Jun 2010
Update on CD2
30/06/10 20:10
Martha Roby fell just short of avoiding a run-off, garnering 49% in the June 1 primary. She'll run against Rick Barber in the run-off on July 13.
Barber has had some interesting campaign ads lately that have gotten him attention from national media. "Gather Your Armies" and "Slavery" got him on with Chris Matthews and Fox News.
So you'd think he might have gained some momentum right? He hasn't. According to the article below from The Hill, Barber may be learning an important lesson...local media gets you far more votes than national media.
Controversial ads aren't resonating in Alabama, officials say
By Barbra Kim - 06/30/10 06:19 PM ET
An Alabama House candidate's controversial campaign ads that feature conversations with actors playing dead presidents have received national attention but local GOP officials say they've gone virtually unnoticed in the 2nd district.
Several officials told The Ballot Box they didn't even know about businessman Rick Barber's (R) most recent web ad, which equates taxation to slavery and features an actor playing Abraham Lincoln.
"I really don't know what to think, I'm just surprised" to hear about it, said Charlene Erbskorn, chair of the Houston County Republican Party, which sponsored Monday's debate between Barber and rival Martha Roby (R).
Butler County Republican Party chairman Cleveland Poole was one of the few officials contacted by The Ballot Box who'd seen the recent "slavery" web ad.
He said it was overly provocative. "Comparing President Obama's healthcare act to Jewish prison camps or to slavery in the South is taking the comparison too far," Poole said.
Barber also released a minute-long TV ad that features him yelling about being taxed without representation to a group of men dressed as America's founding fathers. The ad closes with an actor dressed as a young George Washington murmuring, "gather your armies." He addressed the controversial ad during an appearance on MSNBC's "Hardball" Wednesday.
Host Chris Matthews asked if he was advocating violence against an elected government. Barber said it was meant as a metaphor -- "gather our political army." Matthews noted that wasn't what the ad actually says and Barber grew agitated. "Chris, do you know what a metaphor is?," he asked.
Moments later Matthews asked Barber if he'd ever been audited (the ad mentions "malicious audits" as a reason for rebellion). "It's irrelevant, I've been audited once," Barber said.
The ad prompted mixed feelings in Alabama Republicans. "I think it's a very different way of looking at things," said Montgomery County GOP chair Pat Wilson. "I think people misunderstand it." She hadn't seen the web ad, but speculated that was because it's directed at a younger, web-savvy audience. Barber said he'd received an overwhelmingly positive response from the district to his ads.
"People are frustrated with what's going on in the government, and they're willing to speak out about it," he said. "It's a bit on the controversial side, but most people resonate with the overall message."
A Roby campaign official said that Barber was pursuing a strategy of national attention and only represented a small number of people in the district.
Roby, backed by the National Republican Congressional Committee, is favored to clinch the nod in the July 13 runoff after taking first place in June primary. The winner faces Rep. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) in November. The two Republicans will meet again on Thursday in a debate co-hosted by the Montgomery County Republicans, two other northern counties and several Tea Party groups.
Barber has had some interesting campaign ads lately that have gotten him attention from national media. "Gather Your Armies" and "Slavery" got him on with Chris Matthews and Fox News.
So you'd think he might have gained some momentum right? He hasn't. According to the article below from The Hill, Barber may be learning an important lesson...local media gets you far more votes than national media.
Controversial ads aren't resonating in Alabama, officials say
By Barbra Kim - 06/30/10 06:19 PM ET
An Alabama House candidate's controversial campaign ads that feature conversations with actors playing dead presidents have received national attention but local GOP officials say they've gone virtually unnoticed in the 2nd district.
Several officials told The Ballot Box they didn't even know about businessman Rick Barber's (R) most recent web ad, which equates taxation to slavery and features an actor playing Abraham Lincoln.
"I really don't know what to think, I'm just surprised" to hear about it, said Charlene Erbskorn, chair of the Houston County Republican Party, which sponsored Monday's debate between Barber and rival Martha Roby (R).
Butler County Republican Party chairman Cleveland Poole was one of the few officials contacted by The Ballot Box who'd seen the recent "slavery" web ad.
He said it was overly provocative. "Comparing President Obama's healthcare act to Jewish prison camps or to slavery in the South is taking the comparison too far," Poole said.
Barber also released a minute-long TV ad that features him yelling about being taxed without representation to a group of men dressed as America's founding fathers. The ad closes with an actor dressed as a young George Washington murmuring, "gather your armies." He addressed the controversial ad during an appearance on MSNBC's "Hardball" Wednesday.
