Ad #5: TV
Ad: "Pay As You Go"
by Ken Salazar for U.S. Senate
TRUTH IN POLITICAL ADVERTISING PROJECT
RATING REPORT
SUMMARY
ACCURACY = 7.9 out of 10.0. This advertisement
received a relatively high mark that indicates an overall accurate
ad, yet the ad contains at least one misrepresentation.
FAIRNESS = 8.0
out of 10.0. This
ad received a solid rating for fairness, based largely on the fact
that the opponent/opponent’s party was not mentioned in the ad
at all.
RELEVANCE = 8.1 out of 10.0. This advertisement
highlights several topics that are critically important for this election.
OVERALL = 7.9
out of 10.0. This
advertisement is a good example of the integrity the TIPA expects political
advertising to adhere to.
DISCUSSION
Ken Salazar’s “Pay As You Go” ad stands
out in the current onslaught of personal attack television ads coming
from both candidates in the hotly contested Senatorial race. Not only
does the ad address specific issues that voters are actually concerned
about – government spending, law enforcement, and healthcare
- it makes no mention of Pete Coors, Salazar’s opponent. In fact,
the ad doesn’t even mention the opposing party, the Republicans.
This time, “Washington” is the culprit. The ad portrays
Salazar as a Senator who would curb pork barrel spending and “get
Washington’s priorities straight.” As either candidate
would be a Freshman Senator if elected, this type of ad does not differentiate
the candidates’ stated goals to transform the Senate, and presumably,
government spending. Indeed, the ad is not dissimilar from the Coors
campaign’s own “Mr. Smith Goes To Washington” theme.
In reality, junior Senators rarely sponsor or get bills pushed through
in their first two years.
Nevertheless, each candidate has a decidedly different
view on how our government should spend taxpayers’ money, and
this is apparent in “Pay As You Go.” In the
ad, Salazar alleges that 60% of the largest corporations pay no taxes,
and accuses Washington of cutting funding for cops and after-school
programs, and raising the premiums for Medicare.
All of the TIPA panelists praised the ad for addressing the issues,
and gave the ad generally high marks. However, there was some concern
about the validity of the claims Salazar makes in the ad.
The TIPA has compiled a set of rating scores for
the advertisement “Pay
As You Go”, based on the ratings provided by Advisory
Panel members and weighted so Democrats and Republicans were equal
in number from a statistical averaging perspective.
The TIPA uses a "1" to "10" rating
scale for Accuracy (with greater accuracy reflected by a higher rating),
Fairness (with a higher rating indicating a greater degree of fairness),
and Relevancy (with a higher rating meaning the advertisement was
most relevant to the U.S. Senate campaign). The Rating System is
presented in detail on the TIPA Web site.
ACCURACY RATING. TIPA gives “Pay
As You Go” a score of 7.9 for accuracy.
This is a somewhat high mark that indicates a generally accurate
ad, yet contains at least one misrepresentation. And our panelists
were quick to point out that aspirations versus reality are two decidedly
different things. As one panelist commented, “While
ideologically I agree with most of this ad, I scoff at any politician
who 'complains' about
pork barrel spending. If they don't bring home the pork, they're
unlikely to be re-elected.”
Republican panelists gave “Pay As You Go” a
noticeably lower accuracy rating of 6.0. One Republican panelist stated, “This
one is pure pandering. First, it's not true that 60% of America 's
corporations pay no taxes. Second, there have not been cuts in cops
or after-school programs.”
Democrats and Independents gave the ad higher
accuracy scores of 8.8 and 9.0, respectively. As one panelist opined, “There
is no mention or even implication of Coors in this ad; it's just Salazar
laying out what he says are his priorities. We need more like this
on both sides.”
FAIRNESS RATING. “Pay As You Go” scored
a high 8.0 Fairness rating, largely based on the fact
that the opponent/opponent’s party was not mentioned in the ad
at all. However, some negatives were cast on current political issues
in a manner that was possibly subjective. One Democratic panelist described
the ad like this: “Best ad I've seen - no negative
attack, rather it describes the candidate’s positions. There
is some spin, but nothing unfair about it.”
Again, Independent panelists gave the highest rating, a perfect score
of ten. Democrat panelists gave a lower rating of 8.8, and Republican
panelists assigned the lowest score, 6.3.
RELEVANCE RATING. “Pay As
You Go” receives
its highest rating in this category, at 8.1 for Relevance.
The ad specifically highlights several topics that are critically important
for this election. One panelist said, “The ad a
ddresses the issue of spending by the federal government, the foundational
issue of what government can do.”
Independent panelists again gave the ad a perfect score of 10 for
this category; Democrats followed with a lower, but still high rating
of 8.8, and Republicans allotted the lowest score, 6.7.
OVERALL SCORE. TIPA
gives “Pay As You Go” an
overall score of 7.9. As one Republican panelist stated, “I
like this ad from the perspective that it focuses on Ken's opinions
and intentions. While I personally disagree with most of what he says,
it lets me form an opinion of him as a candidate and what he stands
for.”
Another panelist described it as a, “Positive,
straightforward, excellent POSITIVE ad.”
Almost all of the TIPA panelists agreed that an ad that focuses on
the issues, rather than attacking the opponent, is a welcome deviation
from what has so far been a race largely marked by personal attacks
and mudslinging from both candidates.
(C) Copyright 2004 by the Democracy & Media Education
Foundation. All rights reserved. Reproduction, duplication, transmission,
or conveyance of this document – in whole or in part – without
the express written consent of the DMEF is strictly prohibited.
Bona fide print and electronic Press organizations, however, may
quote this Report as long as proper attribution is given (i.e., “The
Truth In Political Advertising Project”) and the quotation
or reference accurately reflects the contents and conclusions of
this Report. For questions, please call Zachary
Adler at (303) 449-5043 or send an e-mail
to Zachary@TIPAP.org. Thank
you.
