. their
rotten ideas helped get us into this mess. and it’s high time
they got called on it.
What is wrong with this new administration? They barely have begun working with congress and they are not getting there way. So they want to act like spoiled kids on the school ground and cry to the public!!. I am so glad I was in KYIV during the election and did not vote.
So they want to act like spoiled kids on the school ground and cry to the public!!. I am so glad I was in KYIV during the election and did not vote.
Posted by: Lawrence | January 23rd, 2009 at 05:31 pm
O god yes! We CAN’T have the public involved in a participatory democracy! Horrors! Whatever will we tell the children?
A civics lesson for my friends commenting here.
Obama won his election. So did all the Republicans mentioned here. They also won their elections. If you assume people voted for Obama because they believed in his agenda, then you must assume people voted for their Senate and House representatives for the same reason (unless, of course, you are a hypocrite and we all know whether or not liberals are hypocrites – don’t we).
These Republicans can vote any way they like.
By the way, you guys are really, really stupid. Perfect Obama voters.
Gotta go…global warming is coming over to play cards.
By the way, you guys are really, really stupid
O nanny nanny boo boo to you too! LOL! Take your toys and go home.
God you people are childish and ill-informed. But we love ya and we want to extend our hand to any of you who are willing to unclench yours.
Sorry Tena. I should have said “by the way you guys and girls are really, really stupid.” Now I am being inclusive. That’s important to you, right? I think being inclusive is a right bestowed to us in the Constitution. Right next to our right “to not be offended”.
Get a civics lesson, moron.
Its time to tell obama to kiss our grits and feel good about it. obama first American Rape and Reaping Plan didn’t do any good for the taxpayers and his second request is a bigger foney bill then the 1ST. You didn’t win elcrapo obama. over 50,000,000 people voted against you obama not for McCain
A couple of decades ago, some not so wise people in Congress decided American manufacturing was the past, now we needed high tech, service oriented jobs…let the undeveloped countries start doing the hard work for a change, and we could just have happy days forever with cheap prices on goods from China. No need to protect our industry like all those undeveloped countries were doing, that just wasn’t fair, because we would always be on top in the world, right? Well guess what, if you don’t make anything, you can’t build an economy on “brain power” and “serving each other” now can you? I guess this economy today has the answer to that question. Everyone knows the Congress and the president are believers in government spending as “job creation”, and no one, especially Republicans, are going to change their minds. So, conservatives, shut up, work hard, and let them prove again that socialism doesn’t work, and only self-reliance and individual effort is going to get anyone anywhere, in ANY economy. And for the information of everyone that will listen, life is hard for every person, not just “groups”. I cannot imagine the hardships suffered by blacks, and other minorities, but I know to continue to dwell on it only fuels resentment, because life is hard for all people. I never got up one day, and someone said, “you get a good education and great job because you’re white, and we don’t give jobs to people of color just because of their color”. I spent an enlistment in the military, a year in southeast asia during the war, and I worked the ENTIRE time I was going to college, because it was me and my GI bill paying my way, not my poor, widowed mother with an eighth grade education that worked in a cotton mill all her life. Today I am very successful, and it wasn’t because of my color. I am an employer, and I can honestly say, I don’t care what color you are, if you are a good, hard working human being, that conforms to the reality of the business environment in your dress and mannerisms, you have a job. I have proven that over and over again in my own business and hiring. My experience has been the same with my colleagues, we give anyone a chance that is willing to work hard…so let’s move on, and for God’s sake, stop talking about race all the time! Opportunity is there for anyone that is willing to make right choices. During college I delivered pizzas, cleaned businesses at night (yes, I scrubbed toilets), and even today, in my office, I will help carry out the trash or clean a toilet if I find it dirty, and I own the business. Not working is demeaning…period, not what someone else thinks of you. Continuing to insist that minorities are not given a fair shake is counterproductive, and does not advance anyone. Doesn’t white America get some credit for having grown and advanced, lost old prejudices and ideas and moved on? No matter how much you talk about it, and whine about it, there will always, always, always be white people that hate minorities, and minorities that hate whites. It will never change. That is not even a small minority anymore, so everyone needs to work hard, live their lives, and STOP TALKING ABOUT RACE!!
I’m struck by the number of product ads that echo Obama’s message right now. The Starbuck’s ad stands out. The culture just seems to be sopping up his message in a big way. I still can’t get over how HUGE this change is!!!
I’m not convinced it’s the best approach. Obama will be best utilizing the free channels to convey these messages. Radio addresses or press conferences should provide all he needs.
Using paid ads means the money comes from somewhere, and will eventually raise questions about who’s driving the message and why. But when Obama goes direct with an appeal for people to lobby their Senators & reps, that avoids all suspicions and can deliver a tsunami response.