Host Chris Matthews asked if he was advocating violence against an elected government. Barber said it was meant as a metaphor -- "gather our political army." Matthews noted that wasn't what the ad actually says and Barber grew agitated. "Chris, do you know what a metaphor is?," he asked.
Moments later Matthews asked Barber if he'd ever been audited (the ad mentions "malicious audits" as a reason for rebellion). "It's irrelevant, I've been audited once," Barber said.
The ad prompted mixed feelings in Alabama Republicans. "I think it's a very different way of looking at things," said Montgomery County GOP chair Pat Wilson. "I think people misunderstand it." She hadn't seen the web ad, but speculated that was because it's directed at a younger, web-savvy audience. Barber said he'd received an overwhelmingly positive response from the district to his ads.
"People are frustrated with what's going on in the government, and they're willing to speak out about it," he said. "It's a bit on the controversial side, but most people resonate with the overall message."
A Roby campaign official said that Barber was pursuing a strategy of national attention and only represented a small number of people in the district.
Roby, backed by the National Republican Congressional Committee, is favored to clinch the nod in the July 13 runoff after taking first place in June primary. The winner faces Rep. Bobby Bright (D-Ala.) in November. The two Republicans will meet again on Thursday in a debate co-hosted by the Montgomery County Republicans, two other northern counties and several Tea Party groups.
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DNC Leads in Technology-Based Political Activism
30/06/10 16:25
Dan Riehl over at Riehl World View is reporting that the DNC plans to use video tracking of Republicans to try to re-shape the narrative.
On Tuesday, the DNC will debut a new web-based feature that will empower several million Democratic activists to serve as “trackers” of Republican candidates throughout the country. In a move that could add a broad new element of accountability to elections — or simply make the political process even more gaffe-centric — the DNC is encouraging its followers to upload video, mail pieces or audio recordings of GOP officials to a DNC-run site. If carried out as planned, the new online tool could drastically alter the landscape of the 2010 elections, with campaign functions contracted out to hundreds of free volunteers. At a minimum, it is a vivid illustration of the modern-day campaign, where a slip-up by a candidate caught on video could have profound impacts on his or her electoral prospects.
Aides freely admit that the goal is to create another “Macaca moment” — in which former Senator George Allen (R-Va.) famously doomed his reelection hopes by belittling an opposition videographer with a racial slur — or at least to unearth a viral nugget such as those that changed the course of the health care debate at town halls last summer.
Republicans have got to step it up and embrace the power of social media because it's not going away. Democrats are fueling user-created content while Republicans have consultants come up with programs like "You Cut". When will the GOP get it?
BTW-If you doubt the power of social media, check out the stats in this video. Like it or not, it's become a part of the fabric of society...
On Tuesday, the DNC will debut a new web-based feature that will empower several million Democratic activists to serve as “trackers” of Republican candidates throughout the country. In a move that could add a broad new element of accountability to elections — or simply make the political process even more gaffe-centric — the DNC is encouraging its followers to upload video, mail pieces or audio recordings of GOP officials to a DNC-run site. If carried out as planned, the new online tool could drastically alter the landscape of the 2010 elections, with campaign functions contracted out to hundreds of free volunteers. At a minimum, it is a vivid illustration of the modern-day campaign, where a slip-up by a candidate caught on video could have profound impacts on his or her electoral prospects.
Aides freely admit that the goal is to create another “Macaca moment” — in which former Senator George Allen (R-Va.) famously doomed his reelection hopes by belittling an opposition videographer with a racial slur — or at least to unearth a viral nugget such as those that changed the course of the health care debate at town halls last summer.
Republicans have got to step it up and embrace the power of social media because it's not going away. Democrats are fueling user-created content while Republicans have consultants come up with programs like "You Cut". When will the GOP get it?
BTW-If you doubt the power of social media, check out the stats in this video. Like it or not, it's become a part of the fabric of society...
Dr. Bentley's Voting Record
27/06/10 11:57
I received this document from a friend today. It has some good info about Dr. Bentley's voting record so I thought I'd share...
Bentley Under Fire For Misrepresenting His Record As A Vietnam Veteran
25/06/10 14:56
Dr. Bentley has recently come under fire for this ad because it makes it appear that he actually served in Vietnam:
I agree that the ad is misleading. Bentley was actually stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. I've heard from a couple of sources that Dr. Bentley told his media people not to make it look like he was in Vietnam, but that sounds a little like passing the buck. Candidates have final say over what goes in their ads and what doesn't. Bentley saying he told them not to do that doesn't wash with me.
