Not because Nancy asked you to, although that would be a good reason to. Not because you’re not proud of your service, because you should be. Take the ad down because it sends the wrong message.
I know this ad was designed to introduce you to people who may not know you and who may not be aware of your background. But, you know, you could have done that without invoking Ronald Reagan. Your first TV ad and you go after a group of people – former Democrats who voted for Reagan – and not Democrats? What kind of message is that?
For this proud Democrat, I feel as if you are taking our votes for granted. You seem to think that you’re going to get our votes no matter what, so why not go after some of those Republican votes? Well, first you have to earn our votes. There are Democrats who are not familiar with you and this introduction by Reagan is unlikely to give them warm and fuzzy feelings. What it gives me is concern that you – a recent Democratic convert – may not have left your Republican ideals behind.
Few Democrats are going to vote for George Allen. That you can take to the bank. But they can stay at home on Election Day. And if they do, you’ll be at home as well. So do the right thing. Pull the ad.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I say keep the ad. There is a big world outside the blogosphere filled with all sorts of Independent voters. This ad will work brilliantly in hussling up a ton of Webb votes.
I’m sorry to do so much cut-n-paste, but there is good discussion on this over at Allen’s official blogger’s site at QandO.net (Sorry you didn’t get that gig, Jim), that I thought I’d just splice in here “my” reasons for liking the ads…
Mona says…”Ronald Reagan was once a Democrat. He changed parties when he came to believe the Dems had abandoned his values. Jim Webb was once a Republican, having been tapped by Reagan to serve in his Administration. Indeed, as I understand it, Webb supported Allen in ’06. But Webb has now jumped parties.
People will do that when they determine the party they are in no longer stands for what is important to them. Webb is clearly using the Reagan footage to immunize himself from attempts to depict him as a raging leftist. Which he is not. Seems perfectly sensible to me that he would emphasize the approval Reagan once showered on him to make that point.”
And then from Anonymous is a Woman… “The footage of Reagan praising Webb’s military service is Webb’s history. It’s his biography and he’s every bit as entitled to use it in his campaign as Allen is to use his history.”
Finally from Elrod… “The reason Webb’s usage of Reagan’s 1985 endorsement of him has struck such a chord with the Allenites is that it drives home Webb’s larger point so lethally. As Ronald Reagan once said of the Democrats, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party of FDR. The Democratic Party left me.” It was extremely powerful and it served to highlight how a party once committed to the “common man” had devolved into an interest-group led coalition of ossified welfare statists, pacifists and racial antagonists. Webb, in effect, is saying the same thing in reverse. He claims, “I didn’t leave the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan. The Republican Party left me.” He is saying, in essence, that the party of strength, character and national renewal has devolved into the party of religious extremism, personal vindictiveness and ideological obtuseness on matters of national security. That doesn’t mean Webb supports all of Reagan’s old agenda. He doesn’t. Just as Reagan didn’t continue to believe in many parts of the New Deal. Both men clearly changed after the object of their admiration passed from the scene. But they both looked back fondly on the character of the men that helped them form their earliest political identity. “
To make Nancy Reagan’s wishes about a political ad scheduled to run on television in Virginia into an above-the-fold story is yet another sign of the silly times in which we live. It says absolutely nothing about either Jim Webb or George Allen, as candidates. It says nothing about any of today’s issues. All it says is that some Republican operatives are happy to manipulate her to their advantage. No surprise there.
Like you, Vivian, with his first ever political television ad I wish Webb would have done something to reach out directly to traditional Democrats. However, since I haven’t seen the commercial yet I can’t say much about how appropriate, or effective, it might be, or not.
All that said, I’ll be disappointed if Nancy Reagan, of all people, comes off as appearing to be able to successfully bully Webb into doing anything.
Well, NLS has posted how Nancy Reagan NEVER SAW THE AD!!! http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/doh/2006/09/nancy_never_saw.html#comments
From her letter to the Webb campaign…”It has come to our attention that your Senatorial campaign in Virginia is using video footage of President Ronald Reagan, his photographs, and/or quotes in campaign materials and political advertisements, some of it very negative.”
Like NLS says… “There is nothing negative in that commercial!!!”