Btw, it looks like paragraphs don’t work here without html tags. Can that be corrected?
kevin, I’ll check into that and see if it can be corrected …
btw, here’s this blog’s new RSS feed:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/?feed=rss2
Get a civics lesson, moron.
I did – 3 years of law school. Where did you learn about America? I have a feeling, from reading your comments, that you learned what little bits you know from Atlas Jugs, or Michele Malkin or Rush Limbaugh.
Cause you know exactly frak-all about this government, this country and our history.
an OPEN THREAD?
Every weekend?
YEE-HAW!
OT (off topic or open thread, same thing) Cornyn and Specter seem to be committing pre-emptive obstruction of justice…
Doesn’t this GOP demand for protection of the guilty from prosecution constitute obstruction of justice?
Seriously, it seems very much like a case of “pre-emptive obstruction.”
If, after the fact, we should learn that these Republicans knew full well there were crimes committed, wouldn’t Specter’s and other GOP ploys to get assurances of immunity represent, essentially, an obstruction of justice?
“an open thread? every weekend?”
perhaps even every weekday too. stay tuned.
OT (off topic or open thread, same thing) Cornyn and Specter seem to be committing pre-emptive obstruction of justice…
They are. This is absurd – no one dictates to a prosecutor what his or her opinion is going to be on evidence that he or she examines. No one dictates in advance who will and who will not be charged with criminal behavior once an investigation is started and you simply don’t tell someone that the job of Attorney General hinges on whether you are willing to forego enforcing the law for all love!!!!!!!
I already wrote to Cornyn about this once, but his office is used to me – they delete my **** the minute they see my name.
I guess I have to find a good euphemism for ****, now. Jeez, guys, even my mother said “****.”
So an approval rating of 68%…starting out good.
As a commenter at TPMDC said, when are the Democrats going to start publicly asking Cornyn why he wants the new Attorney General to publicly swear to not follow the law? Seems like a reasonable tactic.
Ask the Republican Senators who oppose the ARRP if they will have a job in their next election, when so many of their constituents do not have jobs now.
I would like to thank all those visionary American citizens who saw man not a colour( OBAMA si really half white you know) and other medai hype( terrorist) derail them from the real issue-( the failure of the BUSH admin ) and for taking back your country with ethical leadership…
for the rest of us in the non -USA world it too will impact – if only
in the developing world where despotic leadership aided by economic hitmem policies of greed USA..
we too wish we can clone obama like leaders-
I like the Obama message -the audacity to hope -
back to basic with democracy govt of people, by the people and for the people..
and i tend to retell this as
ask NOT only what your country can do for you but more importantly what you cam GIVE back to your country..for its health /education/ economics..in service
we too share your optimism and will support president obama as he gives hope to the world citizens
but we remind you to remain vigilant for power coorupts is also true..
I always maintain if GOd came to earth today as JC- we would not vote him either!!
Now I wll be happy to let USA become the big brother of world leadership
to understand evil ( you have just removed ) you must know how it hides and operates ( very BUSH era& yes saddam ) – like fear and control and secrecy so I suggest you must read at least
” confessions of an econmic hitman” by john perkins
“perfectly legal ” by David cay johnston
and the buying of the president ( 20o4- the republican bush years)- charles Lewis& center for public Integrity
the best democracy money can buy…( forgot the author)
and do not beleive media hpye.. ( they are part of the probelm not the solution- they hid Palins ignorance yet painted Obama as terrorist!)- I have cancelled ny subscription to such media since…and will donate the money to obama pledges instead!
we all belong to the human race, there is only one GOd if you beleive, whatever you may call him, and there si only one world and we all have live in it ..and there is only one evil – but under many disguises..
I wish USA well as it recovers its soul ( the economy will follow) under president OBAMA for the rest of world will automatically benefit too
as ever
petrab
T&T ( caribbean)
Great! The movement is moving. These Republican obstructionists need to be hammered. If they had one new idea, I’d be much more tolerant. Sending money to Americans United for Change. We need to keep putting our money where our mouth is.
@Great! The movement is moving. These Republican obstructionists need to be hammered. If they had one new idea, I’d be much more tolerant. Sending money to Americans United for Change. We need to keep putting our money where our mouth is.
Posted by: Debbieqd | January 25th, 2009 at 04:47 pm
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Keep putting your money in, along with all the Foreign Nationals who helped buy the WH for Obama. That way, you can outspend these republican senators, come the next election cycle.
FUNNY THING IS, Dems. have stated for years that Bush/Cheney were only interested in promoting whatever helped their rich, white friends. BUT recent events suggest your side isn’t opposed to buying power , you’re only pi*sed if someone outbids you !
What foreign nationals, Rannan3? Why don’t you pony up some hard evidence for that accusation.
Oh, and while you’re at it, do inform the thousands of McCain lawyers that he hired to make sure nothing like that happened as well as the Federal Election Committee because apparently they don’t have as sharp of eyes as you do. Pinhead.
Hi, I