AD CONTENT

The "Strength" ad is narrated almost entirely by candidate O'Malley. The focus is entirely on the public school system, and how its success is the key to the future well being of Maryland's children. The hero is clearly Mayor O'Malley, while Governor Bob Ehrlich is the unseen villain who has not lived up to expectations. Martin O'Malley's website elaborates on the issue, explaining that if elected, he will "build new schools and reduce class size...fully fund the Thornton Education Plan...increase accountability and make sure education dollars are spent in the classroom...recruit and retain the best teachers...(and) promote Maryland's community colleges" (O'Malley/Brown).

While all of these plans sound like excellent goals, Governor Ehrlich's website counters that "Martin O'Malley is again promising to do for Maryland what he has failed to do for Baltimore" (Ehrlich). Governor Ehrlich furthermore claims that, under the leadership of Mayor O'Malley, "Baltimore City's high school graduation rate is the second lowest in the nation among the 50 largest school systems at 38.5 percent, while neighboring Baltimore County has the 3rd highest in the nation at 82%" (Ehrlich). In other words (according to the Ehrlich Campaign), the schools that have been under the control of Governor Ehrlich have succeeded admirably, while those under the watchful eye of Mayor Martin O'Malley have failed miserably. Since both candidates acknowledge that education reform is one of the most significant issues in this campaign, both of them have expended a considerable amount of campaign advertising time and resources on this topic. Martin O'Malley contends that his plan (which cannot be adequately explained in 30 seconds) is the best, while Governor Ehrlich purports that he is still in the process of improving the school system. Both candidates accentuate perceived failures of the other on their websites, backed up with "facts." This type of advertising is quite typical, as Murray Edelman suggests, "officials construct tests that show success, just as their opponents construct other tests that show failure." (Edelman 41).

CONSTRUCTION OF THE U.S. ELECTORATE

The audience for "Strength" is constructed as middle-class families in search of a quality public education for their children. Mayor O'Malley speaks to people who cannot afford a private school education, and who are therefore dependent on the government to supply their children's schooling. No reasonable person would disagree with the candidate's goals; the ad constructs Mayor O'Malley as a completely believable, sincere individual. The children, who are pictured getting a first-rate education, come from diverse backgrounds that represent Maryland's varied population. While the children are incapable of casting votes for Mayor O'Malley, their parents are and presumably will, the ad suggests. The scenes of children seem so realistic in their familiar school background, that we are led to believe "that the picture represents a real situation"(Messaris 130).

CAMERA WORK

This ad consists of candidate O'Malley appearing to sit in an immaculate classroom, while he speaks directly to the audience. Mayor O'Malley remains completely still as the camera pans most of the classroom behind him while he talks. The camera is in constant motion, showing us the pristine blackboard and bulletin board, bookshelves of perfectly lined up books, and a cheerful window with sunlight streaming into the room. Candidate O'Malley's eyes initially seem to be on us, but careful study reveals that he is focusing just left of the camera as if he is talking to someone. His lack of actual eye contact does not make him appear to be a "shifty politician," it merely prevents him from actually "connecting" with his audience. While the use of close-ups and direct address can "draw the audience into the story and increase a sense of intimacy with the viewer" (Parry-Giles 215), this lack of true eye contact does not prevent us from "test(ing) the honesty of the person in question" (Parry-Giles 215). The candidate is somehow "boyish" in spite of being middle-aged, and he is living proof that "even when the candidate's behavior is completely scripted and rehearsed, there are inevitably aspects of her or his appearance and demeanor that viewers can use to gain an intuitive understanding of the personality behind the stage persona" (Messaris 137).

Mayor O'Malley is dressed in a light blue shirt and red tie, seemingly very much like the middle class he is discussing. Close-ups and medium-range shots of him dominate the ad, even as tri-fold pictures of young children in their studies are displayed across the screen. This use of close shots "heightens a sense of identification with the storyteller" (Parry-Giles 221), and they "work to involve you with the image and to make you feel as though it were an interpersonal encounter" (Meyrowitz 221). Whether the shots are shoulders-and-up close-ups or a greater distance from the candidate, the viewers never lose sight of the cheerful schoolroom. The camera shots "focus attention on what is important through magnification of relevant details and exclusion of unwanted portions of a subject" (Meyrowitz 225). The ad's focus is on positively displayed schools and classrooms, and the audience is constantly reminded of the issue at hand.

In contrast to Mayor O'Malley's complete lack of movement, the shots of the children and their teacher show constant movement. The camera moves across the sea of diligently working, neatly attired, freshly scrubbed children who are writing with brand new pencils at their tidy desks. Every hair is in place, and all of the children seem very happy. We assume their happiness stems from their wonderful educational opportunities, which they are receiving from the hands of Martin O'Malley. A white-haired, happy teacher (who is thoroughly wiping off the blackboard) oversees their classroom activities. The central message of the ad is that Martin O'Malley is the key to the success of their classroom. As Murray Edelman states, "the central connotation of 'leadership' is innovation: leaders point the way so that others can emulate their initiatives" (Edelman 37). Just as the ad "revolves" around Martin O'Malley, it implies that the Maryland public school system's future success "revolves" around the concept of Martin O'Malley as the best choice for governor. Just as this "perfect" classroom exists with O'Malley as its savior, so can the entire public school system. This spotless classroom is a testimony to the falseness of the Ehrlich claims about Mayor O'Malley's less than stellar results in Baltimore City schools.

