Last evening, I happened to see a Matt Kelty TV ad and a Nelson Peters one about an hour apart, and something struck me about them. Maybe someone with some political campaign savvy can tell me how accurate my impression was. TV political ads can be used to highlight the candidates' good points, but they can also be used to misdirect us a little, and it seemed to me this was going on in the ads.
In person, Matt Kelty is a bundle of energy -- he talks a mile a minute, with large gestures, sometimes seeming nearly on the verge of exploding. That can make people nervous. In his ad, though, he doesn't speak at all. He is shown smiling, hanging out with his family, while music plays and an announcer does a voiceover, in a soft, calm voice. There, there, it's all right, voters.
Nelson Peters, on the other hand, is extremely low-key in person, some might even say dull and boring. His ad showed Peters talking, strongly and forcefully, while the camera, I swear, zoomed in and out and panned and did quick cuts, using motion to make it look like the candidate was a bundle of engery though he was just sitting there. Hey, look what a dynamic guy, voters!
I'd like to tell you the substance of the ads, but I don't remember. Not the point anyway, huh?
