Some highlights from Friday morning’s Politico Playbook by Mike Allen.
FRANK I. LUNTZ’s FIRST COLUMN for TIME, “Ad Nauseam. Why some political TV spots work – but most don’t”: “Fake doesn’t sell. Connecticut GOP Senate candidate Linda McMahon spent more than $40 million of her own money, much of it on ads that often did her more harm than good. The most memorable featured two chatty women in a car … When one asked whether the other thought McMahon could shake things up in Washington, the two chirped in confected unison, ‘Oh, yeah.’ The response from viewers: Oh, no. No actors. Ever.” http://bit.ly/cGHYZd
Which kind of makes you wonder- is this lady even from Butte? This ad has made headlines across the state from the Dennis McDonald (D) congressional campaign. I have to admit, I thought the ad would have carried more punch, but it seemed to fall flat at the end. At the end of the day, the response from the TV stations: even if ads contain false information, we have to air them. UPDATE: The woman in the ad is from Butte according to the McDonald campaign’s production company. The name used in the ad is not her’s however.
Plus- Matt McKenna, the former spokesman for Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) who lives in Bozeman but still serves as President Clinton’s right hand man confirms Clinton’s discussions attempting to force out a black US Senate candidate in Florida.
SCOOP – “Clinton pushed Meek to quit Fla. race,” by Ben Smith: “Bill Clinton sought to persuade Rep. Kendrick Meek to drop out of the race for Senate during a trip to Florida last week – and nearly succeeded. Meek agreed – twice – to drop out and endorse Gov. Charlie Crist’s independent bid in a last-ditch effort to stop Marco Rubio, the Republican nominee who stands on the cusp of national stardom. Meek, a staunch Clinton ally from Miami, has failed to broaden his appeal around the state and is mired in third place in most public polls … His withdrawal, polls suggest, would throw core Democratic voters to the moderate governor, rocking a complicated three-way contest and likely throwing the election to Crist. The former president’s top aide, Doug Band, initially served as the intermediary between Meek and Crist, and Clinton became involved only when Meek signaled that he would seriously consider the option, Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna confirmed to POLITICO. ‘The argument was: “You can be a hero here. You can stop him, you can change this race in one swoop,”‘ said another Democrat … In a press conference, Meek issued a calibrated denial, taking issue with the statements by Crist and Clinton’s spokesman.” http://bit.ly/bDeDOQ