And like several of the commentors said… Shame on you, Republicans. Quoting Brimur… “Lying to widow about their deceased husband for political gain, that’s not just bad, that’s the kinda shit that’ll send you to hell.”
And now the bigger question, exactly who took advantage of Nancy?
Vivian,
I’m no fan of Ronald Reagan.
I find it interesting that first Webb gets criticized for being a political neophyte. Then when he comes out with a truthful ad that does a terrific job of introducing Webb in areas like Southwest VA progressives come out against it.
I think it makes good sense to run this ad in Southwestern VA. I would be very disappointed if WEBB pulled this ad b/c a few Republicans are playing politics and calling “foul.” LOL, with the inaccurate, misleading ads they run they should be hiding in shame
Buzz…Buzz…
Keep the ad! I’d love for Democrats to stay home disgusted.
Eileen – I disagree with nearly all that you have pasted here and really, none of it addresses my point. Introducing yourself to the public at large by invoking Reagan does nothing to energize the Democratic base.
Terry – the ad is here.
Who cares about the fossilized, left-leaning “Democratic base” anyway??
Jim Webb is a moderate, an American centrist which is good enough for me and for most Virginians.
Jim Webb quit the Republican Party in the early 1990s, after clashing with the staunchly pro-Israel “Neo-conservative” ideologues he viewed as enemies of America and the West.
The fact he’s running against George Felix Allen, a self-declared friend of the Israeli fascist far-right and a staunch supporter of President Bush’s neo-colonial wars of aggression can only endear him to me!
Over the past decade, the White House, the Pentagon and Congress have become mere Middle-Eastern-occupied Bantustans with the kings of Israel and Saudi Arabia calling the shots…
Clearly, it’s “time we got our country back [and] on track”.
Quit the party in the 1990s? He endorsed Allen in 2000, and says he left the Republican Party in 2002.
And as for the Democratic base: he can’t win without it.
Vivian….
I like to put my country first above any party affiliation. I consider myself an independent even though voting the lesser of the 2 evils basically equates to voting democrat.
The progressives I know are so energized and frothing at the mouth at the first opportunity to send that neo-con racist George Allen packing.
But what’s even more crucial is the balance of power needs to be reestablished in Washington D.C. With Bush and Cheney having two more years to wreck more havoc and damage (elimination of Social Security…invade Iran…then…who’s next? Venezuela, creating more national debt, taking away more civil liberties….)
IF that doesn’t energize the VA Dems…then shame on them… If the Dems think they need to be energized I hope they buy some batteries….
.
But I’ve also not run into any “un-energized” Dems myself….everyone I’ve encountered is just full of energy and enthusiasm.
Webb should be concentrating on the independents and disgruntled Republicans at this point in his campaign.
Buzz…Buzz…
I’ve run into a number of Ds who are not at all energized by the races this fall.
Vivian…
You maybe more knowledgeable than I on the VA Democratic party. If what you say is true then it’s no wonder the VA Dems are losing…and will continue to lose.
I can only conclude that they are putting their party first and country second. Somehting I don’t like to see in either party.
It’s easy to assume these are the folks who initially supported Harris Miller….who didn’t stand a chance in hell of defeating George Allen. Why in the world VA Dems would support a lobbyist for a senatorial position in VA is beyond me. That’s like putting a fox in the hen house as far as I’m concerned, Vivian.
It also makes me think that these are the folks that are comfortable with the status quo of traditional politics. With the current state of crisis our country is in the Dems need to be uniters and embrace incoming Republicans who are looking for a true party of the people.
So if these folks are that petty….so be it. The Dems in VA will probably be facing a big choice in the near future. Either learn to play together and unite as a team or forever be losers.
Buzz…Buzz
Vivian,
Why should Webb pull an ad that presents his past honestly. Also, why should Democrats be so afraid of converts?
I don’t know who you have been talking to; however, as a rabid, yellow dog liberal, I have been talking with many in the base and they are wildly happy that we have an honest person of intergrity representing us.
Perhaps you would rather lose than have a candidiate who can win?
If it is so easy for such a petty issue to fragment the Virginia Democratic party, then we deserve to lose.
The pity of it is that if Webb loses then the whole country loses.