Why are we running negative ads against Santorum in Michigan?

[TheGrinch]

I don't think the ad goes far enough. More content less fluff. There is SOOOOOO MUCH to expose about Santorum that we need to hit it. The guy is a fiscal and Constitutional FRAUD and he really needs to be exposed.

Yes, there is plenty you can attack Santorum on in a general election and the establishment has to know he's going to get slaughtered.

But as for the Republican voters that support him now, I thought it was an extremely effective ad... I remember back in Iowa where one Santorum supporter said "I like how he's strong on family values", as I screamed that your family is going to be hurt far worse if they can't find jobs!

So you attack him where they like him: abortion, fiscal conservative, and hit him hard for being completely hypocritical about those things... Beleive me, there is a treasure trove that can be used against him in a general election, but you're not going to kill his largely-religious follwing by attacknig him on his crazy statements that they might agree with. You attack him where he's clearly hypocritical in their eyes, and I think this ad accomplished that well.

 

[socal]

I know they focus-grouped the Big Dog ad, and it turned out that the presentation style was very well-received. I read that somewhere although don't have a link available to back this up. So it seems like a smart play that they decided to go for the same style ad, especially since we're not dealing with exceptionally smart people here (Santorum supporters), so the ad's dumbed down character should work OK.

Yep, keep it simple.

 

[rpwi]

Just revealed the ad only cost 50k and was just run on some cable stations. It did what it was supposed to do... It's made the drudge report and various other news organizations and there is a very good chance this ad (or its content) will come up and set a talking point for tomorrow's debate. For 50k...I think this was money well spent.

 

[WD-NY]

Just revealed the ad only cost 50k and was just run on some cable stations. It did what it was supposed to do... It's made the drudge report and various other news organizations and there is a very good chance this ad (or its content) will come up and set a talking point for tomorrow's debate. For 50k...I think this was money well spent.

Not to mention every single one "punch" thrown in this ad at Santorum will be brought up in tomorrow night's debate. Just like with the Perry ad, the debate moderators (along with Ron, Romney & Newt) will likely hammer santo on each of the following issues:

• raised debt ceiling 5x
• sent billions to dictator in N Korea & egypt
• sent millions to planned parenthood
• no child left behind (dept. of education)

Plus, Medicare Part D will no doubt be brought up.

Long story short, this ad = brilliant politics by Team Paul

 

[NewRightLibertarian]

Screw politico. The whole nation is aware of Romney's record and his flip flops. Ron Paul would be wasting ad money directly attacking Romney at this point. It would be like preaching to the choir.

The ads against Santorum are needed to crush the illusion of his "so called" conservatism. Good play IMO.

Screw politico.

Telling the truth is not negative!!!

Well said. People don't know enough about Santorum's record. This ad will educate them that this guy is a crud

 

[Mckarnin]

It's a little low brow for my personal tastes but will probably be very effective in getting the average American voter who is thinking Santorum to question that. Also love the fact that like big dog it doesn't look like a boring political ad.

 

[coffeewithchess]

Just revealed the ad only cost 50k and was just run on some cable stations. It did what it was supposed to do... It's made the drudge report and various other news organizations and there is a very good chance this ad (or its content) will come up and set a talking point for tomorrow's debate. For 50k...I think this was money well spent.

Link? $50K to produce it, or $50K to produce it INCLUDING purchased airtime?

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

 

[TheGrinch]

Link? $50K to produce it, or $50K to produce it INCLUDING purchased airtime?

Most likely $50K just for the ad. That was a professional quality advertisement from a professional company with lots of graphics and After Effects.

The exact reason I'm pursuing an after-effects and graphics guru myself. There wasn't one piece of filming in the entire thing, but incredibly effective with the 3D graphics.

 

[rp2012win]

Paul is using moneybomb funds to help his friend mitt romney win michigan. Paul can not get 1st or 2nd in MI. I'm not happy my money is used to help mitt romney win michigan. A romney loss cuts the head off the snake and finishes him for good. Ron Paul is looking after his friend here. Makes me mad. Run this ad is WA and states we can win. Not in a state where we only help romney and have no chance to finish better than 3rd.

EDIT: right after I posted this fox news begins a segment of how ron paul is using the romney talking points and really helping romney right now. Talking about alliance etc.

 

[pauliticalfan]

I agree. Running that ad is a total waste of time and money at this point.

Paul's ad guru is married to a Romney supporter though so maybe the Paul ad team is anti-Santorum because of that.

Plus Intrade is 70 for romney and 30 for santorum overall roughly. We're better off with a brokered convention then letting romney run away with it. If romney wins michigan and Arizona, it's likely that he get, although narrowly, the nomination. So we're not helped by romney losing michigan.

I think you mean we're not helped by Romney winning Michigan. If we want a brokered convention that is.

