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#ARPX TV Ads Reviewed, Part II (Robert Coon & Blake Rutherford On Politics)

8 min read

(Editor’s Note: With political ads flooding the airwaves, we asked Arkansas Business political columnists Robert Coon and Blake Rutherford to offer their critiques of TV spots in the races for Arkansas lieutenant governor, Arkansas attorney general, 4th District Congress and 2nd District Congress. You might want to view this article as a single page.)

Lieutenant Governor

“Done Much” by John Burkhalter

The Setup: The ad begins with a narrator outlining Republican Tim Griffin’s work as a “career politician.” Then Democrat Burkhalter appears to share his small-business, job-creating bonafides. Popular Gov. Mike Beebe appears in a non-speaking cameo.

Blake Rutherford: This is race about stark contrasts in biography, and I think John Burkhalter does a nice job of framing the argument between himself as a small-business owner and U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin as a career politician.

Griffin takes issue with the characterization, of course, which only substantiates the strategic value it has for Burkhalter. The lieutenant governor has little power in Arkansas, so it’s a difficult office to run for, but here Burkhalter effectively articulates how his private sector business background bolsters both his credibility and his value to government.

Another Arkansas businessman-turned-politician, Republican Win Paul Rockefeller, did that rather well. 

“Natural State” by Tim Griffin

The Setup: An upbeat ad narrated by the candidate himself. It includes shots of Griffin’s hometown of Magnolia and aims to position Griffin as a leader for Arkansas’ future. Like Burkhalter’s ad, there’s a shot of the entire family at the end of the piece.

Blake: Griffin has always been very confident in front of the camera, and I think that’s apparent in this ad. His message strikes a delicate balance between the past and future, and it does an effective job at articulating in simple terms his belief that government is in need of reform. It’s a unique way to frame his candidacy, although I’m not sure too many Arkansans view the state similarly. 

It probably doesn’t matter. This is a message with national undertones and is sure to resonate in today’s anti-Obama climate (he specifically notes the need to “stand up to Obama policies that hurt our economy”). 

Visually, Griffin captured the manufacturing setting perfectly. He avoided the hard hat, which candidates mistakenly wear. And he even managed to work in an energetic shot of him with wind-blown hair, like he’s Bill McKay or something.       

Arkansas Attorney General

The Salt Shaker Ad, by Leslie Rutledge/Republican Attorney Generals Association

The Setup: This is the ad everyone is talking about, but not for the right reasons. It features GOP candidate Leslie Rutledge, but it’s paid for by the nonprofit Republican Attorney Generals Association. For that reason, some charge that the ad marks a violation of campaign finance laws. A Democratic blogger, Matt Campbell, filed an ethics complaint over the ad this week.

Robert Coon: I should note that while I can’t find this ad online, I’ve seen it multiple times and have the transcript. It opens with a shot of Rutledge seated at a restaurant table talking to the camera. Using salt shakers, and some eye-catching animation, Rutledge compares the physical distance between Arkansas and Washington. She then asserts that “Washington’s ideas,” including Obamacare and EPA regulations that affect farmers, are even farther away.  She says she’ll stand up to Obama and fight for Arkansas values. 

The ad closes by encouraging voters to call Rutledge and encourage her to keep fighting Obamacare. That kind of call to action isn’t unusual for some third-party ads, which can’t expressly advocate for a candidate’s election for legal reasons, though the “un-expressed” advocacy in that type of ad is usually pretty clear. 

Overall the ad focuses exclusively on national policy issues and is sufficient in reinforcing Rutledge’s main campaign themes that say she will fight against Washington as attorney general.

“Hometown Values,” by Nate Steel

The Setup: “Hometown Values” is Democrat Steel’s first ad of the cycle and the ad that his campaign has aired the most so far. His YouTube page contains others ads that have aired online or in limited cable runs. The ad opens with Steel talking about his hometown of Nashville, Arkansas, and the values that a small town upbringing have instilled in him. Steel then lays out his priorities for the attorney general’s office, which all fall under the larger umbrella of protecting the public – an important role for the state’s the attorney general.   

Robert: In this ad, Steels aims to put the focus on more local Arkansas AG issues, not national politics. Steel cites support for drug courts, keeping violent criminals and sexual predators behind bars, reducing methamphetamine use and putting the safety of seniors, women and children “far ahead of a national political agenda.” 

The ad closes with Steel saying, “Let’s keep the focus on Arkansas.” It’s a line that not only reinforces those Arkansas-specific priorities, but also subtlety strikes back against efforts to nationalize the AG race and make it about Obama. Optically, I think the ad delivers. Throughout, Steel talks directly to the camera – something he does well – looking sincere and confident when discussing serious issues, and genuine during the ad’s more positive moments. In my view, Steel comes across as focused, knowledgeable and perhaps most importantly, likable. 

