Political Babble, Revisited

Change of plan, blogosphere. So I know that last week I said we'd be discussing the candidates' respective policy positions, but I'm going to take the wheel and make a very slight detour. Instead of doing a straight analysis of their policy, I'm going to bring in an old theme -- attack ads -- to help me do so. In this entry, we're going to look at how one of Democrat Shea-Porter and Republican Guinta's biggest policy positions are portrayed in another of their ads. Rather than analyzing the style and effectiveness of the ads themselves, this week we're going to look at the effectiveness of the policy position discussed in the ads. This way, we've covered both policy and ads in one fell swoop!

First, let's examine one of Shea-Porter's biggest selling points that came up when I last discussed attack ads: her dedication to veterans' care. Veterans' care is a strategic issue to rally for, as it targets not only older voters -- who are more likely to vote than younger ones -- but it also pulls in Republican voters too, as her ad suggests. Indeed, as she tries to show in her ad, her care for veterans shows her dedication and trustworthiness as a candidate, and raises her above the divides of partisan politics. Carol is hoping to unite voters over a specific -- but generally non-divisive -- issue, which can be very effective for a campaign. Veterans' care is an issue that both parties rally for, is a national issue, and, moreso, is a human issue; that is, it inspires empathy for the veterans, and obliges voters to cast their ballot for candidates that support this issue. Therefore, she is roping in a wide range of voters by being the champion of veterans' care, which will certainly come in handy on a certain Tuesday in November.

Now so far, Guinta hasn't so much stuck to a set of individual policy points, but rather is running under a banner of general fiscal responsibility. Additionally, it's a banner that -- in a strategy being utilized by Republicans nationwide -- is demonizing the spending of the federal government. Certainly, there's ample discord in the country, but even so, Guinta's message remains a little vague. In a recent ad,  Guinta's main points seem to be that "government is too big," "there's too much spending," and "small businesses are being affected": all very broad, non-specific statements. That said, with Guinta still being projected to win, there is clearly value in such an ambiguous message. Instead of specific issues that can alienate voters, Guinta has chosen to feature some nebulous gripes that feed off of the dismal economic climate, and has used the age-old scapegoat of the United States Federal Government (And of course, by extension, his opponent Carol Shea-Porter) to blame for these problems. It is easy for voters to get behind such a broad set of issues, and sometimes, these messages can be very motivating for voters to cast their ballot.

Next week....I haven't decided what to talk about yet! I know, I know, the suspense is gonna kill you, but you're just gonna have to sit tight. It'll be a wildcard but -- as many of the races this year have been unpredictable, and we are drawing ever closer to Election Day -- I'm sure there will be something new and exciting in District 1 to talk about.