TIPA - Truth In Political Advertising

ACCURACY = 7.6 out of 10.0. This advertisement received a respectable accuracy score. Pete Coors makes a straightforward and clear statement about where he stands on key issues.

FAIRNESS = 8.3 out of 10.0. This ad also received a solid score for fairness. Coors does not unfairly attack Salazar or stretch his position on any issues.

RELEVANCE = 7.4 out of 10.0. This ad received quite a decent for relevance. Issues that Coors addresses are all critical to this election season.

OVERALL = 7.7 out of 10.0. This ad received a solid overall score. It gives voters a clear and honest look at Pete Coors speaking his mind on issues that are important to them.

"That's Politics" is a new TV ad released by the Coors campaign that begins with Pete Coors looking directly into the camera on a sunny Colorado fall day. He proceeds to talk about his values and priorities on a variety of issues, from taxes to terrorism. He distinguishes himself from his opponent, without ever directly mentioning Salazar, by saying, "I'm a businessman. Not a politician or a lawyer. My values aren't driven by politics."

This advertisement is refreshingly straightforward and positive as compared to the mudslinging attacks released by both sides of the aisle throughout this campaign.

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 has compiled a set of ratings for the advertisement "That's Politics".

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. This ad received a decent Accuracy rating of 7.6. Coors reports his position on several key issues openly without distorting any facts. This ad shows that politicians can be honest and positive and still remain effective and persuasive to voters.

A Democratic panelist described the ad as, "A pretty good ad. Slight gratuitous slap at attorneys and politicians, but not out of context or out of place."

Another Advisory Panel member expressed, “I believe that Pete is being 100% accurate here, I have no info to tell me different.”

Overall, Republicans scored this ad highest, with a high Accuracy rating (9.0). Democrats and Independents gave it a fairly decent rating of 6.8 and 6.5, respectively.

FAIRNESS RATING. The positive tone of this advertisement, plus the fact that Coors doesn't even mention Salazar by name, contributed to this ad's high Fairness score of 8.3 out of 10. This is one of the highest fairness ratings received by any ad this entire campaign.

One Advisory Panel member noted, “Liked this ad and a new one that Ken Salazar has running that don't attack their opponent, but tell us what they each personally believe.”

Pointing out the subtle attack on Ken Salazar in the ad, one panelist commented, "A morning-in-Colorado ad: sunny and positive. He says he's 'attacked by people who never created a job or met a payroll,' a statement that may be true -- someone like that may be against him. But Salazar certainly has done both of those things. If the ad is implying that it's Salazar he's talking about, that's unfair. Also interesting that the ad says 'End the spending binge in Washington,' a critique of the current administration."

All three parties scored the ad relatively high with Republicans topping the list at 9.3, followed by Independent's score of 8.0 and Democrats giving it a 7.4.

RELEVANCE RATING. Taxes, terrorism and jobs are all critical issues to voters, earning this ad a score of 7.4. The score was somewhat reduced because of the ad's lack of depth in covering any issues, giving voters more of a broad overview of Coors' positions.

A Republican panelist observed, "Absolutely relevant in that it lets the candidate portray his beliefs on important issues."

Another Republican panelist commented, "Pretty – lacks substance – intended to be visually appealing."

Republicans once again gave the ad the highest score, rating the relevance an 8.7. Democrats scored it a comparable 7.0, while Independents gave it a noticably lower score of 4.5.

OVERALL RATING. "That's Politics" is a persuasive and positive ad, and received an overall score of 7.7. This is the exact same overall score that a similar ad from the Salazar campaign received.

One criticism of the ad came from a Panel member, "Ludicrous for him, with the president's active support, to argue that the spending binge in DC has to stop."

Overall, however, this ad is a respectable example of a candidate stating their position and asking for voters' support. It serves as a standard to which TIPA would like to see more campaigns and their candidates adhere in their advertising.

(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.