Candidate: Ad was made by the Maine Democratic Party for the benefit of Democratic Gov. John Baldacci. It was not coordinated with the campaign.
TV ad: “He said he would”
Length: 30 seconds
Producer: Main Street Communications
Market: Bangor and Portland
Announcer: The ad is narrated by Dave Schofield of Sanford. Schofield is the executive secretary of the Metal Trades Council at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
Visuals: The ad opens with Schofield, dressed in a blue cap and black jacket speaking with the shipyard in the background.
The image switches to Baldacci talking to a group of people at a large table followed by the words “Naval shipyard saved.” A welder is then shown at work before Schofield reappears with the words “Saved Portsmouth Naval Shipyard” on the screen.
The words “hundreds of jobs saved” appear and then Baldacci is shown talking to workers with the words “Kept paper mills open” on the screen.
Again words: “24,000 more Mainers employed.” Then Baldacci is shown shaking hands with construction workers. The governor is then shown talking with a fisherman by the water.
The ad finishes with Schofield on the screen and the words: “John Baldacci” and “The Jobs Governor.”
Text, audio: “I worked here for 25 years, but we almost lost our jobs. The president was going to shut us down. Then Gov. Baldacci got involved. He worked with Congress and the community leaders to save the shipyard; the same way he worked to save hundreds of jobs at Maine paper mills. In fact, under Gov. Baldacci’s leadership, 24,000 more Mainers are working. He saved our jobs, added new jobs and put Mainers back to work, just like he said he would.”
Purpose: Republican Chandler Woodcock wants the gubernatorial election to be about the economy. This “issue” ad by the Maine Democratic Party is trying to burnish Baldacci’s record in that area. The ad also wants to show that Baldacci is a man of his word, who can be counted on to do what he says he will and that he has the influence to advance the state’s interests.
Accuracy: By citing positive job growth numbers from Maine Department of Labor, the ad is trying to overcome the perception that the state is losing jobs. While the net number of jobs has increased, the number of manufacturing jobs in Maine, like much of the country, has continued to decline. And while Baldacci deserves credit for helping to save some paper mill jobs and working hard to keep mills open, the industry in the state has continued to contract.
Earlier this year, the Georgia Pacific mill in Old Town was closed and 400 jobs were lost. The governor has been active in the search for a buyer for the facility. The Great Northern Paper’s mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket closed in 2003. Both are open again, but with fewer employees.
Further, many of the jobs that have been lost have been replaced with lower paying jobs in service industries. Job creation is good, but not all jobs are created equal.
And not all job data is consistent. According to the Maine Center for Economic Policy’s “The State of Working Maine 2006,” which was released early this month, no jobs were created in between 2004 and 2005. However, the report also cites 14.3 percent job growth for the five years 2000-2005, which bested Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Maine’s unemployment rate is below the national average, but the state also lost 1,700 manufacturing sector jobs between 2004 and 2005.
Baldacci, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen and U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud all deserve credit for helping to keep Portsmouth Naval Shipyard open despite its inclusion on the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s list from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The ad rightly shares the credit for saving the shipyard with the state’s congressional delegation and community leaders. Equally important to the political muscle that was flexed is Portsmouth’s tremendous reputation for efficiency and quality work. BRAC commissioners recognized the base’s value and kept it open.
Brunswick Naval Air Station was not so lucky, despite the efforts by the same list of politicians.
Our view: The ad works because it has a man whose job was saved, in part, by Baldacci’s actions telling his story. Schofield comes across as earnest and believable.
While the job numbers, the work on behalf of the paper mills and the military base are successes, there remains an underlying economic pessimism or frustration among Mainers.
This is another “issue” ad in name only. To avoid triggering matching money for Baldacci’s publicly funded opponents, the advertisement avoids telling people to “vote for” Baldacci or “to support his re-election.” But that’s clearly the message.
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