Update: Gunzburger’s First TV Ad Lacerates Geller

BY BUDDY NEVINS

Broward County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger’s first TV commercials began Saturday in her South Broward re-election campaign. 

Her opponent Steve Geller asked Gunzburger to sign a clean campaign pledge.  Now you see why she didn’t.

Gunzburger’s ad eviscerates him.

The ad is running on several Comcast Cable channels in Pembroke Pines, Hollywood and Hallandale Beach.  It will continue to several weeks.

Compared to the 30-second Gunzburger spot on TV, Geller’s little attack piece mailed earlier this month to residents of the Hollybrook condo complex is benign.

Geller’s piece looks like it was written by Mr. Rogers.  Gunzburger’s ad looks like it was written by, ah, Ron Gunzburger, Sue’s son who has a reputation for take-no-prisoners campaigns.     

On the attack ad scale, Geller’s piece is a 1.  This is a 9.

The only thing that would move this up to a 10 is if they caught Geller with a live boy or a dead goat.

Geller is labeled a lobbyist who cashed in on his position to enrich himself.

David Brown, Geller’s campaign manager, reacted to the ad:

She is obviously running the most negative campaign she can because she is down in the polls.  She can’t elevate her poll numbers on her own so she using negative attack ads to try to bring Steve Geller down. This is the old-time negative, cynical attack politics that Steve Geller is trying to change.

The Gunzburger ad has three of the essential elements of an attack ad:

(1)  It criticizes the opponent.
(2) It calls into question the opponent’s credibility.
(3) It has a negative message.

 It lacks a fourth element common in these pieces —  contrasting Gunzburger’s “good position with Geller’s “bad position

Here is the link: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyX0VPfqZTc

Here is a written statement from Ron Gunzburger:

“So that Geller cannot honestly claim we are in any way misquoting anything, taking anything out of context, or falsifying his record, we’ve also just today launched this new website which thoroughly sources everything (and is referenced throughout the commercial).

http://stevegellerfacts.com/

The site features Geller’s lobbyist registration forms, his financial disclosure forms, legislative votes, complete news articles, and more.”

 I like the ad.  I have one quibble with it.

I believe the reference to Geller’s net worth to be largely meaninginless.

I’ve looked at hundreds of financial disclosures. Most of them went way up because of increasing property values. The ad uses the 2008 figure before the property values crashed.

The stock market also was generally higher in 2008 than in 1998.

And although I’m not announcing a benefit for Geller, a net worth of slightly over $1.246 million is not that much for a 50-year-old-plus lobbyist/attorney.  A number of  lobbyists make that in a year.



24 Responses to “Update: Gunzburger’s First TV Ad Lacerates Geller”

  1. Steve says:

    You’d think they’d use a voice that didn’t sound like it had been sucking on helium….

  2. Geller Is A Tool says:

    Finally the truth about Geller.

  3. Truth is Not An Attack says:

    Truth is not an attack. If it’s a truthful statement that’s within bounds. Sorry.

  4. Whoa! says:

    Wow! That was just Gunzburger’s opening salvo??!! OMG!! All I can say is “Dead man walking.”

  5. Let's see says:

    You’re right, talk about sleazy! What sleaze the Gunzberger camp is. Maybe Jerry Springer will have Sue and Ronnie on his show. Sue obviously can’t win on her own merits. Let’s wait and see what Geller has on Gunzberger. I’m sure she is no Mother Theresa.

  6. Tommy the Fry Cook says:

    The GONESburger campaign is already shooting their load. “Steve Geller is a slimy lobbyist who increased his net worth while in public office.” What else have they got? How many different ways can you throw the same mudball?

    How much has GONESburger’s net worth increased while she was on the same commission that bought millions of dollars worth of plastic wood from her husband?

    How much has the GONESburger FAMILY slurped out of the public trough while her son works out of the appraiser’s office (off a budget controlled by the commission) and her daughter worked for BSO (off ANOTHER budget the commission controlled).

    How many political favors got called in to get her kids those jobs? Or are we supposed to believe they just coincidentally were BOTH the best candidates for their respective jobs?

    It still comes down to this: if an 18 year incumbent can’t defend her own record and can only fashion an “Ooooh…watch out! My opponent is a LOBBYIST!” message, her campaign is going to sink on its own accord.

    C’mon, Ronnie. If that’s the best you got, you ain’t got much!

  7. Margaret says:

    Everything in the ad was sourced, so why is Tommy aka David Brown so upset? Oh right, because blogging is part of his consulting fee. He has to do it since he is certainly not going to get a win bonus on this race!

  8. Don't Worry Tommy says:

    Steve’s so far ahead in the polls it won’t matter.

    Right?

  9. all the way to the bank says:

    who’s got the Big Mo now?!?

  10. Senator Steve geller says:

    Buddy:

    You and others misinterpret the reasons that I asked Sue to agree to run a clean campaign.

    I suspected that Sue and Ron would run slimy, misleading ads, viciously attacking me. I’m a big boy. I can take it.

    I thought (and think) that the voters would be better served by Sue and I talking about our respective visions for the future of Broward. I think that the voters are more concerned about what matters to them, such as jobs, affordable insurance, taxes, ethics reform at the County level etc., then they are about Sue attacking me and my attacking her. As I’ve said, however, when attacked, I will respond. I do not believe in unilateral disarmament. I will not be “swiftboated”. I just wanted it to be clear who was the aggressor here, that I wanted to focus on the issues, and Sue wanted to instead make this personal.

