After we aired our story on Thursday about the KY3 U.S. Senate Debate on October 16th, we received a few calls from viewers inquiring about how they could learn more about both campaigns.
One caller from Stone County got me thinking. He was an older man and described himself as a lifelong, proud Democrat. He asked for the campaign phone numbers and websites for both Senator Jim Talent and Claire McCaskill. He said he had been following the race, but wanted to learn more.
When I asked him who he was supporting, he paused and said although he's a lifelong Democrat, he will break away from the party occasionally to vote for "the person." He said he liked a lot of what he was hearing from McCaskill, but hadn't yet closed the door on possibly supporting Talent.
Why?
He said he really liked what Talent was saying on television, about bipartisanship, working with the other side, putting people before politics. For the last few weeks the Talent campaign has bombarded television markets with a variety of ads touting Talent as a Senator who is just that. It's just a small example of why political ads matter. This man inferred that a lot of what he was hearing about the race came from the advertisements. He said Talent seemed likeable in the ads and he therefore wasn't ready to commit one way or the other. He also said he's excited about the race and wanted to learn more.
We're happy he's excited and engaged in the debate. And if you are one of those undecided voters, I'd like to hear from you. Drop me a line at dcatanese@ky3.com.
In a race where the undecided number hovers around 5 percent or less, it is refreshing to hear from someone still wrestling with their decision. It could be a few thousand people out there, like this man from Stone County, who ultimately decide this race.
4 comments:
The "bipartisan" ad Jim Talent is running is right out of the Republican Playbook for 2006 by Frank Luntz, the linguistics expert, that tells GOP candidates exactly what words to use and what buttons to push to win over voters who are influenced by sound bytes.
This election blog could be very helpful to those voters seeking more information, if you would list in your link section the websites for all state/local candidates in the November election.
Thanks for the suggestion Betty. We will be putting together a voter guide on our regular website, ky3.com.
Keep reading and we'll let you know when that's ready to go.
It would be a rare legislator who would not collaborate on at least a couple of issues with the opposite party, but that does not make him/her bipartisan. Jim Talent has a poor voting record in supporting issues opposed by Democrats that go against the interests of the working poor and average to middle-upper income families (including those with up to $500,000 in yearly income). Just one voter's opinion.
Bobiscus,
Fact is, Claire was born in Rolla, her first home was in Houston where her father worked at the mill, then moved to Lebanon, and then to Columbia where she graduated from High School. She worked her way through college and then law school, and then clerked for the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City. She worked as assistant prosecutor in Kansas City before becoming a state legislator in 1982. She became Jackson County Prosecutor in 1993, and Missouri Auditor in 1999. This is from the biography on her website for those who are interested in the facts.
Her support of ethanol production is one part of her plan for energy independence, again spelled out in detail on her website www.claireonline.com.
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