by OnSight | Apr 2014 | Campaign, Graphics, politics, Press and Media, Trends
They call it “The Eye”…
Kantar Media’s Campaign Media Analysis Group — a global PR research and analysis firm — has been collecting campaign ads. And now that they’ve got 10 years worth (upwards of 50,000 ads from the federal, state, and local level), they’ve done something amazing with them.
This stunning (and initially kind of overwhelming) interactive graphic breaks down the ads by party, topic, race, and relative airtime. It’s a stunning piece of datavisualization, and it links to every single one of the ads it has tracked, providing not just a graphical representation of an almost ungraspable amount of data, but an actual live database of the component parts (in this case, each unique ad), as well.
In addition,
Filtered by “President” and “Taxes”.
What’s this a reflection of? A smaller battleground in 2012 meant those presidential ads aired across fewer markets, which held down occurrences. But beyond that, the 2012 Obama campaign targeted many of their ads more narrowly, keeping as many as 20 unique commercials on the air at any one time. Many 2012 presidential ads also aired for shorter periods of time than ads in previous races because they were produced to either drive, or take advantage of the news cycle—a growing trend for political ads.
by OnSight | Mar 2014 | Campaign, Ed Perlmutter, politics
No matter which side of the marijuana legalization issue you’re on, we all recognize the changes made to the Colorado Constitution by Amendment 64 created some unique conflicts between state and federal law – including access to regular banking services. Because marijuana is still a controlled substance under federal law, banks may face criminal and regulatory penalties if they engage with these marijuana businesses.
Ed Perlmutter ran for Congress to be a voice and represent the needs of Colorado, and when he saw this banking conflict arise, he wanted to fix it. That’s why he introduced a bill to allow banks to provide services to marijuana businesses in states with a legal and regulatory structure in place.
It’s simple: legal businesses (including marijuana businesses and banking businesses) should have the freedom to operate just like any other business in the state.
Running a small business is hard enough without the additional challenge of being limited to a cash-only operation. Bottom line: denying entrepreneurs access to banking is a dangerous and costly gamble. It makes shops easy targets for robberies, is a logistical burden for shop owners and employees, and is tremendously inefficient for government offices which end up counting piles of bills when collecting taxes.
It’s time for Congress to take this issue seriously and bring up my bill for a hearing in the House Financial Services Committee. Please sign Ed’s petition, and join him in working towards a common-sense solution to a real public safety problem in Colorado.
Last week, President Obama’s Justice and Treasury departments issued guidance to banks about dealing with changes in states like Colorado and Washington. But that’s not enough. We need a real, permanent solution updating federal law. Many of Ed’s colleagues – Democrats and Republicans – agree and are cosponsoring his bill
Please sign this petition if you want Congress to stop arguing about old ideological battles and start focusing on tackling the everyday problems.
by OnSight | Mar 2013 | politics
After years of hard work — including a dramatic showdown at the end of last years’ legislative session — a civil unions bill has finally passed the Colorado State Legislature. Despite contentious debate, the bill ultimately garnered bi-partisan support in the state house, with all Democrats and two Republicans voting in favor.
The bill will head to the Governor in the next week or two, where he has promised to sign it.
Emotional quotes from lawmakers who have worked for decades on civil rights issues anchored the coverage in the Denver Post:
Sen. Pat Steadman, D-Denver, who has sponsored the civil-unions bill for three years, said its passage is the high point of a decades-long struggle.
…
“Today is really a memorial, remembering those who were shamed because they were gay or had AIDS,” said Sen. Lucia Guzman, D-Denver.
…
Speaker Mark Ferrandino, a gay Denver Democrat who has carried the bill each year, said Senate Bill 11 is about love, family and equality under the law.
“This wasn’t a choice. This is who I am. This is who we are,” he said of being gay. “We need to make laws in our society that respect everyone equally.”
…
Rep. Joann Ginal, D-Fort Collins described living for years worried she was going to lose her friends, her family and her job if she revealed she was gay. She only recently came out.
