Ever Positive, Dean Starts Running Negative TV Ads (Already)

[DrFunkenstein]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean began airing a pair of TV ads in New Hampshire Wednesday that criticize his rivals' records on the war in Iraq and prescription drug benefits.

The front-runner hasn't been on the air in the first primary state in nearly two months and one recent opinion poll showed the race tightening between Dean and Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, with a margin of 6 percentage points. Other surveys show Dean with a double-digit advantage.

In the 30-second spots, the sweater-clad former Vermont governor talks directly into the camera, highlighting his own record on each issue and assailing the positions of his foes, whom he does not name.

Dean says: ``The best my opponents can do'' is question the wisdom of the Iraq war only after supporting it and talk about fixing the prescription drug problem instead of actually changing the system.

``It is awfully early in the year for negative ads, even for the most negative campaign in the race. The only plausible explanation is they're seeing their poll numbers heading south,'' Kerry spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3297514,00.html

<>

Not a prayer?

[blm]

1. No surprise.

He was the first to attack last January. The first to pushpoll last summer. The first to run attack ads in the fall.

[pruner]

3. can you back up that comment about push polls?

I didn't think so.

[blm]

7. Sure...

reinforcing negative perceptions of your opponent while conducting a poll.

>>>>>>>>
"First phone attack

Straight-talking Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean is testing his attack message in Iowa. Political operatives say Dean's phone polling is probing for weaknesses in support for Sens. John Edwards and John Kerry and Rep. Dick Gephardt. For rookie pol Edwards, it's about experience. For Gephardt, it's his alliance with Bush on key issues. Questions about Kerry test Iowans' reaction to his vote backing the war in Iraq."

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/archive/030512/12whisplead.php

[pruner]

10. testing messages is not the same as push polling

and who are these political operatives quoted?

the link you provided doesn't bring up that article. I guess it's been archived.

[blm]

18. Is it supposed to be a poll? Does it reinforce negative perceptions

of the opponents? 1+1=2

[Sagan]

2. those are pretty mild "attack" ads...

It doesn't seem like that big a deal to me. It's not like he's running pictures of Kerry or Gephardt or whatever next to Osama's like SOME parties I can mention have done.

[realFedUp]

4. Discerning your position from your opponents isn't negative

or attack advertising. Criticizing someone's character
or person is.

Let's not spin this early.

[FlemingsGhost]

5. Thank you. The only thing "negative" I see here...

is DrFunkenstien's attitude toward Dr. Dean.

[Julien Sorel]

8. Perhaps y'all should argue with the Guardian.

The headline: Dean Airs Ads in N.H. Critical of Rivals

Dean has been negative since the day he started campaigning; Hell, the very theme of his current campaign is confrontational. I can't believe you guys are trying to spin this: negative is what Dean is, when he isn't merely lying.

[realFedUp]

11. I would disagree BB

Dean has made his positions clear and they are different
from his opponents. This is what a political campaign
is about. He's never been negative about any of his
opponents characters but he has said he disagrees with
their positions on issues.

Big difference.

[Julien Sorel]

16. He is making blanket accusations against his

opponents. That's dishonest. He has lied to slam Clark in the past. I would hope you can see where that's dishonest. The guy lacks character, and has run a negative, attacking campaign from day one. If you support him, great, but at least see him for what he is and does.

And no, his positions are hardly different from any of his opponents. That's part of the lying. If they were, he could actually bother telling the truth some time, instead of the constant distorting he does to make himself seem anything more than what he is. Ultimately, among the top contenders, the most different are probably Lieberman and Gephardt, who aren't that far away (they support the war; Gephardt is owned by special interests); Clark, Dean, and Kerry, are quite similar in their root programs and positions.

[unfrigginreal]

23. Glad you didn't use blanket accusations to make your point! n/t

[blm]

9. Saying that's the "best they can do" isn't about them

or their character?

[killbotfactory]

6. Did you hear the one about Kerry bashing Dean in Iowa over an egg-farm?

Apparently an egg farm started up in VT and irked some close by neighbors. It's true. Shocking, but true.

