33 Comments - Beowulf - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 3:52 am: I would say that Eisendrath’s ad is very good. I also believe that Edwin Eisendrath will turn out to be a force to be reckoned with if he can get beat Blagojevich in the Primary. Edwin Eisendrath will get a lot more conservative GOP votes in the General election than Andy McKenna and Kjellander believe he will. That statement is based on the premise that Judy Barr Topinka is representing the GOP in the general election in November. Many of the the Illinois GOP conservatives will “not” vote for Judy because they feel a vote for her is the same as a vote for George Ryan. It ain’t going to happen. McKenna and Kjellander badly misjudged the resentment within the Illinois GOP conservative base toward anybody that is linked to George Ryan and Kjellander. Blagojevich better thank his lucky stars that Judy was chosen by the consistently incompetent GOP central party as “their annointed one” for the Illinois GOP or he would be toast in November. - Oracle at Delphi - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 5:40 am: I’m not a golfer, so the ‘cheating’ of pushing the ball out of the sandtrap and around divots was almost lost on me. What seem to me like common-sense things to do are actually rules bending in golf. Might be better to have a bunch of ‘fat-cats’ smoking cigars and sending up his campaign promises as punchlines, and then laughing hysterically. ie; “He got in by telling them ‘no more business as usual’, but it’s never been better for me!” - Reddbyrd - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 7:24 am: Esquared strikes out! Ad might be good for Golf Galaxy store, but sucks for a political campaign. The theme: “trust a Chicago alderman” sounds like he is itching for a mention by Jay Leno. Wonder what campaign really shot the ad? Maybe CaptFax or one of the 4th estate giants could ask. Overall this ads a lot about the Esquared race. Big budget TV might have made this looke like a race. Instead we have a pretend internet “buy” Coupled with the Post Dispatch poll looks like GRod has hit another homer and is off to a great week. P.S. I think BrickheadJoe came out for concealed carry on the radio Sunday night. That should sink AccordianGal big time. - Anon - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 7:26 am: Does it really matter? It’s becoming increasingly clear from Eisendrath’s own comments about his funding that he just won’t have enough to run a viable campaign. He’s saying all the things that candidates say when they don’t have enough money. - Mulligan - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 7:49 am: Meh, that wasn’t all that great, the writing was off, too passive, like a re-written editorial. Ed should have a contest for people to submit back the same spot with their own sound tracks, and runthem all onthe web page. Kind of like your recent “caption this photo” contests. Secondly, we already know and hate Blagojevich, where’s the spots that tell us what Eisendrath is FOR? What he’s going to DO? You need both parts for an effective strategy. - Anonymous - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 7:55 am: I’ve seen Edwin before and I’m convinced that was him in the plus-fours goofy golfing outfit. Too bad they didn’t show a full-body shot of him witht the goofy hat, too! - Anonymous - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 8:37 am: Five federal investigations and he shows an ad about maybe breaking golf etiquette rules? Very weak. Pingback IlliniPundit.com » Blog Archive » Eisendrath Ad - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 8:39 am: […] Available online.  Rich Miller is asking for opinions. […] - zatoichi - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 8:43 am: What is so good about the ad? Change the fancy clothes for running shoes/shorts and that is how my friends play. No PGAers or big money in our group. No one cares if the rules get bent since it is supposed to be fun. The ad’s basic concept is fine even though it can be seen as a little elitist. Text seems pretty forced with the expected topics. Actually reminded me of an SNL skit that I could quickly forget. - Anon - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 9:10 am: Mulligan has it right. I was struck that there is no section on his web site that lays out his issue positions. - Anon - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 9:13 am: What kind of campaign is he running that his campaign staff aren’t all over this thread posting comments about what a great ad it is? That’s sad. If we were discussing a Blago ad it would have been nominated for an Oscar by now. - Bluefish - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 9:18 am: This ad will do nothing to fire up the average primary voter. It fails to hit Blago hard enough or explain how Eisendrath will be better (other than it says he will). Try again. - VanillaMan - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 9:37 am: Surprisingly not very good. Too sweet and cute to pack a punch and be remembered. The governor’s friends in this ad come off as poorly dressed