“I could not share personal stories of who I loved, who I went on vacation with, who I shared my home with and why,” she said. “I’ve waited for this recognition for over 40 years. This truly is a historic day for equality in Colorado.”
Kudos to the Colorado Legislature and the courage of the bill’s sponsors for doing the right thing.
by OnSight | Feb 2013 | politics, Romanoff
Andrew Romanoff won election to four terms in the Colorado House of Representatives, including two terms as Speaker of the House. He earned national acclaim as one of the most effective legislative leaders in America.
Andrew Romanoff has launched his campaign for Colorado’s 6th Congressional District, and it’s already received a lot of positive attention. It’s been less just over a week since he declared his candidacy for Congress, and he has received enthusiastic support throughout the 6th District and across the state. More than 500 Coloradans have already joined the campaign. In addition, twenty-one current and former legislators in Adams and Arapahoe counties recently endorsed Andrew, a group that includes every Democrat now representing the district.
Andrew is running because, as he says, “What we need, now more than ever, are men and women committed to solving problems, not just pointing fingers or picking fights. We need new leadership in the House of Representatives. And we need new leadership in Congressional District 6.”
Some press on the great energy of the announcement:
About Andrew
Andrew Romanoff won election to four terms in the Colorado House of Representatives, including two terms as Speaker of the House. He earned national acclaim as one of the most effective legislative leaders in America.
Romanoff led the fight to pass an Economic Recovery Plan and steer Colorado out of a deep recession. He brought Democrats and Republicans together to repair our state’s crumbling schools. He authored laws to protect the victims of domestic violence, provide treatment for mental illness, expand the supply of affordable housing, and shield children and seniors from neglect and abuse.
Romanoff has devoted much of his career to teaching, from rural high schools in Central America to the Community College of Aurora. A post at the Southern Poverty Law Center fueled a lifelong commitment to civil rights. He also served on the board of the Center for Women’s Employment and Education, a job-training agency for low-income women.
Learn more about Andrew and his campaign at at www.andrewromanoff.com, and follow along on Twitter and Facebook.
by OnSight | Feb 2013 | CLBA, politics
“Craft beer bill” faces opposition from Republicans, Democrats and craft brewers.
Colorado’s unique liquor laws enable independent businesses to offer a wide selection of products, services and experiences.
DENVER _ A bill that would make alcohol more accessible for minors, threaten Colorado jobs and harm craft beer brewers was panned Friday by Republican and Democratic legislators, craft brewers and local small businesses.
House Bill 1178, introduced Thursday with just a single sponsor, is the latest attempt by out-of-state chain stores like Safeway, 7-Eleven and Circle K to put local retailers out of business by offering full-strength beer in gas stations.
“This is the same bill Coloradans have rejected over and over because we value local jobs and we don’t want alcohol where kids buy candy,” said Kim Schottleutner, who owns DTC Wine and Spirits. “It is guaranteed to hurt local stores like mine and that effects jobs just as we are recovering from the recession.”
Year after year an army of lobbyists descend on Colorado’s Capitol to put a fresh disguise on the same bill the legislature has overwhelmingly rejected time and again. This year’s gimmick is an attempt to entice craft beer brewers who have been thriving under our current system. But local brewers aren’t taking the bait. The Colorado Brewers Guild has opposed HB-1178.
“HB-1178 is not in the interest of Colorado craft beer,” said Todd Usry, the brewmaster and general manager of Breckenridge Breweries. “It would begin to dismantle one of the best craft beer markets in the nation, compromising Colorado jobs in the process. Colorado craft beer is a bright spot in an otherwise cloudy economy. The current system of retail beer sales works well offering opportunity for entrepreneurs.”
Colorado’s current system of more than 1,600 independent, family-owned retailers plays a significant role in the success of the craft beer industry. Upstart brewers are able to walk into a local store, speak to the owner, and reach a deal to get their product on the shelf in days. That can’t happen if out-of-state corporate offices are making the purchasing decisions.
