contact: zawilliams@davidson.edu Created: 11/15/04 Updated: 11/15/04 1:30 PM |
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This page is part of a class assignment at Davidson College
Daschle's Message Strategy
In hotly contested campaign races, “messages sit on the fault lines between candidates” (Faucheux 2002). In the 2004 Senate race between John Thune and Tom Daschle, developing and executing an effective message strategy was crucial for both campaigns.
In attempting to highlight his Washington leadership as well as his ties to South Dakota, the overall theme for Daschle’s campaign was “A Strong Voice for South Dakota.” Indeed, while on his bus tour through rural South Dakota, Daschle often emphasized that his desk in Washington is “one of the most powerful in the world” and rhetorically asked voters whether they would rather “stay at the front of the line…or return to the end” (Waltman 2004). Throughout the campaign, Daschle intently focused on issues, such as drought aid and health care, and played down Thune's emphasis on social values.
In this race, political television ads played a huge role in setting the agenda and overall tone of both campaigns. Unlike Thune who began advertising in July 2004, Daschle carried out a 16-month ad campaign, often positive and comparative in tone. Commenting on this strategy, Daschle explained, “we felt the need to have an ongoing dialogue with South Dakotans on issues they thought were important” (Walker 2004).
Throughout the race, Daschle repeatedly chastised Thune for negative advertising and condemned 527's, most of which were benefiting Thune. Daschle’s TV ad “Got to Stop” featured supportive South Dakota Republicans who criticized Thune’s negative ad blitz (Glazer 2004). Besides highlighting his accomplishments in the Senate, ads such as "Proud" tried to portray Daschle as a leader, most famously showing Daschle in a hug with President Bush shortly after 9/11 (Glazer 2004).
Daschle’s overall message in 2004 mirrored that of past successful Senate campaigns. However, despite his consistency, Daschle had lost credibility: his prior image as a small-town ordinary guy conflicted with reports of his new mansion in Washington, and his history of non-partisan moderation had been undermined by his position as head of an obstructionist Democratic Party (Lauck 2004). Daschle’s message failed to frame the issue agenda in favorable terms, instead allowing Thune’s campaign to hammer on Daschle’s murky positions on abortion and gay marriage.
Because he had raised up to $18 million, it is hard to criticize Daschle’s 16-month ad campaign as monetarily wasteful. Ethically, despite accusations that the image of his hug with Bush was politically contrived and dishonest, Daschle’s ads and campaign themes were fairly benign in that neither specifically attacked Thune personally or on the issues (Stolberg 2004). However, it can be argued that Daschle's unwillingness to match and counter Thune’s negative ad blitz ultimately rendered his message less effective in the eyes of the voters.
contact: zawilliams@davidson.edu Created: 11/15/04 Updated: 11/15/04 1:30 PM |
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