 

[Naraku]

Paul is using moneybomb funds to help his friend mitt romney win michigan. Paul can not get 1st or 2nd in MI. I'm not happy my money is used to help mitt romney win michigan. A romney loss cuts the head off the snake and finishes him for good. Ron Paul is looking after his friend here. Makes me mad. Run this ad is WA and states we can win. Not in a state where we only help romney and have no chance to finish better than 3rd.

EDIT: right after I posted this fox news begins a segment of how ron paul is using the romney talking points and really helping romney right now. Talking about alliance etc.

Honestly, I think if we're lucky Gingrich will use the stuff about Santorum at the debate and his mounds of casino cash to make himself "surge" in Arizona. I think the best scenario would be if Gingrich takes Arizona, while Romney gets a close call in Michigan. That keeps Romney soft, makes the search for an anti-Romney a split vote again by deflating Santorum while lifting the detestable Gingrich and leads us into Washington where we have our best chance yet of picking up a victory, I think. Should Santorum win Michigan and Romney win Arizona it will likely mean Gingrich gets bumped out and Santorum sweeps up on Super Tuesday. That cannot happen for us to have a chance at winning.

 

[DerailingDaTrain]

Some real conspiracy theorists here man. We run an ad and now we are helping Romney win and have a "secret alliance" with him. So, I guess we shouldn't have run ads in SC when we were polling third because it would help Gingrich win? Oh no! We must have a secret alliance with Gingrich too because he won.

 

[dante]

Actually I think we are helped by Romney winning MI as if Santorum wins Michigan everyone will say its game over, Santorum wins the nomination. Whereas we know that Romney doesn't get a "game over" by winning MI as he is expected to win it.

We need to beat Santorum back so we can have a chance to continue our strategy.

 

[rpwi]

Link? $50K to produce it, or $50K to produce it INCLUDING purchased airtime?

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/#entry-204751

The campaign of Ron Paul on Tuesday released an unconventional new commercial — perhaps the first in the history of a presidential campaign to use the words “dude” and “groovy” — that attacks Mr. Santorum’s credibility as a fiscal conservative. “Is this dude serious?” the ad asks before listing a number of spending votes Mr. Santorum took as a member of Congress. A media strategist put the amount of the purchase at $50,000 on cable television.

For all we know Paul might have gotten volunteers to do some of the design work for the ad...doubt it was too expensive.

 

[rpwi]

Paul is using moneybomb funds to help his friend mitt romney win michigan. Paul can not get 1st or 2nd in MI. I'm not happy my money is used to help mitt romney win michigan. A romney loss cuts the head off the snake and finishes him for good. Ron Paul is looking after his friend here. Makes me mad. Run this ad is WA and states we can win. Not in a state where we only help romney and have no chance to finish better than 3rd.

EDIT: right after I posted this fox news begins a segment of how ron paul is using the romney talking points and really helping romney right now. Talking about alliance etc.

Washington and Super Tuesday might be too late...we need national momemtum ASAP...and we'll get that out of the Michigan/Arizona contests because they're next up. We poll better in Michigan than Arizona, so Michigan actually was strangely logically for all this. Look at the timing folks... ONE DAY before the debate? Doug Wead knows what he's doing (I hope )

 

[DerailingDaTrain]

Does anyone actually believe we are working with Romney to help him win? If so then you need to stop donating right now.

Also, everyone seems to agree that if Santorum wins its game over and if Mitt wins then the race continues so I think we are better off if Santorum loses, because if he wins then people think they've found their "Conservative alternative to Mitt Romney".

 

[carterm]

all we need is romney to mention "lawyers" again when talking about going to war.

 

[Jingles]

Because oddly he is a threat. I'm amazed by the American people.. but we need to address my former senators dumbass...

 

[Captain Shays]

Yes, there is plenty you can attack Santorum on in a general election and the establishment has to know he's going to get slaughtered.

But as for the Republican voters that support him now, I thought it was an extremely effective ad... I remember back in Iowa where one Santorum supporter said "I like how he's strong on family values", as I screamed that your family is going to be hurt far worse if they can't find jobs!

So you attack him where they like him: abortion, fiscal conservative, and hit him hard for being completely hypocritical about those things... Beleive me, there is a treasure trove that can be used against him in a general election, but you're not going to kill his largely-religious follwing by attacknig him on his crazy statements that they might agree with. You attack him where he's clearly hypocritical in their eyes, and I think this ad accomplished that well.

I think we also need to attack his foreign policy as being anti Christian, against the advice of our founding fathers, makes us less safe, is unconstitutional and is really more in league with progressives like Woodrow Wilson than it is to the old style Republicans or the founders. We know he is going to attack us on foreign policy because he cannot attack us on fiscal or other Constitutional issues because he doesn't have a leg to stand on. But he articulates whatever his position is very well and makes a convincing argument no matter what it is. I mean convincing to whatever or whoever his base is. But his base can be our's if we play it right. Ron Paul is the best possible choice for any Christian to vote for but he also needs to start making convincing arguments especially on foreign policy. So if you're going to make ads let them help to make those arguments for you.