HB-1178 has been assigned to the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee where it faces strong bipartisan opposition among committee members.
“The bill would have devastating impacts on family-owned stores across Colorado and increase access to alcohol for teenagers,” said Rep. Angela Williams, D-Denver who chairs the Business Affairs and Labor Committee. “Republicans and Democrats oppose these changes because we need to be working to create jobs not destroy them, and we need to be making our communities safer, not less.”
Legislators overwhelmingly agree that there is no sense in messing with a system that creates jobs, satisfies the consumer and puts a premium on safety.
“Our current system has helped make Colorado the ‘Napa Valley of Craft Beer,'” said Rep. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, who also serves on the Committee. “As an advocate for small businesses, I don’t want to change what makes us the envy of the nation, created tens of thousands of jobs and built one of Colorado’s strongest and fastest growing industries. It’s a bad idea.”
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by OnSight | Nov 2012 | Campaign, Ed Perlmutter, OnSight News, Personnel, politics, Strategy
The Keating/OnSight polls won Curtis Hubbards “closest to the pin” award.
Amendment S
Getting voters to understand the Amendment — which sets out to modernize government so that we hire and promote the best employees, increase accountability and help veterans who serve our country — was an uphill battle. A wonky and technical issue, it took a creative integrated campaign of online, radio, and billboard ads to get voters educated.
But with a unanimous vote of approval from the state legislature, endorsements from nearly every newspaper in the state, and an outpouring of support from both the business and non-profit community, Coloradans voted to pass Amendment S by a double-digit margin!
A win for veterans and the efficiency of our state government!
Polling
OnSight Public Affairs worked with Keating Research to run a series of polls leading up to the election. Cited by the NYTimes’ Nate Silver the day before the election, the OnSight/Keating polls were roundly recognized as among the most accurate, getting kudos from both Fox31’s Eli Stokols:
In Colorado, conservatives dismissing the work of pollster Chris Keating on the grounds that he’s worked for Hickenlooper and Udall, overlooked a series of polls that were spot-on. A day before the election, Keating had Obama leading Romney 50-46; it was a four-point win for Obama, 52-48, in the end.
And The Denver Post’s Curtis Hubbard, who gave our polls his Gold Medal award.
Ed Perlmutter
A series of web videos and online fundraising efforts managed by OnSight helped propel incumbent Ed Perlmutter to a 12 point victory in the race to represent the 7th Congressional District. Despite re-districting which made the race more competitive, and beer magnate Joe Coors’ (who poured millions of dollars of his personal fortune into the race) best efforts to discredit Ed with ads that made national attention for the dishonesty, Ed Perlmutter’s focus on positive advertising and his record of working hard to represent his constituents served him well in his campaign.
Congratulations to Ed, as both fans and constituents we’re excited to see you remain in office!
Punditry
Throughout the campaign season, with Colorado in the media spotlight as both a swing state and the host of the first of the Presidential debates, OnSight’s electoral expertise was in demand:
- “When you really dig into it, we’re as purple as ever,” said Democrat strategist Mike Melanson of OnSight Public Affairs, who has managed campaigns for Sen. Mark Udall and Gov. John Hickenlooper. “Overall, it might be a Democratic night. But you know what? In two years, it will probably be a Republican night. We’re just that kind of state.” Colorado turns a little bluer, but no one party in line to dominate (Denver Post, 11/7/2012)
- “Mike Melanson, a Democratic strategist who helped elect Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, said undecided voters tend to see both sides of issues, abhor partisanship and seek a candidate who feels the same way.” Poll of Western undecideds shows import of Denver debate (LA Times, 10/3/2012)
- “We’re Western Democrats. We’re very different from East Coast Democrats,” said Mike Melanson, a Democratic operative in Colorado and senior partner at OnSight Public Affairs. “And as long as you brand yourself in that tradition, then you, as a Democrat, can do well.” National trends at work in battleground Colorado (10/2/2012)
