Gary Johnson's Campaign TV Ads Stress Experience, Honesty, and Keeping Government Out of Our Pocketbook and Our Bedroom
This week the Gary Johnson campaign began its first wave of paid TV ads. They are targeted at the Western states of New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington and the northeast state of New Hampshire.
As Bloomberg News reported, some doubt that particular targeting makes the most sense given the campaign's immediate term needs, even if they are the states he is most likely to do well in.
Ken Goldstein, a University of San Francisco professor who analyzes polls and advertising for Bloomberg Politics, believes that given Johnson's urgent need for debate inclusion, his advertising "game should be all about getting 15 percent in national polls—and for that he needs to advertise nationally and in the big states."
Campaign spokesman Joe Hunter told Bloomberg that "the targeting is based on a number of factors, from propensities toward independent voters, the relative popularity of the other candidates, and media markets."
Hunter told Bloomberg the campaign has spent more than a half million on TV ad buys this week. Bloomberg's contact in the ad industry said Johnson has no more TV ad buys locked in after September 19.
According to campaign spokesman Joe Hunter, the following three ads are all in paid TV rotation now. They are all pretty long for TV at one minute in length.
The first (in order of their display on the campaign's website) stresses Johnson's honesty and fiscal probity as governor, dubbing him "Honest Johnson." Vice President Weld speaks for Johnson, and the ad promises "the best America yet" (as opposed to a mere return to greatness a la Trump). This ad, like all of them, wraps up with the campaign's bandwagon-jumping slogan "Are You In?" followed by Weld's slyly pleading "Come on!"
A second, called "Been There," hypes the two candidates' tax cutting and spending and economic policy records as governors and the fact they are the only candidates with successful executive governing experience. It has Johnson joking that, if after giving them a chance, you decided you "don't like peace, prosperity and freedom you can always vote a Trump or Hillary back into office."
The third, "Issues," discusses their ability as Republican governors to win mass Democratic support, Weld's gubernatorial record of fiscal responsibility, Johnson's honesty, are brought up.
It shows the governors listing some of their positions, including term limits, internet freedom, "intelligent immigration reform," small efficient government" that treats citizens like "family" not livestock, (not so sure about the "family" part in a Libertarian context, but it sounds pleasant), personal freedom, getting government out of our pocketbook and our bedroom, and the idea that we should end wars and (this spin not the most consistently Libertarian) "use dollars here at home." (That locution is ambiguous about whether the entity using the dollars should be the federal government or the untaxed taxpayer.)
The Libertarian Party logo does appear clearly at the start of all three ads, but they are not trying to define or defend the term per se.
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DICKS OUT FOR ALEPPO
A voter of conscience, in a normal year, could go for Johnson and feel O.K. about it. But this year, in a tight election, any vote by an independent or a Democrat for Johnson could burden that citizen with a lifetime of guilt for handing the world over to Trump. His presidency could “lead to the end of civilization,” as his own ghostwriter, Tony Schwartz has said.
Thus sayeth Tim Egan.
A VOTE FOR GARY JOHNSON IS A VOTE FOR THE END OF CIVILIZATION!
*runs sobbing from room*
burn baby, burn
His presidency could “lead to the end of civilization,”
Fuck yeah!
Dibs on sacking Harvard
God, Weld is such a load.
Yeah, and you’re gonna swallow Johnson’s load. For liberty and justice.
WE ARE THE WELD!
I’m feeling more inclined to defend these guys (at least Gary) as some others begin to lose enthusiasm.
Since I wasn’t really enthusiastic for him to begin with, it’s hard for me to be disillusioned.
OTOH, Gary does seem to be be promising some budget cuts, enforced by veto threats.
Of all the lefty candidates (Hillary, Trump, the bald guy and Johnson), Gary is the only one who (a) harps on this issue and (b) has a credible history in the budget-cutting area.
Right, Stein is also a lefty candidate but doesn’t to my knowledge promote budget cuts
(No italics?)
How many lives and how much treasure will GayJay’s so-called “humanitarian wars” cost us?
Fortunately, we’ll never find out because getting 0.99% of the vote means he LOSES.
Still a better success story than your gamecocks.
Here’s how I think Johnson should have replied to that now infamous question if he actually had some balls:
“Oh, Aleppo. A city in Syria that’s relatively obscure to most Westerners. You’ll have to excuse me – I haven’t been following all of the news this week, so I don’t exactly know what about Aleppo right now makes it stand out uniquely from the rest of the absolute catastrophe that the current administration and one of my opponents have turned that country into through their utter ineptitude. Perhaps some Wikipedia-smart political wonks on a navel gazing Sunday afternoon show on NPR might have covered all of this, but I’ve been too busy running a campaign to take notice.”
if he actually had some balls
Or had a clue as to what Aleppo is in the first place.
Oh man. That’s a shame. I’m beginning to wonder if Leibniz was wrong about this best of all possible worlds thing.
Gooners for $400 please, Alex.