golfers who bend the rules. If Ed wants to be more persuasive, he needs to show them in their full glory, orgasmic over cash and adoring Blagojevich. It would be more honest and more in tune with how the majority of voters feel. Eisendrath wants to lead a revolution? Then he needs to do better than use an ad that looks like it sells cars. C’Mon! You can do better! You paid for these marketing chumps - make them earn it! - Political Hack - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 10:41 am: The hack likes negative, but this is to gimmacky. No one is going to “get it”. It’s stupid. If you want to take him on about corruption, you have tons of headlines. Use them. 3rd party validation works tons better than the ad they are running. Also, the voice is very weak. Double bogie in my opinion. Fore!! - Cal Skinner - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 10:44 am: Not a bad way to test market an ad, but when is he going to spend some money on real TV? - HappyToaster - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 11:42 am: I feel a ground swell..no wait, just the burrito I had for lunch. The site keeps throwing me: “A critical error has occurred. Exception of type System.OutOfMemoryException was thrown.” Issues? He backs the Bears. Although that might be a liability at this point. Fifty-seven shopping days left. I’m going to predict his final numbers are in single digit range. I just don’t see anything that will pull rank and file away from the incumbent. - ad nauseus - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 11:43 am: I agree with Political Hack. Good thing this is only an internet Ad? Anyone know who produced it? They should hang it up. This ad does not spark any outrage that it should. The voices are very weak and dilute the charges. At least they didn’t waste $$ on TV for this poor commercial. Edwin, fire the hack that produced this while your campaign still has some life. You should not be cute. You don’t need to. Plenty of material to hit him with in a straightforward manner. I hope your first TV Ad will be to introduce yourself and not a negative one as well. Then blast the Gov. I need a reason to vote for you other than voting aginst him. (maybe) - ONEMANCANMAKEADIFFERENCE - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 12:34 pm: VERY PROFESSIONAL AND CATCHY! LOOKS LIKE THE WEBSITE OF SOMEONE WHOSE ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED THEIR GOAL. EXTREMELY MODERN AND UPTODATE…….. - Mulligan - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 12:53 pm: I’m thinking if Dean can raise a ton of buzz and cash on an internet campaign, Edwin’s team could perhaps do so as well. On an internet campaign, you can churn out spots as fast as the technician’s fingers can fly, and keep throwing things up against the wall of the public imagination until somthing sticks. But to REALLY set things rolling, you must make the internet campaign at least FEEL like a 2-way interactive communications channel to the people. Recruiting the folks that already support you to submit their own ads and stories is what will energize the internet side, including the fundraising. You could do a LOT with one internet ad shot like this golf one: just the legs and feet. The next one should show a couple guys in polishe dwingtips next to a guy in flares and blue suede shoes… and let your supporters submit thir own narrations. Yoiu could put a briefcase down next to one guys’ wingtips, with obvious bits of money sticking out of the seams. One spot, over and over, each revision a new chapter in the story. Just hire me at an unreasonable consultant’s fee if you win, Ed. Next, the proactive side: Ed, get yer @ss on the road, stat. Hit some legion halls and the like down south, come to hear what they have to say and to talk about your policy ideas for Southern Illinois, at least in a broad sense. You need to be making an apearance somewhere every weekend at least. Start hitting editorial boards. Most of all, get busy setting up DEBATES. The more of these you do, and sooner, the better. Not only does it tear holes in Blago’s invincibility myth, the TV and radio coverage is free advertising you desperately need to achieve media parity, and you need it sooner, rather than later, so it generates more donations. Blago is afraid of a debate like a vampire is of garlic-flavored crosses. Press it! Do not take no for an answer. If Blago will not engage, use his record and take us on a trip thru the news headlines, every day, show what’s wrong, explain what you’d do instead. - FOR ILLINOIS - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 1:18 pm: THE AD HITS THE SPOT. EISENDRATH MAKES SOME GOOD POINTS. BLAGO HAS MUCH TO FEAR. - nobodysent - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 1:30 pm: Not bad. To me, it’s trying to invoke the old Dawn Clark Netsch pool spot. - Hope - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 1:48 pm: s it the start of something bigger? I hope so. We wonks get it, but doubt anyone else does. I think it’s time for EE to forget about metaphors and say it strong and straight - we’ve got a governor who worries only about