[Pastiche423]

12. Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean!

Tee hee.

[pruner]

13. Kerry cries fowl

Campaigning in Iowa Wednesday, Kerry said Dean welcomed a Canadian corporate egg producer that opened a farm with 100,000 chickens in Highgate, Vt., in late 1996, but then he did little to protect neighbors from the nuisance. Area residents had complained about mosquitos attracted to the facility.

"I believe that large livestock operations ought to be regulated and people ought to be protected," Kerry said.

While governor, the Dean administration opposed the Vermont Egg Farm's efforts to expand its operations. Residents also had asked the Vermont Environmental Board to determine whether it was a factory or a farm; the board declared it a farm, making it exempt from development review.

<snip>

http://pennlive.com/newsflash/lateststories/index.ssf?/base/politics-1/106687584276432.xml (at the very bottom)

[realFedUp]

15. egg farms eh?

some researcher ought to be spending more time
on what Kerry will do for this country.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

19. Whoops....See #17.

Missed your post the first time.


Let's get this straight: Kerry would never, and I mean NEVER, go negative. It's called "nuance" and "gravitas."

[killbotfactory]

22. And even if he did...

They would deserve it.

[janekat]

30. That was actually a pretty big deal in Vermont

http://www.vtce.org/aboutvce.html
Vermont Egg Farms, Inc.
Having reached their quota in their home country of Canada, Vermont Egg Farms, Inc. built a 100,000 chicken capacity barn in Highgate, Vermont. The flies and the aerosol pesticides required for this industrial farm suppressed milk production and reduced milk quality on the four surrounding independent family dairy farms. One of the surrounding farms has reported a $500,000 loss in revenue since Vermont Egg Farms, Inc. became its neighbor. Vermont Egg Farms Inc. has applied to add the first of six expansion barns, which would ultimately house 700,000 chickens. VCE has joined in a coaltion of independent family farms and other groups opposing Vermont Egg Farms Inc.’s destructive activities.

[Upfront]

14. Hope so!

Dean plans to win. To win you have to tell why you are different then the other guy. Wake me up when he says something that is not true. Yawn.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

17. Bummer.

http://pennlive.com/newsflash/lateststories/index.ssf?/base/politics-1/106687584276432.xml

Democrat John Kerry is crying foul — not fowl — over rival Howard Dean's oversight of a Vermont egg farm during his tenure as governor.

Campaigning in Iowa Wednesday, Kerry said Dean welcomed a Canadian corporate egg producer that opened a farm with 100,000 chickens in Highgate, Vt., in late 1996, but then he did little to protect neighbors from the nuisance. Area residents had complained about mosquitos attracted to the facility.

"I believe that large livestock operations ought to be regulated and people ought to be protected," Kerry said.

While governor, the Dean administration opposed the Vermont Egg Farm's efforts to expand its operations.

-snip-

Kerry and Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt have criticized Dean on almost a daily basis to counter the front-runner's momentum.



On edit to add:

have criticized Dean on almost a daily basis
have criticized Dean on almost a daily basis
have criticized Dean on almost a daily basis
have criticized Dean on almost a daily basis
have criticized Dean on almost a daily basis
have criticized Dean on almost a daily basis
have criticized Dean on almost a daily basis
(But they're not going negative. Shucks, no!)

[FubarFly]

21. LOL

A negative response to a negative attack by negative candidates presented by a negative poster, responded to in a negative fashion, which I in turn replied to negatively, and will in all likelyhood get negatively flamed as a result.


:-) :crazy:

[incapsulated]

20. "Negative Ads"

They work, unfortunately. Although I don't consider most of what the media terms "negative" to be so. As long as the criticism is factual and not based on half-truths and innuendo, it's fair, to me.

But too much can backfire on you. If a candidate gets slammed for being "mean and negative" too often, people will be put off. I don't think Dean can afford a lot of that kind of criticism, because he is starting to get a "reputatation" in the media, and they will jump on him whenever they think he is being negative.

