AD CONTEXT

On September 14, 2006 , Mayor Martin O'Malley debated Governor Robert Ehrlich in front of the AARP's candidate forum. The issues debated include healthcare, education, crime, and utility rates. The Washington Times wrote that the “sharpest barbs delivered…involved Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s (BGE) increase in residential energy rates this summer” (Miller, 2006). “Tough” contributes to a populist image Mayor O'Malley is constructing for himself as he advocates governmental accountability to the “people” through his adopted CitiStat program. His populist appeals are evident in both the debate and this spot.

AD ASSUMPTIONS

“Tough” assumes the status quo can be improved and that the state's deficiencies are the result of ineffectual government. The ad constructs Mayor Martin O'Malley as a tough, but genuinely concerned, man of the people who challenges both government practices and difficult social issues. The advertisement emphasizes the Mayor's record on crime, property taxes, and governmental accountability. The spot suggests that, if elected, Mayor O'Malley will bring the same values to the Governor's office. In this seat, the Mayor seeks to contest special interests, utility concerns, and terrorist threat. Combined, these themes create a populist appeal, pitting the Mayor against institutional bureaucracy. Rejecting insider politics represents a common theme for both Mayor O'Malley and his opponent, Governor Ehrlich, as each juxtaposes themselves against the status quo. The Washington Times writes, “The Maryland governor's race is now a one-on-one duel between an incumbent who says he has kept his promises and broken the Democrats' monopoly on power and a challenger who is casting himself as a champion of the forgotten middle class” (Ward, 2006).

Within "Tough," Mayor O'Malley is characterized as a populist—a political outsider combating government corruption. U.S. populism traces back to late nineteenth century mid-western agricultural radicalism. Set in the context of robber barons and dishonest government practices, populism sought to combat corruption in elections, the legislatures, the Congress, and the justice system; free the press from economic interests; regulate business; protect home owners and laborers from foreclosure and exploitation; and check the power of industrialists. It is motivated by grass root impulses to protect the less powerful from dishonest people abusing their positions of power (Risjord, 2005). Such philosophical commitments to the middle class is evident in “Tough.” More specifically, cutting property taxes, pushing for governmental accountability, combating special interests, and regulating utility concerns mesh together to create a populist platform distrustful of government and business collusion.

“Tough” first addresses crime, stating: “Martin O'Malley helped reduce violent crimes and murders.” O'Malley's crime claim assumes that reduction equals accomplishment. However, when the Mayor took office in 1999, his crime goal for Baltimore was to lower homicides from 300-plus per year to 175 or lower. That goal was never achieved; the lowest homicide statistic in the last seven years for the city was 253 killings in 2002. Framing the crime reduction as proof of success overshadows the Mayor's failure to reach his targeted mark. The Washington Post explains “Although significantly lower than the 300-plus homicides a year that were recorded in the 1990s, the murder count nonetheless remains a political liability” (Wagner, 2006).

The advertisement next claims that Mayor O'Malley “cut property taxes.” The Mayor's website connects lower property taxes with facilitating home ownership (http://www.martinomalley.com). However, as the Baltimore Sun explains: “Over the past two budget years, O'Malley and the City Council have cut the property tax rate by 4 cents to $2.288 (sic) per $100 of assessed value – the city's lowest rate since the 1970s. But it is still the state's highest rate, and the cut was made possible, in part, by increasing other taxes” (Donovan, “Mayor flaunts,” 2006). Thus, Baltimore 's tax rate is still relatively high for renters, home owners, and those seeking to purchase a house.

The final aspect of the Mayor's tough leadership record that receives attention is “added accountability with the award-winning CitiStat program that makes government deliver more for less.” This statement invites viewers to infer that Mayor O'Malley designed the program. However, the Mayor's website elaborates that “CitiStat is an accountability tool based on the ComStat program pioneered in the New York City Police Department by Jack Maple” (http://www.martinomalley.com). That said, the Baltimore Sun extols: “O'Malley started the CitiStat program shortly after taking office in December 1999, and in 2004 it won Harvard University's Innovations in American Government Award” (Donovan, “Mayor flaunts,” 2006). This program works well with the Mayor's attempted populist image as it evaluates the government's achievement.

“Tough” also discusses the Mayor's vision as governor, if he were to be elected. Mayor O'Malley uses the spot to promise that he will “take the same progress and innovation to Maryland as governor, by rewarding performance, not special interests, lowering utility rates...” This tough stance against special interests assumes a connection between Governor Ehrlich and special interests, a connection that the Mayor has used since summer to explain BGE's proposed 72 percent rate increase. At the AARP debate, O'Malley stated “You would have hoped…the governor of Maryland would have stepped up and done something about [the BGE increase]. There is something wrong here, folks. This isn't even a fair fight when your government isn't even on your side anymore” (Miller, 2006). This assumption infers that the Mayor has no ties with the rate increase; however, his brother-in-law was on the 1999 Public Service Commission that approved the deregulation laws that are responsible for the current controversy (Miller, 2006), a connection which contradicts the Mayor's attempted populist image.

The Mayor's final leadership pledge is to work toward “securing the homeland to keep Maryland safe and secure.” This pledge assumes a reformation of resources from the federal government. The Baltimore Sun explains, “The Mayor, as co-chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' homeland security task force, has gained national attention by attacking the federal government for not giving cities enough disaster support” (Donovan, “Mayors meet,” 2006). Also, the Mayor participated in a survey sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. On a scale from 1 to 10, Mayor O'Malley gave the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “a ‘2' on whether he believed the agency would respond quickly to a Baltimore disaster” (Donovan, “Mayors meet,” 2006). This information suggests that the quality of homeland security is negotiated between state and federal government. Thus, for Mayor O'Malley to keep Maryland “safe and secure,” he needs federal assistance, which he admits is insufficient at this time.

