Culver comes out with some attack ads against Blouin

[pstans]

I saw a Culver ad attacking Blouin on the minimum wage. The mud is slinging and Fallon will be the only one clean come the day of the primary.

[Debi]

1. Here's the article - disappointing to say the least!

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2006/05/22/news/latest_news/16b715e33d1a5f658625717600774cb3.txt

Blouin responds to Culver's abortion ads

<snip>

Supporters joined Blouin at a statehouse news conference where he said again he’d veto any attempt to make Iowa’s abortion laws more restrictive.

"I think my position on abortion is very acceptable to the overwhelming majority of Iowans," Blouin said. "I have said repeatedly since last fall I will not make any change in current law."

<snip>

When he served in Congress close to 30 years ago, Blouin twice sponsored a constitutional amendment that would ban abortions except where the life of the mother was at risk.

<snip>


Chris Woods has a write-up about it on Political Forecast:

http://www.politicalforecast.net/2006/05/22/ia-gov-new-ad-compares-culver-with-blouin/

[IA_Seth]

2. Oh man...

This IS disappointing. This is exactly the kind of crap that pissed me off about Blouin starting the whole negative game in the first place, because once someone is attacked the natural reaction in politics is to strike back...and while this may make a candidate, or even a campaign as a whole feel more secure, it just starts to turn people off to their message.

Culver has great ideas, and I can especially support his ideas on alternative energy and education....I wish they'd focus more on thos ideas, and how he plans to implement them, than playing the negative game.

Besides, anyone who cares about women's rights and is motivated enough to vote in the primary has probably already tried and failed to figure out Blouin's stance. It's something that probably could have went without saying.

Oh well. 14 days, right?

[Debi]

3. Yep, I wish it didn't happen.

I thought things were going along great - Culver's recent 'Democrat' ad said enough to have people look into Blouin's record. Such is life, I have no control over the campaign!! :shrug:

[bigdemfan67]

4. Hopefully

Our candidates don't rip eachother apart before the primary. We want the strongest candidate on June 7th.

[Debi]

5. We'll have the strongest candidate on June 7th

(That is if this doesn't end up going to convention - then we'll have the strongest candidate come June 17th!)

Although negative campaigning sucks there is nothing that is being tossed about that hasn't already been researched and prepped for production by the GOP and their candidate.

The winner of the primary will end up w/unified Democratic support and the majority of Democrats will get behind him. (and those that don't outwardly support the nominee will still vote for him over Nussle).

It's like we all get amnesia every election cycle.

[IA_Seth]

6. It's not that I have amnesia...

I just get my hopes up with each cycle that if there IS to be negative campaigning that we use it against the Repubs, and instead use the Dem primaries as a stage for us to show that we are the big tent party and to showcase what makes each of our candidates great, not tear each other down.

I guess that is just human nature though, eh?

[Debi]

7. Optimism is nice, Seth

Just not logical in the last two weeks of a primary! :bounce:

[CornField]

8. Culver needs to remember

Don't ever wrestle with a pig; you both get dirty and the pig likes it.

Culver is roughly 38. Blouin is 60.
Culver has reached 30 years into Blouin's past when Blouin was 30.
Blouin has reached 15 years into Culver's past when Culver was 23.

So... is one more responsible for his actions when he is 20-25 or 30-35?
Does it have more leverage based on when it occurred? (That is, are you more responsible for something that happened 10 years ago than you are for something 20 years ago?)

The whole stinkin' mess is just infuriating. Why are either of them doing this? Why did Blouin start it?

Message to the Blouin and Culver camps: WE ARE DEMOCRATS! We know how to look into a person's background all on our own. We do not need nor want either of you to be smearing one another. We do not want to be so emotionally pulled one way or the other that we cannot get out an actively campaign for whomever wins the primary.

[Debi]

9. Amen. n/t

[Debi]

10. On an up note - I was happy to see Culver's 'Democrat' ad back on the air

Both last night and this morning. The only Blouin ad I saw was the negative. Fallon's big name endorsements ad was on this AM. That's my favorite of his ads.

[IA_Seth]

11. Fallon's ads...

I've noticed his ads more and more. From the little TV I watched last night and this morning I caught 3 of his ads...the one with closed captioning talking about our voice being taken, the quick one where he introduces himself at the lady's door, and that big name one (that cracks me up). I think he ads are playing well with voters and they are picking up on his not-for-sale, no negativity schtick. I'm interested to see how well he does Jun-6. I would imagine he is still going to lose by a fair margin out West, but I think he may just take some more liberal precincts around here.



To note, I saw two of Chet's ads...the one against Blow-in and the other "I am Dem" one..and one of Blow-in's...the one negative against Culver...during that same time frame.

I asked my mom and brother (both of whom are not politically involved) and my mom said she liked Culver's ads, and my brother said he liked Fallon's ads. Why? My mom said Culver seemed intelligent and talked about plans....my bro said Fallon was the only one that hadn't gone negative.

[Debi]

12. Fallon pounced on Blouin at the KUNI debate about Grow Iowa Values Fund

but I don't know that I would call that negative - Values Fund sucks!!!

(Did you see where ADM gave Blouin $5,000? We're they a Values Fund tax break recipient? Hmmmmm.)

[IA_Seth]

13. Yeah...

I forced my bro to watch part of the IPTV debate the other day so he knows Fallon has a biting side to him, his mode of thinking is that debates are the place for that sort of thing, thinking ads should be used to promote yourself. To be honest, the negative ads haven't gotten any worse (knock on wood), and if this is as bad as they get I won't be too disappointed.

I noticed that Whalen/Dix are going after each other now...I am proud that the Dems of district 1 really haven't yet.

And you are right..the Values Fund does suck! And if it doesn't suck they need to publish some real data that prooves it doesn't, because the crap they sent me, and the crap that Blouin touts as "econ development" looks like a bunch of shit.

[Debi]

15. Seth, see my post below and then head over to Krusty Konservative's site

(Don't stay too long, it can be painful)

Blouin is almost gleeful about his upcoming hit piece on Culver. Blouin has bought $15,000 worth of time in my area alone for just this week. He's going hard negative and spending every dime he lent himself to do so.

http://krustykonservative.blogspot.com/ (the post is titled Mutually Assured Destruction)

[Debi]

14. Have no fear pstans - Blouin is going to strike back!

(with a Snidley Whiplash chortal)Blouin told reporters on Monday that he'd be swinging back at Culver's ad, but Blouin refused to reveal the details of that response. "Stay tuned," he said. (Thanks to Krusty Konservative for this bit - I know, I know, but hey if we don't watch the enemy we don't know what the enemy is up to)