Time will tell if his strategy works. If it does, he will be a "tough competitor", if it backfires, a dope. The primaries are still a war. Although there is always the risk that the candidates tear each other apart to the point that the eventual nominee is weakened in the general election.

[farmbo]

24. If you think this is "negative"...wait'll you get aload of Karl!

Cue: sinister cello music

Fade to: grainy black & white photo of (insert name here)...begin 15 second morph into photo of Osama Bin Laden

Voice over:" Democratic Presidential candidate (insert name here) says he supports President Bush's War on Terror...but does he really? When President Bush tried to fight terrorists by passing legislation which (insert any lainbrain GOP policy), Democrat (insert name here)refused to help.

Split screen of OBL with burning 9/11 Trade Towers...dissonant music swells then fades

Fade to: Firefighters raising American flag in Trade Tower rubble...uplifting music...focus on flag...impose photo over of George W Bush..

Voice over: President Bush for America ...because America cannot afford (insert name here)

Now THAT'S a negative ad.

BTW the following article from the same Guardian edition (Oct 23) outlines how Kerry and Gephardt are going negative on Dean...and naming names:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3298097,00.html

Democrat John Kerry is crying foul - not fowl - over rival Howard Dean's oversight of a Vermont egg farm during his tenure as governor.

Campaigning in Iowa Wednesday, Kerry said Dean welcomed a Canadian corporate egg producer that opened a farm with 100,000 chickens in Highgate, Vt., in late 1996, but then he did little to protect neighbors from the nuisance. Area residents had complained about mosquitos attracted to the facility.

``I believe that large livestock operations ought to be regulated and people ought to be protected,'' Kerry said.

While governor, the Dean administration opposed the Vermont Egg Farm's efforts to expand its operations. Residents also had asked the Vermont Environmental Board to determine whether it was a factory or a farm; the board declared it a farm, making it exempt from development review.

Kerry and Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt have criticized Dean on almost a daily basis to counter the front-runner's momentum. Most polls show Dean and Gephardt bunched atop the field of contenders for Iowa's Jan. 19 caucuses, with Kerry generally in third place.

[RetroLounge]

25. Boo fucking Hoo

and Yawn too.

:boring:

[w4rma]

26. Notice that Dean is also attacking Bush. And Dean never mentioned Kerry's

name. Is Kerry a Bush-lite or something? Because the same attack works on Bush *and* Kerry (and Gephardt).

…
``The best my opponents can do'' is question the wisdom of the Iraq war only after supporting it and talk about fixing the prescription drug problem instead of actually changing the system.
…

[WilliamPitt]

27. These are attack ads?

[unfrigginreal]

28. Unfortunately, they are now that the press has labled them that way

They're not really that strong but with all of the major media outlets calling them attacks, that's how they will be perceived by the public.

What I don't understand, is why the campaign is going on the air with anything with even a hint of negativity in it. It just doesn't make sense unless they feel that Iowa is a must win state.

[janekat]

29. He shouldn't be running negative ads if he's ahead - that's insane!

You only run negative ads if you're desperate and you're losing. That's nuts.

[PurityOfEssence]

31. He has a relentless habit of saying that his opponents were for the war

What about Kucinich, Sharpton, Moseley-Braun and sorta-maybe Clark? That's a smear. He does this ALL THE TIME. He says none of them talk about race in front of white audiences. He claims that they voted for the tax cuts when none of them did. (The Senators tried to float a compromise bill that was much smaller when they knew they couldn't defeat the most recent one; this was heroic and tireless rear-guard action, and it's constantly misrepresented as being Junior's tax-lackeys.)

These are not isolated incidents, and he conveniently tars them all with the actions of a few. To top it off, he has the gall to be outraged when confronted on these things. I hope he starts to behave himself; if he's the nominee, he may have sown such ill-will that it could decide a squeaker. Regardless, we need to be putting forth a nice and gentle face to the world come 2005; we need a Democrat, not another autocrat.