himself and his buddies! - Bolder Illinois - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 1:56 pm: Eisendrath’s campaign is working hard, with what I imagine is little or NO help from the party elite. I commend the Eisendrath campaign for bringing some energy and honesty to the campaign. We democrats need to wake up and realize all is not well with our current governor. Blagojevich could be in big trouble later this year, and if we don’t deal with it now, we could be in big trouble in November. It’s time to give the challenger some consideration and support. - Reddbyrd - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 2:09 pm: Wow what a whacking Esquared is getting from the Blaggosphere. Guess he is not the hero everyone hoped for. Now we can sit back and watch the GOP (as in MOPE) chew on each other for two months. Pass the ketchup - Thinking Man - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 3:11 pm: Does Edwin stand for anything other than not being Blagojevich? If that’s all it would take to win the primary, why the heck didn’t I run? - Bluefish - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 3:59 pm: Someone should tell the folks at Blago’s campaign office who are posting the fake praise here to STOP USING ALL CAPS. - Paul Powell - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 5:52 pm: Great ad I thought, but to be honest I am backing EdWIN, so I don’t care what he does for ads, my old yellow dog would be better than what we have now. To Mulligan, EdWin did a two day sweep in the deep south last Thursday & Friday, hit Christopher, Sesser, Benton, West Frankfort, Herrin, Carbondale, Carterville, & Marion. He plays a mean piano and sang a song with a local country-western band. He was on 3 live radio shows, pictures in 4 daily newspapers and 3 weekly, and local television. He is getting out and he had big crowds turn out to see and hear what he had to say. He was also very well received in coffee shops on an impromptu basis just visiting with ordinary Joe’s. He has a lot of ground to cover but he pulled two 14 hour days down here. Blago cannot come into a coffee shop and field questions, everything will have to be staged if he even bothers. By the way, word down here is he was in Carbondale today at E. T. Simond’s Construction Co. to announce the road project for Illinois 13 (a huge waste of 55 million dollars) to put the heat on local senators and reps to vote for the borrowing concept of paying for it. Too bad someone near and dear to him let the KAT out of the bag that he had to rush right back to Chicago to attend a Rolling Stones concert. Does Mick vote here? Wonder what lobbyist bought the tickets? This is why folks think he is out of touch down here. So go ahead, I have a biased opinion and admit it-but trust me there are many brothers and sisters down here that feel the same way that I think will be a very silent majority come election day. - Mulliganagain - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 7:09 pm: The want-ad thing was cute, snarky, but cute, let’s see more of those. Just remember to put the “paid for by” message on them somewhere, in keeping with state election laws. If only Rod would put that on all his TV press staged events. - Way Down South - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 8:56 pm: Weak very weak he will never win with stuff like that he might just save a ton of cash and give up if he’s smart. - Son of A Sailor - Monday, Jan 23, 06 @ 9:50 pm: Who ever wrote that ad, should be sacked… Also on that note who every suggested to Edwin that he hire the two of the most unlikeable people in Politics Dave Fako and Brandon Hurlburt had to be on something One suprising note though was seeing a Picture of E2 with Kevin Joyce at his event on the Southside, that was interesting.. HMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm - Buddy - Tuesday, Jan 24, 06 @ 11:57 am: The golf ad has created the necessary buzz. When EE hits the air with a multi-million-dollar buy in the coming weeks, the ads will be much more targeted on the perils of Gov. Checkbook and the need for a real, proven reformer. - Schnozz - Saturday, Jan 28, 06 @ 3:49 pm: Eisendrath is the big test of whether or not Democrats are serious about fighting pay-to-play insider politics. Can’t whine about Delay without admonishing Blagojevich. We’ll see on Primary Election day whether or not Democratic voters want a party of reform (their one last shot at national popularity), or are just going to go for Blago just because he has D after his last name. I love Election Day. It’s the one day that each of us is as powerful as the wealthiest lobbying interest, left or right. - INADAZE - Thursday, Feb 9, 06 @ 6:52 pm: Now is the time for a change. We have the opportunity to elect a smart, honest, decent person to be governor of this great state. This person is Edwin Eisendrath. It seems that the common man (woman) is not happy with Blago, only the rich and powerful. So I say to the common folks let’s get our tails to the polls on March 21st and take our state back. This state is not up for sale Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.