This is probably a sign that I've been watching too much TV, but the pitch of negative campaign advertisements has been pretty appalling this cycle. The one series that's really caught my attention though has been the positive ads for Blagojevich; to be sure they come after a series of pretty devastating negative ads against Topinka, but I think these positive ads of Blago just standing in the neighborhood talking about getting things done are really effective, particularly given all the swirls of scandal surrounding the governor right now. It looks like against a clean opponent the best approach is (!) to sling mud, but if you're already mired in scandal, maybe going positive makes more sense (possibly related to that most basic of chess guidelines: always respond to a flank attack with a push in the center).
I don't know who's responsible for the Blago ads this time around, but in all likelihood it was his brilliant advertising strategy four years ago that got him into the governor's office in the first place. Despite the fact that he was as much a Chicagoan as the other Democratic hopefuls, Blago ran ads featuring him in downstate locations, designed to appeal to downstate voters. The Chicago vote was split, but Blago took the downstate vote, and that was enough for the nomination.
I also took note of the upbeat Blago ads. And I think you're spot on about the strategy.
This week it's back to mudslinging, with a few of the upbeat ads mixed in.
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