The Problem

Most New Jerseyans probably haven’t seen this new Obama TV ad titled “The Problem” since, sadly, there is no evidence as of yet that the Garden State will be a “swing” state in 2012. We haven’t gone “red” in a presidential election since 1988… when your Blogger-in-Chief was 4 years old. Depressing, right?

So here it is for your viewing displeasure:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0tZK_qHHCc

Venture capitalism isn’t the problem, Mr. President. It’s been a catalyst of American prosperity since the beginning; the original American colonies were, at their genesis, venture capital partnerships between corporations and the British Crown! Polling suggests most Americans don’t think venture capitalism is a dirty word.

Polls aren’t everything especially this far out. Virtually every poll shows a razor-close case. Unfortunately, Save Jerseyans, there is power in repetition. A new USA Today/Gallup poll out over the weekend showed the President very narrowly leading Mitt Romney, 47%-45%, in the 12 presumably most-competitive battleground states. You may ask how can this be, particularly when the same states are teetering the verge of economic disaster under his stewardship? Answer: more effective ads! Of those who told USA Today/Gallup that the ads affected their choice, 76% support the President while 16% support Governor Romney.

And exactly what kind of person makes their decision based on ads? Exhibit A:

Their target: voters like Jessica Bruning, 28, of Holstein, Iowa.

“I don’t get a chance to see the news a lot,” Bruning, who was called in the USA TODAY Poll, said in a follow-up phone interview. “I have two kids and go to school and work. Seeing the ads every day helps me catch up. I see what they are going to do.”

What has she learned? That Obama has been pushing to keep student loan rates low — she’s attending community college to be certified as a welder, so that’s an important issue for her — and that Romney “wants to cut taxes for the rich people and raise them for the poor.”

“I don’t think that’s cool,” she says. She plans to vote for Obama.

Am I the only one with a splitting headache after reading that?

Ugh… I feel terrible for that girl. A pervasive lack of knowledge concerning our economic and political system is the real problem!

The best way to combat ignorance is to fight back with facts. For example, we explain to our friends and neighbors how approximately 11% of America’s private sector jobs are derived directly from venture capital-backed companies and, furthermore, how the revenue derived from these companies accounts for roughly 21% of our country’s annual GDP. We can also point out the millions billions trillions of ways in which this President’s job-killing policies are “the problem” insofar as they have stymied our economic recovery and exacerbated the job market’s woes.

But with all of that in mind, there’s no replacement for paid media firepower of our own. Romney’s robust fundraising since the primary (and accelerating after last month’s Obamacare decision) is obviously helpful. Outside assistance from groups like Karl Rove’s American Crossroads may prove decisive. At the end of the day, an effective ad is the harmony of substantive messaging and attention-grabbing packaging.

Republicans still need to find a better way to communicate the REAL problems facing our Republic – and the solutions required to address them – before the statistically small yet significant pool of swing voters solidify their opinions in the fall.

 

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8405 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.