The "Godless" ad reviewed
Elizabeth Dole's campaign manager explains "Our Hail Mary Pass" in the new issue of Politics Magazine -- the "Godless" TV ad attacking Kay Hagan.
Marty Ryall concedes the Dole campaign was heading for defeat and needed something dramatic to catch up.
"The risk was huge and not worth taking until it was evident we could not win without it, and that was not clear until about 10 days out. Had the ad run about 20 days out, it may have made it closer, but the data we had at that time did not warrant taking such a large gamble. However, in the end the ad had very little impact if any, in the defeat of Elizabeth Dole."
I agree. He's also right that the ad's biggest fault was its closing line in a woman's voice: "There is no God."
Hagan called it an attempt to put words in her mouth. Ryall denies the voice was meant to make viewers believe it was Hagan speaking but admits it allowed that interpretation.
One more thing that's striking in Ryall's article: Dole's virtual absence from the decision-making process. Everything was left to her handlers.
Ryall doesn't accept blame on the campaign's behalf, pointing instead to Dole"s "weaknesses" as a candidate: "A report by Congress.org had ranked Dole 93rd out of 100 senators in effectiveness. She voted with President Bush more than 90 percent of the time. And during the two-year period when she was chairman of the NRSC, she only traveled to North Carolina a handful of times."
The Godless ad was created from a position of weakness -- and it showed.
Comments (4)
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Hagan called it an attempt to put words in her mouth. Ryall denies the voice was meant to make viewers believe it was Hagan speaking but admits it allowed that interpretation.* Doug
That TV commerial had no effect on the majority of Voters since most Voters had long made up their mind that Dole had to go due to her lack or abliltiy to find the State of North Carolina on a Goolge Map.
If one thinks that the Anti-Hagan God TV Ad reach 4 million voters in the State of North Carolina during the last Presidental campaign, than I have some property in Southern Iraq that I would love to sell you at a discounted Obama price.
Posted on March 4, 2009 12:28 PM
The ad itself was pretty despicable, but you also have to wonder about a campaign manager who not only writes a tell-all about what a desperate move it was, but goes the extra mile of throwing his candidate under the bus. I wonder if he told her she was doomed before he set his price for managing the train wreck.
Posted on March 4, 2009 4:51 PM
Good question. And if you know at that point your candidate is almost certain to lose, no matter what, why let her inflict so much damage to her image and reputation. Too bad they couldn't let Dole go out as a gracious loser.
Posted on March 4, 2009 4:56 PM
Okay, so Dole was as bad a candidate as her husband, who was also a great, patriotic American.
The mantra that she "voted with Bush 90% of the time" is aimed at the most ignorant among us. Would someone PLEASE a survey showing exactly how many senators voted less than 90% of the time with a president of their own party!
How often does anyone expect Hagan to not vote for the Messiah? Thus far she's voted to confirm at least one tyax cheat to the cabinet, and most likely would have voted for the ones who didn't pull out.
She voted for the massive pork package that will likely make sure that the standard of living of her grandchildren will be nowhere near what it has been for her. She voted for legislation that is the beginning of the end of free market Capitalism.
Ask yourself this simple question. What would Liddy have done!
Posted on March 5, 2009 1:41 PM