I agree that the ad is misleading. Bentley was actually stationed at Fort Bragg, NC. I've heard from a couple of sources that Dr. Bentley told his media people not to make it look like he was in Vietnam, but that sounds a little like passing the buck. Candidates have final say over what goes in their ads and what doesn't. Bentley saying he told them not to do that doesn't wash with me.
Dr. Bentley and HB 42 (Teacher Tenure Bill)
24/06/10 12:08
Brian over at Flashpoint blog has the full explanation as to what happened on HB 42.
His conculsion:
The real take away, no matter how poorly the AP reports on the matter, is that Robert Bentley voted in favor of a tenure “reform” bill that directly led to a teacher being paid while sitting in prison. Bradley Byrne fought the bill. It’s really pretty simple.
For the record, I agree with Brian that it was a bad vote. I don't care if every Republican in the legislature voted for it, it was still a bad vote. Dr. Bentley saying it was a 96-0 vote is his version of, "but everyone else was doing it..."
His conculsion:
The real take away, no matter how poorly the AP reports on the matter, is that Robert Bentley voted in favor of a tenure “reform” bill that directly led to a teacher being paid while sitting in prison. Bradley Byrne fought the bill. It’s really pretty simple.
For the record, I agree with Brian that it was a bad vote. I don't care if every Republican in the legislature voted for it, it was still a bad vote. Dr. Bentley saying it was a 96-0 vote is his version of, "but everyone else was doing it..."
Wonder Which Candidate AEA Supports?
21/06/10 09:55
Social Media and Politics: How Many Facebook Fans Translate Into Votes
16/06/10 18:34
Social media has become a part of most people's everyday life. Facebook now has 400 million active users, and Twitter is at 75 million and growing. According to Facebook, people spend over 500 billion minutes on it's site per month. For many of us, Twitter has become an addiction. Naturally companies, organizations, and candidates are trying to tap into these sites to reach consumers/members/voters. But many companies are also asking, "what is the marketing effectiveness of social media?" This article from Tech Republican sums up the growing concern: How Much Is A Facebook Fan Really Worth?.
Companies like Syncapse and Sentiment 360 are now offering market research services that tell companies what is being said about their brand/products on the web. They try figure out what the overall attitude toward a brand or product is, and also offer social media marketing services to try to change that image. More companies are using these services to find out how much value they are getting out of social media.
In many ways, this applies to politics as well. An increasing number of candidates are trying to harness the power of the internet, specifically social media to build their support. President Obama was able to do this very effectively in 2008. At the rate Facebook and Twitter are growing, this seems like a logical step for many campaigns. However, the question then becomes how much time and money candidates should spend on these efforts? Do Facebook Friends and Twitter followers really turn into votes?
The answer appears to be sometimes. Candidates like Scott Brown (R-MA), Nikki Haley (GOP candidate for Governor in SC), and Marco Rubio (GOP candidate for Senate in FL) have been able to generate enough online to buzz to make them real contenders. Brown beat out long-time Democrat Martha Coakley to take Ted Kennedy's seat in the U.S. Senate--a feat many thought would be impossible in Massachusetts. He used Facebook and Twitter frequently to raise money and get out his message. He started the "Money Bomb" trend which is now being used by many candidates to up their fundraising numbers from around the country instead of just in their state. Nikki Haley, once considered a long-shot candidate, raised her profile when Erick Erickson started writing about her on Red State. Rubio was also a long-shot candidate who was catapulted to stardom through blogs and social networks, again specifically Erickson at Red State. All of these candidates were considered long-shots at the beginning of the campaign, and all of them were able to use the internet to help them build a winning campaign. [Note: There were other forces at work in each of these campaigns that helped these candidates win. I use them as examples because they all ran effective social media campaigns.]
On the other hand, internet enthusiasm doesn't always turn into votes. Perhaps the most popular campaign ad ever came out of Alabama this year. Agriculture Commission candidate Dale Peterson's ad by Ladd Ehlinger, Jr. went viral on You Tube attracting attention from all over the country. He even made Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World" list. Unfortunately for Dale, viral videos didn't turn into votes at the ballot box. Peterson claimed only 28% of the vote, which didn't get him in the runoff. There were some other popular ads from Alabama this cycle...Les Phillip, Young Boozer and Tim James all had adds that got hundreds of thousands of hits on You Tube. Of those, only Boozer won his race.
The bottom line in all this is that you have to know how to use social media in a campaign and how much time to spend doing it. The answers to those questions will vary by the candidate and the district, but all candidates need at least some presence online these days. But they must also keep in mind that popular ads, thousands of friends and followers don't necessarily turn into votes.
