The governor’s campaign has uploaded his new TV ad to its website. I wrote a little about the spot earlier this week.

And here’s another new spot.

See lots more ads, interviews and raw footage by clicking the image below.

       

46 Comments - fedup dem - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 12:30 pm: I don’t think I have think a complete ad of Rod’s on television yet. For some strange reason, every time I see one, I have to rush to the bathroom. - Bill - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 12:57 pm: “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” Damn! Those are excellent! - DeepFriedOnAStick - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 1:02 pm: How about looking at the camera, now Guv. Just who is he talking to? - Robert - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 1:08 pm: He could be talking about himself Bill…maybe he can share a cell with Georgie Boy. - Anon - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 1:26 pm: The ad with Rod talking is a bit weird. If you look at it carefully, he appears to float to the right during the course of the spot. At first I thought it was the camera rotating, but his position doesn’t change. It almost looks like he was shot against a blue screen and they filled in a background shot. Very disconcerting when you look closely. My other question is where was this shot? It appears to be an official setting with the US and state flags in the background. Was it filmed in a state office? - OneMan - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 1:27 pm: So let me get this right his complaint is ‘She didn’t gripe about this stuff when the other guy did it’ - Ivory-billed Woodpecker - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 1:29 pm: What happened to the French Horns? They were the best part of the ad. - Wheres the leadership??? - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 1:31 pm: Dan Hynes was in office, he didn’t say anything either? Same with Jesse White. - Southern Ilinois Democrat - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 1:36 pm: I watched 2 Blago anti-JBT ads last night between 10:00 and 10:30 on a St. Louis station during the news. Both really made her look bad. I can see why her negatives are high if this is all that people are seeing. - Bridget Dooley - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 1:41 pm: Haha, I wondered who the Gov is talking to as well. Those anti-JBT ads are great. - SilverBackDemocrat - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 3:17 pm: I have to say “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” is perfect. Excellent commercial! Get out the vote on election day, and vote Democrat. - Down in Egypt - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 4:10 pm: The only problem I saw with the Governor’s ad is that it was dishonest. Whoa! Wait a sec! He’s been dishonest for the last four years so maybe the ad is a honest reflection of his leadership. - B Hicks - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 5:00 pm: Uh-oh, those were pretty good. But, there’s better. Stay tuned, sports fans. - Diversity of Thought - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 5:06 pm: The ads are dispicable, but undeniably effective. Blagojevich is going to win the election without having to defend his record on a damn thing. I don’t really care for JBT whatsoever, but with five or so weeks to go I think both candidates have stopped even trying to pretend they want to talk about the issues. I’ll say it again.. the absolute most interesting thing going on in the Governor’s race is Rich Whitney establishing the Greens as an official state party. You couldn’t pay me to watch a debate that doesn’t include him, but has those two jokers dragging each other through the mud for 90 minutes. - Cassandra - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 5:09 pm: So….Blago is harping on the Ryan connection in his campaign ads. Now, that’s surprising. Oh wait, it isn’t. Even the most junior of campaign strategists could have predicted this one. If the campaign wasn’t ready for it, well, hopefully somebody has learned something…. if they want to continue in the campaign strategy field, that is. - Buck Flagojevich - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 5:16 pm: Geez. More of the same old crud from the Blago camp. I don’t mean the total, complete dishonesty, but the message. Get a new message kids. A different format doesn’t change the same tired message. BTW. Where was Rod these past four years when the budget deficit remained at $5 billion? JBT was Treasurer during that deficit too. JBT must have been best buddies with Democratically controlled Senate, House and Gov to not raise a finger when these people were behaving fiscally irresponsible. - leigh - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 5:17 pm: Is it just me or do the Blago fans love the Blago ads and the JBT fans love the JBT ads. What are the undecideds thinking? - B Hicks - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 5:21 pm: I talk to the undecideds about 3 times a week. Most are going with our guy. Our guy Rod, that is. - Concerned Voter - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 5:28 pm: So I guess Judy will be on the hook for nt lifting a finger to stop corruption twice, once because of her holding a state office under George Ryan, and once for holding an office under Blago. - Parallels - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 5:34 pm: If they’re going with your guy, then by definition, that wouldn’t make them undecided, would it? - Southern - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 7:21 pm: Way to be on the Blago payroll, guys. Way to go. For the record, I think JBT is running a crummy campaign, but I’ll take anyone but Blago. - Juice - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 7:43 pm: What would you have Blago do, bash Judy on the issues she is championing… oh yeah that’s right, we still don’t know what they are, but hell, who cares, right? Her campaign absolutely sucks! Honestly, i’d like to tell Rod to save the cash and not worry about the ads, he doesn’t need them. I realize some of you are voting for Judy because you can’t stand Rod, but not a one of you can stand Judy either. She doesn’t even want to be here. She can’t wait to lose and be done with this whole mess. This is who your championing? She’s not the underdog here people, she’s not even playing, she’s the coat check girl and she can’t wait to go home… - Fact check - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 8:14 pm: Buck, the Senate was controlled by Repubs. Nice try though. I thought the second one was powerful, but I’m not sure why they felt they needed the candidate himself going negative. To me, that’s a sign of weakness or concern. - Reddbyrd - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 8:43 pm: New GRod ad was another homerun…JudyBore fans are nearly speechless. Some will note the AccordionGal said next to nothing the last three years too. Meanwhile the Brick is out promising more state jobs to the union….Anyone notice the budget mess he is having back home? Or the little question about keeping cases away from one DuPage judge? Just when people start to forget the Brick reminds all why he is reason numero uno that JudyBore will lose - Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 9:27 pm: Those Blago ads are a bunch of crap, and of course the 3 Stooges (plus SBD subbing for “Juice”) are their only defenders. Blaming ANY Iliinois Treasurer for a budget deficit or an unfunded pension liability is like blaming the bank that held the ENRON checking account for the fall of the company. The Blago spin machine can’t even get well-known facts straight. Bill, I think even you would agree that neither JBT nor GRyan “caused $43 billion of unfunded pension liability.” The total grew to that amount during GRyan’s term, but was at $24 billion when he came in. If JBT used that “logic,” she could sling up an ad that said “Blago caused $55 billion unfunded pension liability.” (FY 07 COGFA projection plus 10 billion in bonds they always forget about) The apple may not have fallen far from the tree, but in Public Official A’s case, the t**d didn’t fall far from the goat’s a**. - Buck Flagojevich - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 9:43 pm: Fact check - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 8:14 pm: “Buck, the Senate was controlled by Repubs. Nice try though.” Nope, not during Blago’s term. All under one big happy party. Dat’s a fact. - cynically anonymous - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 10:01 pm: I turn off the volume everytime one of his commercials is on so I don’t start screaming. Maybe it wouldn’t bother me so much if I hadn’t had to suffer through actual contact with his staff working on All Kids and I Save Rx and learning first hand that all they care about is promoting him - no matter the cost to the taxpayers. I can only hope that every current state employee, as well as all those who saw the handwriting on the wall before he took office, will send him a message on November 7. - Martha Mitchell - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 10:57 pm: I can’t seem to get the links to work for the ads but oh well, I don’t care anyway. I’ve watched some of them and ads don’t influence my vote. I vote for what I know about the candidates and how much they are going to affect my pocketbook. Neither of the candidates from the major parties is honest and forthright and they all have major skeletons in their many closets. I think I’ll give the Green Man a try. At least he hasn’t become “the lesser of two evils” yet. - Little Egypt - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 11:11 pm: Everytime I see a GoverNOT Hairdo ad, I laugh my a$$ off during the whole thing. If JBT was Ryan’s treasurer for 8 years, then let’s see, that makes her Blogo’s treasurer for the past 4 years. Didn’t ya think of that one Elvis? Arthur Andeson - loved the analogy of the goat. - Establishment Republican - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 11:31 pm: As far as ads go, I do not think this one is particularly good. He has run far more effective negative ads. I just have to say though, that Blago’s campaign just might be the most cynical, sleazy campaign in the history of politics. For starters, he begins the ad bemoaning that Topinka has criticized his record and says “she has every right to do that” as if he is being so generous by being above the fray, where he has been doing nothing but attacking her for months. And then of course, there is the whole matter of “George Ryan’s Treasurer.” That canard has already been explained here well, so let me just say that I think Dan Hynes is probably upset about the precedent being set here because one day when he runs for higher office again, somebody is going to describe him as ” George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich’s Comptroller.” I still hold out hope that Blagojevich loses, but even if he wins, I hate to say it, but I am heartened by the prospect of believing he will soon be fingerprinted and issues a jumpsuit and that probably will make our shameless Governor very sad and perhaps offer him an opportunity to examine his conscience. And his hair will not look pretty again either. - A decided voter - Thursday, Sep 28, 06 @ 11:32 pm: I believe both ads were very effective. Topinka should actually come out with message not just cheap political ads attacking the governor and his family. Ms Topinka’s antics are simply despicable. Voters should be sick after watching a weak political figure stumble to the finish line of her political career. - Squideshi - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 12:12 am: Rich, here’s another for your account: http://www.illinoischannel.org/Whitney.htm - Angie - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 4:00 am: Leigh asked, “What are the undecideds thinking?” That’s why I like JBT’s ad campaign best, I mean the latest ones, that is. They give the undecideds a really good sense that–you know–perhaps it is time for a change even if they’re not too sure about voting Republican. The question as to whether they’ve “had enough” is posed, which is just the type of message to send out. It is as if to say, look–maybe you don’t usually vote Republican, but we have a well-balanced GOP ticket here with a moderate Republican lady who has been our state treasurer (one of the few Republicans left standing after the whole Ryan mess created a situation where the Illinois GOP had to clean house and rebuild) as well as a DuPage County State’s Attorney who is a little more conservative. Haven’t you just “had enough” of Rod already? Very effective ad. Short and sweet, too (OK, not so sweet, but you get the sarcasm). Good job whoever created those short ‘n sweet ads; those ads were the absolute best. - Angie again - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 4:04 am: Re: “George Ryan’s Treasurer” Topinka was ELECTED. Rod, on the other hand, personally handpicked Stuart Levine to appoint again for the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board and the Teacher’s thing. Oh, and he handpicked Sister “Top Aide to Minister ‘white devils’ Louis Farrakhan” Claudette. Topinka was elected. Rod made some really lousy appointments. So, who is he to throw that “George Ryan’s treasurer baloney around?” Does he think the voters are stupid and don’t know that they voted for the treasurer? Last time I checked, she was elected about three times, too!!! - annon - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 6:20 am: Ahhhh !! for the days of “only” a 5 billion dollar defeceit !! What are we up to now ???? along with UN FUNDED PENSIONS & NO RAISES OR COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTS. And, what’s this JBT was George Ryans Treasurer ??? Were they in a club or something?? Geo. was governor & JBT was the treasurer for ALL of Illinois…2 distinct & seperate offices with distinct & seperate duties & authority. Each elected seperately by the people of Illinois. In addition to being a dud governor, minimal scholastic ability in law school ; now the leader of the state needs a basic civics & math lesson. GEZZZ ROD ? WHAT ARE YOU THINKING !!??? - annon - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 6:21 am: I guess for that matter……she’s Roddy’s treasurer too !!!!! - Bill - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 6:43 am: I guess the early anons and obnoxious Angie missed the previous ad in the series where Judy was campaigning with ole George and she was talking about what a “damn nice guy” he was and how she “loved him”. Do any of you have any defense of the $80,000 dollars in campaign contributions from her own employees and the no bid contracts to banks who contributed to her camapign? I didn’t think so. ..and yes Angie, she was elected..on George Ryan’s ticket with George Ryan’s support. Hence, she was George Ryan’s treasurer.I hope