4th Congressional District

“Witt Jobs Plan,” by James Lee Witt

The Setup: The latest ad by Democrat Witt centers on jobs and strikes a positive note. It emphasize the pillars of Witt’s “jobs plan,” which hits broad, familiar themes such as economic development, public-private partnerships and job training programs.

Robert:  This is a pretty good spot. The ad focuses on jobs, which according to nearly every poll I’ve seen is the No. 1 issue for Arkansans heading into November. It’s the right message for a positive spot, and one that speaks directly to the issues that concern voters. The ad is solidly produced, the imagery and message hit the mark, and the testimonial by Obie Woods that speaks to Witt’s character is well delivered and authentic.  

The segment where Witt speaks directly to the camera isn’t his best, however; he appears rigid and a little too staged, though not terribly so. 

The main takeaway I have after watching this ad is more about what isn’t in the ad, than what is. With Election Day roughly 30 days away, Witt has yet to take the gloves off. This ad is a good one, but for a candidate who’s been down double digits in several recent polls, it’s hard to see how this spot can close the gap. 

“Growing Up,” by Bruce Westerman

The Setup: “Growing up” is the Westerman campaign’s first ad of the cycle and one that serves several purposes. It is intended to introduce the Republican to the broader electorate, highlight his work as a state representative and outline his congressional priorities.

Robert: This ad has a lot to accomplish and does a good job of it. The biographical information states Westerman’s values, his time playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks (deftly handled to avoid trademark violations), his family and his work in the private sector.  At the midway point, the ad moves to Westerman’s work in the state House, hitting familiar GOP themes including jobs, spending and working against the Obama agenda.  It closes by promoting Westerman’s congressional priorities, including boosting the economy and protecting freedom.  

Like the aformentioned ad by Mark Pryor, Westerman’s spot includes a hard hat scene. But in this case it looks much more authentic – probably because Westerman is an engineer and has worn one thousands of times.

Though it’s the campaign’s first ad out of the box, make no mistake about it, it is a frontrunner’s ad. It’s on message, professionally produced and hits the notes it needs to hit while avoiding anything risky or controversial that could derail the campaign. 

2nd Congressional District

Blake: Let the negative ads fly. I held out hope that this would be a race where the two candidates, both with stimulating albeit different ideas about the role of government, might engage in a worthwhile dialogue about the things that matter. But my hope dissipated when the two campaigns went nose-diving to the bottom with these ads. Let’s consider them both:

“Career Politician” by French Hill

Blake: First, we have this ad from Republican Hill that accuses Pat Hays of (1) being a big government career politician; (2) relying on tax increases to increase his own pay; and (3) taking junkets all over the world and to Washington to support Obama. 

Don’t get me wrong: it’s tough and pointed as far as attack ads go, particularly the stuff about Hays being a career politician (see Burkhalter v. Griffin). Campaigns turn negative for all sorts of reasons, and this ad set the race on a gloomy course. The ad was quickly followed by …

“Best Investment” by Pat Hays

Blake: It race gets even nastier with this ad from the Hays campaign. The Democrat’s ad insinuates that there was a quid pro quo between Hill and disgraced former Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner. It charges that, in return for a political contribution from Hill, Shoffner directed state business to Hill’s former bank, Delta Trust & Bank. 

The insinuation is, of course, false. According to a report from Mike Wickline in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, “auditors found no indication that the state treasurer’s bond investments through Delta Trust & Bank were tied to campaign contributions by Hill and the bank.” You won’t see that in the ad.

Look, I respect the tactical justification: because Hill went negative, Hays had to do the same. It is a lesson learned long ago. So, it would be one thing for Hays to attack Hill, say, for being an elitist or out of touch (Hill’s primary opponent, Rep. Ann Clemmer, tried to do this in a clumsy and inarticulate fashion), but it is something else entirely to insinuate Hill committed an act of financial impropriety or worse, a crime. And we wonder why there aren’t more qualified people lining up to run for office. Or why voter turnout is low. 

This is really too bad. Hays’ early ads were terrific, some of the best of the cycle. And yet here we are.

(More: See Part I of this series.)

(Robert Coon is a partner at Impact Management Group, a public relations, public opinion and public affairs firm in Little Rock and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. You can follow him on Twitter at RobertWCoon. His opinion column appears every other Wednesday in the weekly Government & Politics e-newsletter. You can subscribe for free here.)

(Blake Rutherford is vice president of The McLarty Companies and previously was chief of staff to the Arkansas attorney general. You can follow him on Twitter at BlakeRutherford. His opinion column appears every other Wednesday in the weekly Government & Politics e-newsletter. You can subscribe for free here.)

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