NATIONAL JOURNAL — Of all the negative campaign messages that Democrats have used this midterm election, the most effective one is a time-tested line of attack: hitting Republican businessmen for being exorbitantly wealthy while outsourcing jobs overseas and laying off employees. It was President Obama’s central argument in his reelection campaign against Mitt Romney, and it is being put to devastating use again in a handful of close gubernatorial and congressional races this year.
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More than any of the other well-worn Democratic arguments—Republicans want to restrict access to abortion, they’re beholden to the agenda of the Koch brothers, and so on—this argument is successfully persuading undecided voters in close races.
In Illinois, businessman Bruce Rauner looked likely to unseat one of the most unpopular Democratic governors, Pat Quinn. But since a monthlong ad blitz portraying Rauner as the second coming of Romney, the Republican now narrowly trails in recent public polls. The spots, airing on Chicago television, have been merciless to the first-time candidate. One highlights his $140,000 membership in an exclusive wine club. Another potent hit alleges that Rauner demeaned a female executive for refusing to lay off workers (a charge Rauner dismissed as “baloney” in Tuesday night’s debate).
“Rauner’s companies laid off millions while he made millions,” blared a headline in another ad, which accuses the Republican of shipping jobs to China and India, using accounting tricks to avoid taxes, and stashing funds in the Cayman Islands—all while the patriotic anthem “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” plays in the background.
The concept of playing patriotic music while unleashing a fusillade of personal attacks was pioneered by Obama’s media consultant Larry Grisolano, whose most memorable presidential ad featured Romney singing “America the Beautiful” while text attacking his wealth and business record flashed across the screen. Quinn is taking a page directly from that Obama playbook.
Read more at the National Journal.