that she enjoyed her victory party in ‘02. It will be her last one!The best ads are yet to come! Four more years! - O My Achin' Head - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 7:25 am: Bill, first of all, I cannot find anything that prohibits elected officials from taking campaign contributions from employees. At least if she did take them, apparently it is reported as such. Isn’t it better to be truthful about employee/friend campaign contributions than to have them funneled through relatives, friends, other politicians, etc.? Me thinks that there were a few employee campaign contributions to Blago that were filtered in these ways. Can you say Todd Renfrow? If you take employee contributions and report that you take them, then what’s the problem? Saying that won’t take them, report that you don’t take them, but do in fact take them, now that’s a problem. - (618) Democrat - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 7:59 am: These are great ads. We know that the Marlboro woman loves George Ryan and thinks he is a d***n decent man, we watched her say so. There are even better ads to come, she has lots of good things to say about George. The people of Illinois need to know the truth about Topinka. Stay tuned. - Mavs - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 8:03 am: NEW YORK (Reuters) — Billionaire investor and dot.com veteran Mark Cuban had harsh words for YouTube, the online site that lets people share video clips, saying only a “moron” would purchase the wildly popular start-up. Cuban, co-founder of HDNet and owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, also said Thursday that YouTube would eventually be “sued into oblivion” because of copyright violations. - It is easy being Green - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 8:32 am: Heading home from work last night, I passed by a large bright red yard sign that reads “Judy Barr Topinka or Public Official A? I think the choice is clear”. I thought that was effective advertizing. Then, when I checked my caller ID, I see that Friends of Blagojevich have my number on autodial. It is soooo easy being GREEN. - Little Egypt - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 10:52 am: Good morning Bill. Try to keep your blood pressure down and enjoy the gorgeous weekend coming up. - RealClear - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 1:49 pm: Angie’s comment from above says it all: “Rod, on the other hand, personally handpicked Stuart Levine to appoint again…” That’s some painful twisting of logic to come up with an issue. With 20/20 hindsight, Blago probably shouldn’t have reappointed Levine to that Board. But the simple fact is he was one of Repub Jim Ryan’s biggest contributors, and it does appear Blago just rubberstamped him for another term - more as a courtesy so he could say he kept SOME Republicans around. But it certainly looks like Topinka’s effort is about out of steam. Topinka trying to re-sell the casino scheme yesterday is more proof. Looks like she’s out of new ideas and it’s about recycling now. - annon - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 2:22 pm: You know what….4 years ago & before any real investigation on Geo. came out & as he was preparing to leave office…JBT wasn’t the only person to say nice things about Ryan. Wishing him well & “thanks” for about 3 1/2 decades of service as you would {even out of courtesy} to someone you know & worked with isn’t that unusual…she’s just the only one running for Governor. - Angie - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 11:26 pm: No, you Rod supporters are full on correct, and the rest of us are wrong. For sure Rod is innocent of anything and will blow into office again with nothing but smooth sailing (no pesky investigations to deal with, and that sort of thing). Really. I dare you to shout from the rooftops that you voted for him when November rolls around. Dare you. Shout it proudly in public. Your man is in hot water up to his Aquanet job, and you know it. - Angie again - Friday, Sep 29, 06 @ 11:36 pm: Oh, and RealClear, did Rod “rubber stamp” Sister Claudette based on someone else’s recommendation of her (which makes him appear–you know–a bit dim in that he can’t do his research real well), or did her personally do his research and handpick her for that spot on the hate crimes panel? I invite all undecideds to hit Google and pull up some of the quotes from Minister “white devils” Louis Farrakhan of the radical Islamic sect Nation of Islam. Pardon my regurgitation of Rod’s pathetic tagline from his attack ads that we are all sick of (ever heard of overkill, folks?), but what on Earth WAS he thinking? Pray tell? Minister Farrakhan tried to bring a huge monetary “gift” into the USA from his dictator pals that he cozied up to when he went on his little global hate tour. Rod is an embarrassment, and everyone knows it, if not a potential security risk, in my humble opinion. Do your research better, Rod. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.