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Following up from last week, means not much has changed, so just sharing the new stuff.
Rand Paul- Rand has run a social media game, but I can't recall any TV ads before now. Stand With Rand talked about freedom, but the way I heard it was "Vote for me. I am the only guy who is going to legalize Weed." I am not sure what to make of Paul. His dad had a dedicated group of followers. My friend on the Cruz campaign said they went there, but of course, he would say that. Paul says he has 1000s of college students who will vote for him, but I think they went over to Bernie. We will see.
Jeb Bush- When Jeb's PAC is not attacking Marco Rubio, Jeb is playing the meme "You need to elect a governor" and he reminds you three Governors are running. Which of course tells you 1) Bobby Jindal dropped out (Who knew?) and 2) tells you Jeb is competing with Christie and Kasich. Kasich has been a nonentity in Iowa. Of course, if you are following the national campaign, you know him, but this is his first mention. Which makes me think this will cause Bush supporters to realize Kasich is an option. So while I postulate last week, Bush lost his support to Christie, he will probably lose everyone else to Kasich now. Bush, of course, is still running his billboards, and with his previous strategy, is positioning himself as a Washington outsider. Which of course, is true by record. He is not a Senator like Cruz or Rubio, and it's worked well for Carson and Trump. Bush was a businessman and a Governor. He has not spent time in Washington. Though, of course, the time he spent there visiting father and his brother. So, good look with that.
Donald Trump- This household of course checks off all the liberal marks, so that means near daily fliers from HilRod and The Bern, but also phone calls and direct mail from The Donald. 21st Century Politics is very targeted. If you are a members of the Teachers Union, a registered Democrat and subscribe to Mother Jones, Ted Cruz isn't going to waste money on you, right? Makes sense. Still, Trump is a brand, so in theory, anyway, i see where it makes sense to try and reach out to everyone. I received a call from an anti-Trump PAC last night in which said he has been the most vocal of all candidates in support of Universal Healthcare. Which of course, 1) backfired at this house. (hmmm.. maybe I should consider this guy) and 2 seems rich coming from someone in the Romney camp.
Marco Rubio- I mentioned this last time, but still bears mentioning- his blitz of ads includes the one that says he is the only one who is able to beat Hillary. I don't like the "I might not be your favorite candidate, but I am electable" strategy. That is how John Kerry won in Iowa we are told (which probably isn't even 100% true, Kerry had a better ground game in Iowa than Dean, that is why he won), so while it might be bad long-term strategy, i think it might be bad short-term strategy too.
Ben Carson - Ben has moved from his "United Colors of Benetton" ads to one where he talks about being the candidate who has actual lives in his hand. I am sure that is a powerful message, though I took it as a darker turn of phrase in a "I can decide if you live or die" way. I notice Carson tends to use still pictures in his ads instead of videos, which I think is smart. People like the idea of Carson, and this guy looks confident, trustworthy, even stoic, as opposed to someone who mumbles in a sleepy, low energy manner. Not to slam the guy, but his poll numbers have more serious issues than me making comments.
Rand Paul- Rand has run a social media game, but I can't recall any TV ads before now. Stand With Rand talked about freedom, but the way I heard it was "Vote for me. I am the only guy who is going to legalize Weed." I am not sure what to make of Paul. His dad had a dedicated group of followers. My friend on the Cruz campaign said they went there, but of course, he would say that. Paul says he has 1000s of college students who will vote for him, but I think they went over to Bernie. We will see.
Jeb Bush- When Jeb's PAC is not attacking Marco Rubio, Jeb is playing the meme "You need to elect a governor" and he reminds you three Governors are running. Which of course tells you 1) Bobby Jindal dropped out (Who knew?) and 2) tells you Jeb is competing with Christie and Kasich. Kasich has been a nonentity in Iowa. Of course, if you are following the national campaign, you know him, but this is his first mention. Which makes me think this will cause Bush supporters to realize Kasich is an option. So while I postulate last week, Bush lost his support to Christie, he will probably lose everyone else to Kasich now. Bush, of course, is still running his billboards, and with his previous strategy, is positioning himself as a Washington outsider. Which of course, is true by record. He is not a Senator like Cruz or Rubio, and it's worked well for Carson and Trump. Bush was a businessman and a Governor. He has not spent time in Washington. Though, of course, the time he spent there visiting father and his brother. So, good look with that.
Donald Trump- This household of course checks off all the liberal marks, so that means near daily fliers from HilRod and The Bern, but also phone calls and direct mail from The Donald. 21st Century Politics is very targeted. If you are a members of the Teachers Union, a registered Democrat and subscribe to Mother Jones, Ted Cruz isn't going to waste money on you, right? Makes sense. Still, Trump is a brand, so in theory, anyway, i see where it makes sense to try and reach out to everyone. I received a call from an anti-Trump PAC last night in which said he has been the most vocal of all candidates in support of Universal Healthcare. Which of course, 1) backfired at this house. (hmmm.. maybe I should consider this guy) and 2 seems rich coming from someone in the Romney camp.
Marco Rubio- I mentioned this last time, but still bears mentioning- his blitz of ads includes the one that says he is the only one who is able to beat Hillary. I don't like the "I might not be your favorite candidate, but I am electable" strategy. That is how John Kerry won in Iowa we are told (which probably isn't even 100% true, Kerry had a better ground game in Iowa than Dean, that is why he won), so while it might be bad long-term strategy, i think it might be bad short-term strategy too.
Ben Carson - Ben has moved from his "United Colors of Benetton" ads to one where he talks about being the candidate who has actual lives in his hand. I am sure that is a powerful message, though I took it as a darker turn of phrase in a "I can decide if you live or die" way. I notice Carson tends to use still pictures in his ads instead of videos, which I think is smart. People like the idea of Carson, and this guy looks confident, trustworthy, even stoic, as opposed to someone who mumbles in a sleepy, low energy manner. Not to slam the guy, but his poll numbers have more serious issues than me making comments.
