Rick Blangiardi has been criticized by his opponent in the Honolulu mayor鈥檚 race, Keith Amemiya, for having little to say about how exactly he would address Honolulu鈥檚 most pressing problems.
Last month, the Blangiardi campaign released which attempts to flesh out those details. Few voters will probably read it.
But many voters will see or have already seen Blangiardi鈥檚 latest television advertisement, titled 鈥淚t鈥檚 Time To Get It Done.鈥 Watch the ad:
鈥淭his is not the time for politics. This is the time to get it done,鈥 the ad concludes.
Blangiardi certainly understands what the top issues are: Rebuild the economy by responding to COVID-19. Tackle the root cause of homelessness, which is lack of affordable housing. Increase transparency and accountability on the rail project.
But this 30-second clip has nothing to say on how the former television executive will 鈥済et it done.鈥 It鈥檚 just another spot from this candidate wearing a nice aloha shirt and staring straight into the camera. Yawn.
Somewhat more effective is another ad from Blangiardi featuring entertainers Danny Kaleikini and Mihana Souza. Watch the ad, titled 鈥淣o Job Too Big鈥:
I believe Kaleikini attempts an Italian accent when he says Blangiardi’s last name before the singer intones his signature 鈥渁loooooha鈥 with Souza.
There is nothing special about the ad, but it鈥檚 pleasant enough and may appeal to voters of a certain generation. Still, Kaleikini does not give any example of when Blangiardi turned around 鈥渟o many tough situations鈥 鈥 another ad from this campaign light on detail.
The best of the bunch is 鈥淜ey to Execution,鈥 which does not feature any local stars but rather jus鈥 local folks. Watch the ad:
鈥淗e has the same values as any local kid I know,鈥 vouches Naomi Nakashima-Carter, a City and County employee of some 40 years who says her first mayor was Neal Blaisdell (1955-1969).
Amemiya has made a point in his campaign of saying the Massachusetts-born Blangiardi has 鈥渄ifferent values鈥 than the Honolulu-born Amemiya.
And speaking of values, the Amemiya campaign has a new ad titled 鈥淎 New Generation Of Leadership.鈥 Watch the ad:
The 30-second spot opens with Blangiardi telling two Civil Beat reporters that he voted for Donald Trump in 2016. The ad closes with the same clip.
In between there is a compelling series of images of people in the islands and a voiceover that says in part 鈥淗ere, we won鈥檛 let hate and division take hold 鈥 Here, we鈥檒l beat COVID by embracing science and caring about each other.鈥
There is mention of 鈥渢he values that make us special,鈥 but it鈥檚 clear they are not shared by Trump 鈥 and, by implication, Blangiardi.
Is the ad fair? You betcha.
Judgment is a big part of politics, and four years ago Blangiardi voted for a man who has become perhaps the most polarizing president in modern times. The ad does not include Blangiardi acknowledging he was wrong, but still.
Trump is also unpopular in the islands, according to recent polls, and Democratic Party voters who are still on the fence in the mayor鈥檚 race might be persuaded to lean left and fall on the green grass of Amemiya鈥檚 camp after seeing this ad.
The ad also makes a generational dig in its title. Amemiya is 54 but looks much younger, while Blangiardi is 20 years his senior.
Amemiya has another good ad in 鈥淲hy I Began This Campaign.鈥 Watch the ad:
As I鈥檝e said before in this space, most of us are suckers for old photos of candidates and their families, and the Amemiya campaign has used its share in its media efforts.
鈥淚 decided to build a campaign for mayor because we need things to change,鈥 says the candidate. 鈥淲e must put aside our ego and work together.鈥
To be fair, Amemiya does not mention what needs to change, or how to change them. But this ad leaves viewers feeling warm and fuzzy about a Honolulu run by Keith Amemiya.
I checked with both campaigns on whether there would be a 鈥渃loser鈥 ad in advance of Election Day, Nov. 3. No word on that just yet.
But both campaigns are spending big time on their latest TV commercials.
Blangiardi paid more than $72,000 to run ads from Monday through Sunday on KGMB (鈥淭he Late Show with Stephen Colbert,鈥 鈥淯ndercover Boss鈥), KHNL (鈥淭oday鈥 and 鈥淭he Tonight Show鈥), KHON (鈥淲heel of Fortune”) and KITV (local news).
The campaign also bought a lot of ad time during college and professional football games. Blangiardi has a background in football.
Amemiya spent about the same amount of money to buy airtime beginning Oct. 6 and running through next Monday. It includes KGMB (鈥淭he Price Is Right鈥), KHNL (鈥淢odern Family鈥), KHON (鈥淩achael Ray鈥) and KITV (鈥淛immy Kimmel Live!鈥).
The campaign also bought a lot of ad time during news programs like 鈥60 Minutes,鈥 鈥淢eet the Press鈥 and 鈥淭his Week with George Stephanopoulos.鈥
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About the Author
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Chad Blair is the politics editor for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at cblair@civilbeat.org or follow him on Twitter at .