Overall, “Tough” appeals to middle-class voters through constructing the Mayor as a man of the people on issues including crime, affordable home-ownership, and responsive government. This positive advertisement attempts to identify voters with the Mayor through economic issues, rather than party, during a time of fiscal uncertainty in a state heavily controlled by the Mayor's party.

SOUND AND IMAGE

Notable aspects of the advertisement's audio and visual cuing include the use of a black and white stills and music connoting integrity. Together, this stimulus creates a profile spot for Mayor O'Malley as they tell the story of his leadership as Mayor (Nelson & Boynton, 1997). As a biographical advertisement, “Tough” attempts to introduce Mayor O'Malley's personal integrity and political achievements through a nostalgic blend of personal and professional images. Kern (1989) notes that advertisements that appeal to hope use “sentimental interaction” (p. 83).

“Tough” is a composition of nine black and white stills, capturing Mayor O'Malley in a number of settings, constructing his persona as both professional and a man of the people. These images include interactions among diverse people of different generations, living together in hopeful harmony. Mayor O'Malley, as leader, attempts to create this bonding between the generations, inspiring hope that he can do the same for the state of Maryland (Kern, 1989). Leadership is exuded in every still image. The Mayor is dressed in business attire for the professional images; yet he can also be viewed as a member of the team. These shots include the Mayor standing with men wearing police t-shirts, holding two-way radios on a street corner; standing in a media control room, pointing at a monitor; facing a panel; standing in close proximity with a woman, pointing at a computer screen; walking with another man in business attire next to columns; and a close up profile shot of him smiling. This ad constructs Mayor O'Malley as a benevolent leader, who helps and inspires those below him (Kern, 1989).

Images are also used to demonstrate his “common man” persona. In these stills, he is dressed more casually, sporting a t-shirt in one scene to a long sleeve dress shirt in another. The contexts of such dress include the Mayor sitting on a porch, shaking the hand of a man standing in front of him; holding a shovel in a construction environment; and shaking hands with a child. These images connote a persona that is willing to participate in manual labor and who is affectionate with children. Together, the professional and the “common man” images create a populist appeal. These stills act as historical markers to offer viewers a profile of the Mayor (Nelson and Boynton, 1997, p. 3). Through showcasing the Mayor in a number of contexts, a biography emerges, inviting viewers to draw inferences about the Mayor's professional and personal character (Powell & Cowart, 2003). This populist persona seeks to build voters' trust in Mayor O'Malley. Trust ads are “designed to establish bonds of empathy and identity between candidate and voter and to establish his or her qualification for office” (Kern, 1989, p. 85). The symbolic use of different types of people in a variety of contexts illuminates the Mayor's popular appeal to Marylanders.

The music of the spot is up-beat and reflective of the utopian genre. It connotes integrity, hope, and accomplishment. These themes compliment the advertisement's assumptions and image construction. As American populism is associated with grass root politics, the music enhances the theme of a local hero making a difference. More precisely, the music invites feelings of a just man committed to bringing a sense of idealism back to the state government (Nelson and Boynton, 1997).

Governor Bob Ehrlich's Campaign Web site (http://www.bobehrlich.com) explains the Governor's argument in fuller detail.

“A leader who took on the toughest challenges...

http://www.bobehrlich.com/issues/details.aspx?id=17

Mayor Martin O'Malley's Campaign Web site (http://www.martinomalley.com) rebutted the Governor's claims.

“Martin O'Malley and Anthony Brown believe we must ensure that every hard-working family can find safe, quality housing. Investments in housing are crucial for long-term economic development, and we must work with developers, environmentalists, and existing communities to house the dynamic workforce that will carry Maryland into the next century. A sound housing policy for Maryland must take into account the pursuit of the American dream and homeownership, alleviate growing concerns about housing affordability and help families live close to work and in safe communities. Maryland 's housing policy should also prioritize and support growth in existing areas, redevelop struggling communities, target development around existing transportation corridors and build stronger prosperous communities. We need leadership that works to provide every family with a safe, secure place to live.”

http://www.martinomalley.com/content/498

Baltimore Sun Campaign Ad Watch: Mayor Flaunts His Record, August 31

“Mayor Martin O'Malley's campaign for governor began airing a new ad on Baltimore 's television stations last night. It is the campaign's ninth 30-second spot and its second to exclusively focus on the Democratic Mayor's record.

The mostly positive ad, called "Tough," takes one dig at O'Malley's Republican rival, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., by saying the incumbent sides with "special interests."

What the ad says: Played against black-and-white photographs of O'Malley in action, a narrator says he is a "leader who took on the toughest challenges."

Donovan, D. (2006, September 20). Mayor flaunts his record. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 01, 2006 from http://www.baltimoresun.com.

Donovan, D. (2006, July 27). Mayor meets to discuss readiness; O'Malley critical of homeland security funding; survey says city is well-funded. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 01, 2006 from http://www.baltimoresun.com.

Kern, M. (1989). 30 second politics: Political advertising in the eighties. New York: Praeger.

Miller, S.A. (2006, September 15). Utility rates focus of debate; Ehrlich, O'Malley point fingers over big increase. The Washington Times. Retrieved October 01, 2006 from http://www.washingtontimes.com.

Nelson, J., S., & Boynton, G. R. (1997). Video Rhetorics: Televised Advertising in American Politics. Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Powell, L., & Cowart, J. (2003). Political campaign communication: Inside and out. Boston: Pearson Education.

Risjord, N. K. (2005). Populists and progressives. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.

Wagner, John. (2006, September 30). Ehrlich ads hammer O'Malley on crime; Spotlight returns to failed 1999 pledge to reduce homicides. The Washington Times . Retrieved October 01, 2006 from http://www.washingtontimes.com.