Posted by A link to the supporting document (pdf). Interesting to see alleged gambling corruption becoming an issue in the Democratic primary.
Url of video changed to make wordpress happy, but goes to the same place
Text of the press release:
BIRMINGHAM – The Davis for Governor campaign is airing a new ad putting the spotlight on Ron Sparks’ corruption problem and highlighting Sparks’ $500,000 shady loan. The ad, entitled “Corruption Problem,” is airing statewide. You can view the ad here, and see the fact check document here.
Below is the script for “Corruption Problem”
Politicians and Montgomery lobbyists under investigation again.
And what about Ron Sparks? This year Sparks got a $500,000 bank loan on a state government salary with no assets; from a bank with ties to the same gambling interests who may have been trying to bribe politicians.Alabama newspapers say Sparks’ loan raises questions about his integrity and credibility. Banking experts say they’ve never heard of such a sweetheart deal. Politicians and tainted money, that’s Ron Sparks. And it’s everything that’s wrong with Alabama politics.
That last part shows Sparks with no mustache makes his head look squatty and fat. Good ad though, it will change some votes.
Good ad. It portrays Sparks’ questionable loan as a symptom of a larger problem in Montgomery and provides quotes supporting the impropriety of it (rather than just making insinuations, as we’ve seen elsewhere). Again Davis is essentially saying we can do better, instead of going ridiculously negative.
If Davis’ lead is so comfortable, why is he running negative attack ads?
Surprise, surprise. Davis goes negative AGAIN. He began attacking Sparks before Sparks was even a candidate. Everyday I am more convinced of my decision to vote Sparks on June 1.
Samford Dem,
No lead is too “comfortable” for a politician.
While Davis is clearly leading, he is polling under 50% which is always a concern for a politician.
Sparks has very little chance to win, but Davis is taking no chances.
Hasn’t Davis repeatedly said he would never go negative? At the debate in Huntsville last week, Davis used his closing remarks to jump all on the Republican candidates for their negative campaigning and pledged he would not run any negative ads. Amazing the difference a week makes for him.
Wonder if the Davis campaign is thinking that the Bradley Effect might be at work here—the tendency for people to tell pollers that they’ll vote for a black candidate, then not do it.
[...] Ron Sparks responds Posted by waltm, on May 25th, 2010, at 2:50 pm to the Artur Davis ad this AM with this video [...]
John,
I was at the Huntsville event and I don’t recall anything about Davis pledging not to run negative ads. We have video of the entire event though. I’ll check the closing statements just to be sure.
Good ad. The loan was a huge red flag and needs to be pointed out.
John,
Davis didn’t mention negative campaigning at all in his closing remarks. I posted video and a word for word transcript of both candidates’ remarks at LiA. Click though and read it for yourself if you’re curious. Davis’ closing remarks were about his vision and the only reference to campaigning was that Alabama Democrats have lost 5 of the last 6 elections and we won’t change that by nominating a status quo candidate. Now in Davis’ opening remarks he did invite Sparks to “join me in pledging a campaign about what is true and what is right.” That was the only pledging, and I don’t think pointing out that Sparks took this extremely ill-advised loan falls outside what is “true and right.” Facts are facts, even when they’re inconvenient.
Anyone who have ever studied the past campaigns of Davis’ media consultant knows he loves negative ads. In fact, he is far better at negative ads than positive ads. Still, if the Davis campaign were comfortable in their polling numbers from Hamilton & associates, they would have foregone attacks which make it tougher to get the Sparks people energized for Davis in November. Winning then is what counts.
This isn’t a particularly new negative ad though. It’s about an issue that Left in Alabama has spent the last few months regurgitating again and again. Nothing new has come out about. It looks questionable from a distance but no one has produced one iota of evidence that anything unethical, much less illegal took place. With Sparks apparently closing the gap, a negative ad makes sense. This negative ad does not (if anything, it only reinforces the notion that Ron Sparks supports gambling, which will help him in the Dem primary).
I love the wink at the end. That is too funny.
[...] AL-Gov: Artur Davis is out with a last-minute hit on Ron Sparks, throwing around “corruption” [...]