Voters Turned off by the Death Penalty Ads
This is not a scientific survey whatsoever, but after speaking with dozens of college students and citizens around the Commonwealth of Virginia, everyone with whom I speak almost overwhelmingly believes that the ads released last week by the Kilgore campaign are over the top. I personally am starting to worry that perhaps the "nuclear" ads are damaging Kilgore's credibility in their attempt to dramatize what are horrible tragedies. Perhaps the recent polls with Kilgore down by 1 or 2 points, but still within the margin of error of course, are testament to the tastelessness of those ads.
posted by Lighthorse Harry at 2:23 PM
7 Comments:
On October 11 Old Zach in this blog trumpeted the exposure of the inconsistencies in Kaine's death penalty position, pushed in part by the issue being blown open by Kilgore advertisements. Implict in the post is that the issue is hurting Kaine.
Today in this blog Lighthorse Harry trumpets the exposure of voter distaste over the Kilgore ads is helping Kaine.
So, Zach and Harry, which will carry the day: distaste for Kaine's DP position, or distate for the ads that brought the position to light?
4:11 PM
I have never thought this ad would cause people to vote for Kaine. It certainly may convince people to vote against and therefore for Kilgore.
I think it may also piss off Kilgore supporters who stay home on election day.
It remains to be seen which one plays out more.
I don't think Kaine's strengthening numbers have to do with this ad. I think its b/c, be nature you are undecided this late in the game, you will break for the status quo, which is the democratic governor who has a 70+% aproval rating.
If we are going to win, we need to be ahead at this point.
It is starting to look bleak, if these poll numbers are correct.
4:46 PM
I think the ads were useful, although I think leaving off the Hitler reference would have helped.
If he's still running these ads a week before the election I might change my mind. But I would assume he will get positive closer to the end -- people will remember there is a "kaine death penalty" issue but won't remember why they remember it.
It's the problem with negative ads, they seem to work even though we "dislike" them.
12:37 AM
Factcheck.org has now put the facts out there about the Hitler ad. Thanks Kilgore, for making us Virginia Repubs look like idiots to the whole world.
http://www.factcheck.org/article355.html
12:48 AM
Guys, guys, guys...
These ads did ONE thing well: They pissed off Kaine supporters and rallied them around their guy.
Other than that, I don't know what their effects were.
11:06 AM
All factcheck.org did was confirm the fact that Tim Kaine tried to dance around the question and parse words.
The Kilgore ads calling Kaine out on his weather vane stands on various issues are essential since the old media is reluctant to disclose Kaine's contradictions on abortion, gun control, death penalty, taxes, etc.
Kaine is on defense big time. Gotta love it.
12:47 AM
Flora,
The only problem is that FactCheck does point out that the Kilgore campaign took stuff out of context. There are enough people in this state that don't care that Kaine sidestepped the question.
I do agree that Kaine is on the defense big time, but it's coming at the same expense we had during the budget crisis: we look like a bunch of idiots, mad because we're a traditionally red state but we can't do what we want because the Democrats are further toward the right than they are in many other states. (The national scene would be really interesting if it bore any resemblance to Virginia politics.)
9:13 AM
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