FOREST HILLS, Queens – National Democrats have slathered half a million dollars of advertising over the New York City airwaves in a last ditch attempt to avert an embarrassing Republican upset in Tuesday’s special election to fill the seat of disgraced fmr. Rep. Anthony Weiner.
The Democrats can’t be accused of “micro-targeting” their core vote in New York’s 9th congressional district. The ads supporting the Democratic nominee – State Assemblyman David Weprin – and tarring Republican Bob Turner are playing region-wide. The New York tri-state metro area is home to more congressional districts than most entire states. Dems are hoping that by blanketing the airwaves, their message will trickle down to the ears and eyes of that sliver of voters in Brooklyn and Queens that are actually eligible to go to the polls on Tuesday.
In their “hail Mary” media buy, it seems Dem media strategists didn’t stop to target the ads very finely by ratings and demographics, either.
Driving over the Verrazano Bridge into Brooklyn this afternoon, my radio scan stopped on one of those ads – trying to scare voters into thinking Turner and his Republican overloads will gut entitlements. “Tea Party Turner” is how the ads try to tag the GOP candidate in the minds of New Yorkers they assume will recoil at the association.
The station was the highly rated WABC, the flagship station of the ABC radio network, but the next voice heard after Weprin’s (“approving” the message) was that of the regularly scheduled host of the show…Rush Limbaugh.
The Dems may have bought Bob Turner a few votes despite themselves. Branding him “Tea Party Turner,” can only help fire up Rush listeners in NY09 not used to winning and motivate them to get out and pull the GOP lever.