    I will respond at the appropriate time. I believe that my ads talking about Sue’s behavior will have more effect than her ads will, in part because my ads will be accurate and not misleading, unlike hers.

    I am an “A-V” rated lawyer, reflecting the highest legal abilities and ethics. I was 29 years old when I was first elected, representing South Broward, and had been an attorney for only a few years. I was 50 when I filed my last financial disclosure, reflecting my net worth at the height of the real estate/stock bubble. If my net worth did not increase during that 20 years, that is what would have been newsworthy. As Buddy has pointed out, almost all professionals net worth increased at that time.

    This now shows why I had asked for a clean campaign, focusing on the future. That has been refused, and I firmly believe that Sue will not benefit from the comparison that will be forthcoming. I still regret that I have been forced into this type of campaign, but am fully prepared for it.

    Senator Steve Geller

  11. Truthiness says:

    Getting slammed with the truth … verifiable documents that I and everyone else can read for ourselves … is not “getting swiftboated.” That’s just you being a slimy lawyer again trying to weasel out of your record as a lobbyist. Hell, the Sentinel said year earned over $600,000 a year as a lobbyist.

    As for the A-V rating, that’s another thing you have in common with Scott Rothstein. He still has his A-V rating too. You both should be proud of it.

  12. To truthiness says:

    Dear Ronnie,
    Who gives a crap what Geller’s net worth is. Duh, it increased over the twenty years he was in office.
    I’m sure mommy has more money than him anyway. Has your net worth increased since mommy got you your job? What criminal charges have been filed against Geller? None!Oh, that’s right you have to commit a crime for that. Didn’t they teach you that in law school. No, I’m not David or Steve. I’m just amazed at what a jerk you are.

  13. Oy Vay says:

    I can’t believe we are stuck with these choices. Blachhhhhh! A pox on both of their houses!

  14. Hats Off To Ron Gunzburger says:

    I think voters owe Ron Gunzburger a round of applause for exposing the phony Steve Geller. As the ad proves, Geller is lobbyist who makes money from his position as a politician. He serves his employers, not the voters.

  15. Seth Platt says:

    I knew this blog was swill, but advertising Ann Coulter books with banner ads is scraping the sewers for ad revenue.
    F’in Joke.

    FROM BUDDY: I have no control over the political ads that are advertised on the website. Goggle handles that.

    I sorry you think this site is swill. I personally think Ann Coulter and her books are sewage.

  16. Seth Platt says:

    Oh wait my bad upon fifth page reload a Newt Gingrich book ad appeared. I feel much better now, uh oh….wretch.

  17. Chaz Stevens, Genius says:

    >> he only thing that would move this up to a 10 is if they caught Geller with a live boy or a dead goat.

    Close, but no cigar.

    The only thing that a politician can’t live down is being caught with a dead girl or a live boy in a hotel room.

  18. Chaz Stevens, Genius says:

    @Seth

    It’s not up to Buddy what is rendered in his Adwords campaigns… No control whatsoever.

    I used to use Adwords for my blog, but when I noticed that Coulter and Fake News was being offered, I switched my ad content provider.

    And, if you asked Buddy, I’d be willing to bet the amount of cash he takes home from those ad spots isn’t something he can retire from.

  19. Chaz Stevens, Genius says:

    @Senator Scuba Steve

    Yo bro. Just want to clarify something here…

    You mentioned over on the Pulp that you “rarely comment on blogs [yet] will this one time.”… Oh come on now… Everywhere I turn, I stumble over your lame ass retorts.

    It’s okay to comment, just don’t lie about it. See, you need to realize that there are folks like myself who read, remember, and aren’t complete idiots.

    As to that “A-V” rating thingamabob, just what the fuck is that all about? A review by your peers aka the Bar and Judiciary?

    Really? You consider that an accurate assessment? Seems a bit lopsided – like Mussolini’s mom saying her son was a good kid.

    Let me suggest the following… How about a review by your clients? You know, like the eBay Feedback System. Then perhaps, the your A-V rating might mean:

    Absolutely Villainous
    Alternatively Valued
    Amazingly Vacuous
    Appallingly Vapid

    At the end of the first inning, you are down 3-0 and getting mauled…

    Chaz Stevens, Genius
    http://www.MyActsOfSedition.com

  20. Fake name says:

    Once again it shows neither one of these two rich publicity hounds gives a damn about the people and the community. Where’s the plan to try and rid the cesspool South of Pines Blvd. & East of Perry airport of all the crime or don’t you see that from your crystal palaces. Maybe your not in touch enough with middle class neighborhoods problems although like I said before you like to portray yourselves as big community people. Would someone else PLEASE run against them.

  21. Liz says:

    Ms. Gunzburger’s political ads are plainly the work of an advertising genius with considerable political savvy!
    Too bad this commentator chose to make assumptions about the source of the ads.

  22. screw em both says:

    that the choice is between these 2 permanent feeders at the public trough, says everything. They are both completely disgusting people. Broward is a national disgrace exactly because of these 2 and everyone else like them. But, as H.L. Mencken observed, people tend to get the government they deserve…. Enjoy!!

  23. Geller Strikes Back At Gunzburger : BrowardBeat.com says:

    […] My story on Gunzburger’s first ad is here. […]

  24. SUNNY says:

    It is my opinion that when someone is vicious, tyrannical and/or attacking…it is the maligner’s image that is ultimated reduced.

    Condenscension can backfire…

    smiles…
    S