Companies like Syncapse and Sentiment 360 are now offering market research services that tell companies what is being said about their brand/products on the web. They try figure out what the overall attitude toward a brand or product is, and also offer social media marketing services to try to change that image. More companies are using these services to find out how much value they are getting out of social media.
In many ways, this applies to politics as well. An increasing number of candidates are trying to harness the power of the internet, specifically social media to build their support. President Obama was able to do this very effectively in 2008. At the rate Facebook and Twitter are growing, this seems like a logical step for many campaigns. However, the question then becomes how much time and money candidates should spend on these efforts? Do Facebook Friends and Twitter followers really turn into votes?
The answer appears to be sometimes. Candidates like Scott Brown (R-MA), Nikki Haley (GOP candidate for Governor in SC), and Marco Rubio (GOP candidate for Senate in FL) have been able to generate enough online to buzz to make them real contenders. Brown beat out long-time Democrat Martha Coakley to take Ted Kennedy's seat in the U.S. Senate--a feat many thought would be impossible in Massachusetts. He used Facebook and Twitter frequently to raise money and get out his message. He started the "Money Bomb" trend which is now being used by many candidates to up their fundraising numbers from around the country instead of just in their state. Nikki Haley, once considered a long-shot candidate, raised her profile when Erick Erickson started writing about her on Red State. Rubio was also a long-shot candidate who was catapulted to stardom through blogs and social networks, again specifically Erickson at Red State. All of these candidates were considered long-shots at the beginning of the campaign, and all of them were able to use the internet to help them build a winning campaign. [Note: There were other forces at work in each of these campaigns that helped these candidates win. I use them as examples because they all ran effective social media campaigns.]
On the other hand, internet enthusiasm doesn't always turn into votes. Perhaps the most popular campaign ad ever came out of Alabama this year. Agriculture Commission candidate Dale Peterson's ad by Ladd Ehlinger, Jr. went viral on You Tube attracting attention from all over the country. He even made Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World" list. Unfortunately for Dale, viral videos didn't turn into votes at the ballot box. Peterson claimed only 28% of the vote, which didn't get him in the runoff. There were some other popular ads from Alabama this cycle...Les Phillip, Young Boozer and Tim James all had adds that got hundreds of thousands of hits on You Tube. Of those, only Boozer won his race.
The bottom line in all this is that you have to know how to use social media in a campaign and how much time to spend doing it. The answers to those questions will vary by the candidate and the district, but all candidates need at least some presence online these days. But they must also keep in mind that popular ads, thousands of friends and followers don't necessarily turn into votes.
Beauty and Brains: Is RWN's "20 Hottest Conservative Women in New Media" List A Bad Thing?
04/06/10 17:03
Much ado has been made about Right Wing News releasing their second annual "Hottest Conservative Women in New Media" list. For example, Newsweek's David Graham comes down hard on conservatives who fail to condemn the sexist rankings while complaining about the left's treatment of Sarah Palin. This article, however, managed to draw my interest. Mediaite's Tommy Christopher makes some valid points about problems with the RWN list.
The list doesn't focus on the intelligence/content of these women's work. Aesthetics seems to be the only consideration. While I have no problem with men appreciating a beautiful woman, I think they do a disservice to these extremely smart, successful women by not point out at least some of their accomplishments.
No matter how enlightened we consider ourselves these days, women still have a large hurdle to overcome in getting men to take them seriously. Things like this don't help. By failing to acknowledge the immense talent and hard work these women have put into their careers, RWN has reduced them to simply a pretty face. That is a true disservice to all of these women.
The list doesn't focus on the intelligence/content of these women's work. Aesthetics seems to be the only consideration. While I have no problem with men appreciating a beautiful woman, I think they do a disservice to these extremely smart, successful women by not point out at least some of their accomplishments.
No matter how enlightened we consider ourselves these days, women still have a large hurdle to overcome in getting men to take them seriously. Things like this don't help. By failing to acknowledge the immense talent and hard work these women have put into their careers, RWN has reduced them to simply a pretty face. That is a true disservice to all of these women.
The Long And Short Of The AG Race
03/06/10 14:22
A Post Mortem On The Primary Elections
03/06/10 08:25
Over the next several days I will be posting a series of guest articles analyzing the elections. I thought I'd start with this one by Alfa's John Pudner:
A Deeper Look At The Election Day Results
by John Pudner
| 3 thrilling finishes, other exciting runoffs, victims & survivors |
For those of you who wanted more than the previous overview, here is more of a race-by-race breakdown of the ones we are following: |