From Belleville News Democrat:
Blagojevich ad onslaught designed to bruise, bloody Topinka
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Gov. Rod Blagojevich is hitting his Republican opponent with a barrage of campaign ads, but the goal isn't an early knockout. Instead, the ads amount to a series of jabs designed to leave Judy Baar Topinka bruised and bloodied in the minds of voters.
They're short - generally just 15 seconds. Most use Topinka's own words against her, pointing out that she said raising the minimum wage would be a government "giveaway" or that she has praised unpopular politicians.
They're negative but rarely heavy-handed. The tone is almost one of regret that any politician could be so misguided, summed up by the frequent closing line: "Judy Baar Topinka - what's she thinking?"
Some leave the impression that Topinka, the state treasurer, has far more control over state finances than she really does. And one distorts the facts to suggest she is failing to do an important part of her job.
The ads link Topinka to two unpopular Republicans, President Bush and former Gov. George Ryan, and portray her as extreme on minimum wage, assault weapons and health care.
"It speaks to urban and suburban women. This is an ad (campaign) for Chicago and the base of his party," said advertising expert David Browne, who worked for Blagojevich's opponent in the primary. "That's what you do if your base is not strong."
Polls consistently show Blagojevich with low support for a Democratic incumbent in a Democrat-leaning state, with Topinka not far behind. If Blagojevich is to win a second term, he'll have to reassure Democrats and scare swing voters away from Topinka.
Topinka, meanwhile, lacks the money to respond, giving Blagojevich room to define her before she even throws a punch.
The ads suggest Topinka shares the blame for a massive budget deficit that developed during the Ryan administration. She "either knew about the mess and failed to do her job or she didn't know and was asleep at the switch," one ad says.
But Illinois' budget problems developed quickly, surprising state leaders from both parties. What's more, the treasurer plays no role in writing the budget or fixing it when things go wrong, so it's not clear what Blagojevich means when his ad mentions failing to do her job.
Topinka could legitimately be criticized for not speaking out more about overspending under Ryan - something she's done aggressively since Blagojevich took office - or not being more of a financial watchdog, but that's not what Blagojevich's ad says.
Another ad slams Topinka for never attending the meetings of a pension investment board on which she sits. "That's the kind of no-show job I'd like," says a man in the ad.
Topinka is not a regular member of the board, however. She's "ex officio," essentially meaning that the treasurer's office - not Topinka specifically - has a spot on the board. Topinka says her office has had a representative at every one of the board's meetings.
By the standards of Blagojevich's ads, the governor also has a "no-show" job. He is an ex officio member of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees and the Toll Highway Authority but has never attended a meeting of either.
After promising to clean up state government, Blagojevich now finds himself vulnerable on ethics issues. Topinka accuses him of "pay to play" politics - awarding jobs and contracts to campaign contributors and political allies.
One Blagojevich ad returns fire by linking Topinka to the practices that resulted in Ryan being convicted on federal corruption charges. The ad notes that Topinka accepts campaign contributions from her government employees "just like George Ryan did."
Accepting money from employees is certainly a practice that ethics watchdogs criticize, and many politicians have abandoned it. However, you'd have to read the fine print of Blagojevich's ad to understand the amount of money Topinka has accepted - $80,000 over a period of 11 years.
Other Blagojevich ads stick to pointing out Topinka comments that will be unpopular with some voters.
Some ads point out that Topinka opposes an assault weapons ban because "a rolling pin can be an assault weapon if you really want to look at it that way." Others chastise her for calling a minimum-wage increase a "giveway" and for opposing Blagojevich's All Kids program to expand health insurance.
Topinka spokesman John McGovern accused Blagojevich of "rank distortions of the facts," but the only concrete example he offered was the ad accusing Topinka of skipping board meetings.
McGovern argued many of Blagojevich's ads are negative because of his poor record as governor.
"An incumbent should be able to run on his or her record of accomplishments in office. Apparently, Rod Blagojevich has nothing positive to say about his record," McGovern said.
Blagojevich's campaign did not return a message seeking comment.
Browne, the advertising expert, looks at Blagojevich's ads and concludes the governor feels the need to shore up support among Democrats and make Topinka look too conservative for Illinois.
"When she starts her ad campaign and says great things about herself, they're going to say, `She's too extreme,'" Browne said.
Another political strategist, Don Rose, said Blagojevich's unusually short ads might minimize the backlash that usually comes with negative ads. They don't really give viewers a chance to identify them as Blagojevich ads and get angry, he said.
Their message can also come and go so quickly that viewers miss the details, but Rose said that's OK as long as they get the message that Topinka is being accused of something bad.
"If you see them enough times, it becomes something close to subliminal: Topinka no good, Topinka no good," he said.
At least this columnist was fair when pointing out Blagojevich's faults. The "no show job" ad is hysterical because the entire state knows Blagojevich is never in Springfield unless he wants something.
