New Steele Ad, Same Old Steele

Via Rachel Weiner, the Michael Steele campaign has just released its first TV ad, which you can see here. I have to admit that I'm rather impressed: Steele comes off as smart and affable -- the kind of guy who's just giving you the straight dope. He actually reminds me, for some reason, of Jared from the Subway ads; and indeed, there is a definite Madison Avenue feel to the piece, which in political ads is refreshing. Most of them, especially for Democrats, look like those "inspiring" movies of personal triumph (e.g., Annapolis) that everyone is supposed to regard as important but no one actually sees.

But to return to Steele: As Weiner notes, Steele's party affiliation -- that scarlet letter -- is conspicuously absent. That, however, tends to be par for the course, as the Darcy Burner ad above attests. More exasperating is Steele's claim that "instead of the spin, I'll talk straight about what's wrong in both parties." (Emphasis added.) As I've said before, it may be shrewd for Steele to pivot away from the Republicans in order to win in Maryland, but for anyone who knows his actual beliefs, it's a con game. I also doubt that Steele, with all the support he receives from the national GOP, isn't doing this without their tacit approval. Which brings up another thing I've said with regards to Steele: in the current environment, bipartisanship benefits Republicans, as it deflects responsibility for the countless failures of leadership in Washington from the ruling party. The MyDD strategy memo is instructive in this regard.

Having said all that, I fear that this ad will be effective in persuading the average voter to look on Steele the man in a positive light, even if he doesn't know what he stands for. Coming across as likable will be crucial for Steele to win in November, especially if he goes up against Kweisi Mfume. Let's hope he doesn't succeed.

Tags: MD-Sen, Michael Steele, ads, Republicans, TV, Kweisi Mfume