Election 2014: Is it All About TV and Video Spots, Not Issues?
Monday, June 16, 2014
Is the 2014 election season in Rhode Island more about candidates' TV and video spots than about the issues?
From gubernatorial candidate Allan Fung's "Blockhead" ad, to Providence Mayoral candidate Brett Smiley's national-attention grabbing spot, the question of style versus substance has arisen as the campaigns gear up towards the primaries in September, with an eye to the general election.
SLIDES: See Rhode Island Candidates' TV and Video Spots BELOW
"There's still plenty of time in the campaign season for issue-oriented ads to appear," said Rhode Island College Professor of Communications Valerie Endress. "Often candidates will roll out argument spots following their first televised primary debate and will identify key policy stances as a way to differentiate their candidacy from the rest of the pack."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTVeteran Rhode Island political pollster Victor Profughi, however, questioned the timing in the case of Fung's "Blockhead" ad.
"I'm not sure why any candidate -- and I still consider it early on in the primary season -- I don't know why a candidate would go out guns blazing on TV at this time," said Profughi. "It's the way consultants might recommend, because there's a lot of money it."
Addressing the Electorate
"First of all, any political consultant worth his salt would tell his candidate is the first thing he has to do is present himself with his image and agenda to their voters," said Profughi. "[Fung's] consultants were probably frightened into the sense that he was behind in the fray, even thought they've denied this, I don't find that credible."
While Republicans Fung and Block -- who first ran his "3-2-1" ad before taking Fung to task -- have both "gone negative" with the primary less than two months away, the Democratic gubernatorial candidates have all put forth ads focusing primarily on their experience and backgrounds.
Retired veteran Providence Journal political reporter Charlie Bakst spoke to issues being cast aside in lieu of other differentiating factors in the Democratic primary.
"Especially at this stage of the cycle, issues generally are not the foremost concern; most candidates, especially in the Democratic primary for governor, are trying to introduce themselves and present a warm, positive image, including the references to Gina's father, Angel's mother, and Clay's grandfather," said Bakst.
"In this race, I doubt "issues" in the sense of policies [regarding] education, economy, environment etc will dominate. For one thing there's not much difference among these three candidates on policies or goals," continued Bakst. "I think you'll see a lot of emphasis on qualifications, experience, broad themes such as leadership."
Bakst addressed what he saw was the primary the role of ads during the election cycle.
"As for 'memorable' ads, I wouldn't necessarily contrast them with "substantive,' said Bakst. "In other words, they can convey very important information, personal or thematic, but, whatever the case, these ads are a way of attracting attention, and that can be very crucial when so many candidates are running for so many offices - governor, mayor etc - and each one may feel a need to cut through the clutter."
Bottom Line
With the primaries less than three months away, Endress cautioned about the timing -- and usage -- of negative ads in a campaign.
"Once policy stances are known to the public, candidates employ attack ads, designed to reduce the credibility of opposing candidates. Generally candidates want to establish goodwill and credibility before attacking opponents. Mayor Fung's timing was risky, because he hadn't yet set the groundwork," said Endress.
"Attack ads work best when they target unpopular policy stances or specific actions. Care must be taken to keep the target narrow and make sure that the voting public doesn't get caught in the crossfire. While the "Blockhead" word play might have been appealing in some circles, Fung attacked voters that he may need to count on beyond the primary," said Endress. "And, too, attack ads must pass the truth test in order to be effective and here, too, the Fung ad fell short."
Profughi spoke as well to the timing of the ads. "It's unusual for a candidate to initiate TV with negatives. Negatives are usually recommend when candidates has been adversely impacted by the opposition and you're trying to change the scenario quickly," said Profughi.
However, looking at the big picture, Profughi noted that while ads played a role, campaigns always come down to the basics.
"[Advertising] this early in the game it's not nearly as important as identifying people who are more likely willing to vote and getting boots on the ground and out election day," said Profughi.
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