EDITING COMPONENTS

The ad itself, while centered on the upper body of Martin O'Malley, uses rapidly changing pictures next to the unmoving candidate. We see the bright colors of gold, blue, and red flash by on the screen, as various scenes of happy schoolchildren move across the screen. Key words verbalized in the ad, such as "Reduce Class Size," "Quality Teachers," "Safe Schools," and non-verbalized words such as "Education Plan," "martinomalley.com," and "Endorsed by Maryland Teachers" burst into view. Children are seen at both work and play, and images move rapidly from one child to another throughout the ad. This camera work is in keeping with Mitchell Stephens' viewpoint that videos help "deal with the issues" and "tell complex stories" but to fulfill, at a level unimaginable for theatre, Brecht's goal of "complex seeing" (Stephens 179). While Mayor O'Malley is verbally stressing the need for better public schools, images of happy, well-educated children share the screen with him. They implicitly tell the story that success in school depends on a change in the governor's mansion. The ad supports Mitchell's "new artistic principle (that) the new video will be extremely fast" (Mitchell 184), as the scenes change from one child to another in a matter of seconds. The ad is inclusive of all Marylanders, as the diversity of Maryland school children is portrayed with "the part. . .substituted for the whole so that in a given period of time it will be possible to consider a larger number of wholes" (Stephens 185). We see less than 20 children, yet they represent all schoolchildren in Maryland. Although their time on the screen is brief, they tell a complete story. The ad ends with a visual checkerboard reminder of the pictures seen in the ad.

NARRATION

The ad, with the exception of the last sentence, is narrated entirely by Mayor O'Malley. His voice is calm, with a comfortable conversational tone. He speaks with authority, stressing the need for good schools. He speaks with sincerity, assuring the audience that he has their best interests at heart. He is unrushed, placing only 71 words in his 30 second spot. There is little emotion in the ad, at least until he finally smiles (through somewhat clenched teeth) as he says that "Maryland deserves a public school system second to none" (Strength). He is completely believable and the ad's images work to visualize his message.

Yet, the Ehrlich campaign offers competing images of the O'Malley education record. According to Governor Ehrlich's website, the high-schoolers in Baltimore City (Mayor O'Malley's territory) are less likely than other Maryland children to be proficient in math and reading, less likely to go on to college, and more likely to drop out of high school (Ehrlich). Indeed, both Mayor O'Malley and Governor Ehrlich have similar messages: the importance of improving schools.

In the midst of their respective campaigns, the two men seem to anticipate each other's ads, and answer the other's claims. Governor Ehrlich's "Commitment" ad details the failures of Mayor O'Malley's school system, while the Republican governor's "More Time" ad asks why the Democrat has repeatedly asked for more time to fix Baltimore City public schools with the question "Need more time for what?" (Ehrlich). The Governor's ad implies that the Mayor has had plenty of time, and has rejected all proffered help from the state. Governor Ehrlich also attacks Mayor O'Malley in "Another Difference," where he explains that Mayor O'Malley found it acceptable to lower grading standards. His strike against the O'Malley record is also seen in his ad "Succeed," where the Governor accuses his rival of an "abysmal and unacceptable"(Ehrlich) record in education.

To counter these attacks, Mayor O'Malley aired his ads "Tough" (where he indicated that he would be tough on crime, taxes, and accountability, while at the same time rewarding progress in education), "We Believe" (which subtly addressed public school issues), and "Reach" (where he suggested that children would always be reaching for but never receiving a college education under the Republican Ehrlich). Based on the spirited debate going on between the two, it is reasonable to anticipate a continuing debate on educational records between now and the general elections in November.

"Another Difference." Retrieved from www.bobehrlich.com.

"Commitment." Retrieved from <www.bobehrlich.com>.

Edelman, Murray. Constructing the Political Spectacle. Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1988.

"Get the Facts on O'Malley's Latest TV Ad on Higher Education." Retrieved on 9/29/06 from <http://www.bobehrlich.com/news/print.aspx?id=151>

Gumpert, Gary and Robert Cathcart, eds. Inter/Media: Interpersonal Communication in a Media World. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982.

"Leadership That Works: Opening the Doors of Educational Opportunity for All Marylanders." Retrieved on 9/30/06 from <www.martinomalley.com>

Messaris, Paul. Visual Persuasion: The Role of Images in Advertising. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 1997.

"More Time." Retrieved from <www.bobehrlich.com>

"One Shot." Retrieved from <www.bobehrlich.com>

Parry-Giles, Shawn J. "Mediating Hillary Rodham Clinton: Television News Practices and Image-Making in the Postmodern Age." Critical Studies in Media Communication 17 (2000): 205-226.

"Reach." Retrieved from <www.martinomalley.com>

Stephens, Mitchell. The Rise of the Image, The Fall of the Word. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

"Succeed." Retrieved from <www.bobehrlich.com>

"Tough." Retrieved from <www.martinomalley.com>

"We Believe." Retrieved from <www.martinomalley.com>