Bouncing Rubble?
I spent the weekend in Los Angeles. One of the most notable differences: the presence of Schwarzenegger ads on local television.
Here in the Bay Area, local Republicans complain about the barrage of anti-Arnold ads, and very little in the way of response. But here’s the reality of the special election:
1) Schwarzenegger’s side is playing with less money; they can’t spend willy-nilly in the Bay Area as Team Arnold did during recall, when he had a considerably larger bankroll and could afford to blanket the state;
2) Arnold has been active in the Bay Area — only, it’s “earned” media (speeches and campaign appearances that covered by the local media) vs. paid media. He’s not ducking the region, just better marshalling his resources;
3) The unions’ round-the-clock spending in the Bay Area could backfire. Let’s assume that the purpose of the blitz is to increase turnout for next month. Maybe that works. But too many negative ads run the risk of crossing the line from inflicting damage to bouncing rubble — i.e., overkill. And there’s the collateral damage of… Read More