Look Who's On TV

With just 11 days until the primary election, here's a quick check of who's got the money to run television ads.

Senator Jim Talent is up and running early with two different ads highlighting the bipartisan legislation he has worked on. One ad uses a voiceover while the other uses Talent's voice. Both convey the same themes . . . unity.

The voiceover ad: "Most people don't care if you're red or blue, Republican or Democrat. They don't use words like partisan or obstructionist . . ."

Point: It's true that most people don't use the words partisan or obstructionist. But like it or not, some people do care if the candidate they are voting for is a Republican or Democrat. From Springfield to St. Robert, I'm always asking people who they are going to vote for and why. Can't put a number on it, but many people ask "which one is the Republican?" Or say, "He's the Republican, right? My vote's for him." Like it or not, that's still how some people vote and they have that right. But I get the point of the ad.

Talent's voice ad: "You have to work together if you want to accomplish anything of real value . . . There's enough to disagree about in Washington without disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing . . . We have to have at least a measure of bipartisan support, and we've done that."

Point: This ad has the same point . . . to show that in this polarizing political environment, Talent can work with even the most liberal members of the other side to pass things like the Combat Meth Act, renewable fuel standards and small business legislation.

Critics say the ad shows Talent running from his party. They point out the ad hardly mentions that Talent is "A Senator," a sign that he doesn't want to be the incumbent. Overall, pretty solid, positive ads, presenting the Senator in a comfortable light.

Who else is on TV?

**Associate Circuit Judge candidate Dan Imhof. His ad is simple . . .

"Fighting crime as a former prosecutor . . . Representing families and small businesses in private practice for nearly a quarter of a century . . ."

Unlike Talent, Imhof embraces his Republican party, even sticking the elephant logo in his ad.
But I guess you can't hide from your party if you just got done chairing it. "A lay leader of his church . . . A former chair of his party . . . A person we can trust."

**Rolla State Senate Candidate Susie Snyders is running in the Republican primary in the Senate District 16 against Merill Townley. Sen. Frank Barnitz won this seat back for the Democrats but will surely have a tough race from the Republican that emerges victorious.

"Susie Snyders won't become part of the political good ole boys network," reads the voiceover. Then Snyders chimes in, "It's about our students getting their fair share . . . and the dollars getting to the classroom where the learning happens."

Snyders begins with education, but then hits all the token issues, but doesn't let on what party she's in. The "good ole boys" comment seems to be key.

Those are the 3 candidates I've seen up and running with ads so far. I'm sure we'll see more in the coming days. Have I missed any? What's the most effective current political advertisement (print/TV or radio) that you've seen? Let me know . . .