The Air War: Obama ads sweeten his ‘bitter’ remarks

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) appears to be weathering the controversy over his remark that people in Pennsylvania cling to guns and religion because they’re bitter, and his advertising might help explain why.

A pair of Obama ads, one focusing on his working-class upbringing and another on his opposition to special interests, both scored well among Democrats in The Hill’s most recent Air War survey of political insiders, which is conducted by Wilson Research Strategies.

{mosads}Both ads focus on Obama’s connection to the little guy, and both have run in advance of the crucial Pennsylvania primary, which will be held Tuesday.

The ad “Opportunity,” which noted Obama’s upbringing, scored well above average among Democrats, Republicans and independents. The second ad on ethics, “Toughest,” also scored above average in all groups. Democrats gave the ads scores of 7.4 and 6.6 out of 10, respectively.

Both scored over 6 overall for the strength of their message.

Wilson Research political director Tyler Harber said “Opportunity” was particularly strong and is among the top ads in the survey’s history.

“It draws appeal from Republican and independent insiders as well as their Democratic counterparts,” Harber said. “Clearly, this ad connects with voters, crossing partisan lines to deliver an effective and appealing message.”

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) also appeared to score with his first ads of the general election.

The presumptive GOP nominee’s bio ad, “624787,” features narration from actor Powers Boothe and footage of McCain’s time as a prisoner of war. It scored a 5.7 or above in all three groups and a 7.2 among Republicans.

Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) didn’t appear to draw as much benefit from an early 501(c)(4) ad on his behalf.

The American Future Fund lauded him in an ad recently that talks about his bipartisan work with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on getting money for the collapsed Interstate-35W bridge in Minneapolis.

It scored around a 5 in all groups and didn’t rate highly in any individual category, including on credibility and appeal.

“This ad tries to paint Coleman more as an independent than a Republican in a year where being a GOP senator is an electoral burden; however, insiders just aren’t buying it,” Harber said.

Another outside group ad from Americans Against Escalation in Iraq shows children wearing fatigues and training for war. It scored well among Democrats but missed the mark among independents and Republicans, scoring 4.5 or below among both.

The insiders also thought Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s (D-N.Y.) misstatement about sniper fire in Bosnia would hurt her, with nearly six in 10 saying it would harm her significantly in both the short and long term.

Comparatively, 46 percent said they were “disturbed a great deal” by Obama pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments on race. About one in five were “somewhat” disturbed.

Working with The Hill for its Air War feature, Wilson Research Strategies e-mails campaign or issue ads to survey participants who view the ads and rate their effectiveness on several criteria.