NPR: McCain, Romney Ads Take Different Directions

McCain, Romney Ads Take Different Directions

It's obvious from his remarks after last night's caucuses in Iowa that Sen. John McCain does not think much about former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney's talents when it comes to being president. While he didn't attack him by name, he did take a couple of jabs when he pointed out that Republicans voters in Iowa showed that they couldn't be bought off (Romney outspent all the other candidates there), nor did they much like negative campaigning (Romney ran several ads that attacked the winner Mike Huckabee).

Based on the most recent set of ads aired in New Hampshire, the next important state in the presidential race, Romney hasn't changed his tack. This time the Romney campaign uses several local citizens to make their case about McCain: he's a real war hero and a patriot, but he voted against tax cuts and supported the "amnesty bill" for illegal immigrants. (Look for the "amnesty bill" line to get a lot of play in a race where illegal immigration is a main issue for Republicans.)

But McCain's ads features the senator himself asking the voters of the state to help him pull another upset like the one he pulled in 2000. There is no mention of any other candidate, just a call for voters to support him.

Negative advertising didn't seem to work for Romney is Iowa. It will be interesting to see if it can slow down the resurgent McCain in New Hampshire, a state that has become a "must-win" for the Romney campaign.

Recent polls show the race a tight one. A Reuters/CSpan/Zogby poll released today shows McCain with a four-point lead, 34 to 30 percent. A Suffolk University-WHDH poll from Thursday also gives McCain a four-point advantage, 29-25 percent.

10:58 AM ET | 01- 4-2008 | permalink

Comments

I think that Romney's ego just rules his actions and he just cannot accept defeat. The people have spoken and he needs to take his bag of dirty tricks and all the negative ads not to mention the lies and go home if they will still have him after all the embarrassment that he has caused them and him "supposedly a minister." He ought to be ashamed but he isn't if he can't buy it he doesn't know what it is. So sad.

Sent by Vicki Hampton | 12:06 PM ET | 01-04-2008

Negative ads ALWAYS backfire on the first to use them. See Rommney, Clinton in Iowa. Who came in first? Their targets! People instinctively "go negative" when they have run out of anything useful to say.

People will cheer the underdog, and "boo" the (percieved) bully.

Sent by Harold | 12:27 PM ET | 01-04-2008

Romney's ads contribute to the discussion, and they are not overtly insulting or dismissive of his opponents. The same can't be said for McCain's obnoxious comments or Huckabee's hypocritical half-showing of his own misleading attack ad that went beyond anything Romney has done and called names.

Romney won Iowa when you take away the evangelical identity vote for Huckabee. He'll do very well in New Hampshire if anyone cares to look at his vision for America and give him a fair shake.

Sent by CoachNY | 2:35 PM ET | 01-04-2008

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