Michael Nutter was lagging down at the bottom of the polls when the mayoral race first started, staring up at Tom Knox, Chaka Fattah and Bob Brady.
He was a candidate with plenty to say on all of the issues, but when it came to connecting with voters across the city his campaign fell short.
Then, along came Neil Oxman.
The political consultant is something of a Mayor Maker in this town, leading the paid media attacks of Wilson Goode, Ed Rendell and, now, Nutter.
Oxman checked in this afternoon to talk about another successful campaign.
What was your sense of where the campaign was when you were brought on board and what steps were needed to start getting Nutter’s message out on a broader scale?
I actually thought the campaign was in a reasonably good position in that I thought we had the best candidate. I thought we had the candidate with the best record and I thought he was very, very disciplined about what he needed to do to deliver his message to the electorate. There was no sense of panic at any time. There was ‘all right, this is what we needed to do.’ We certainly needed some breaks, which we got.
What were some of the breaks?
I’ll let you guys talk about that, you can dissect that stuff. I think that Nutter said it best. It’s sort of like we were so far down that nobody paid attention to us for a long time. I think that was sort of the biggest thing that we got. We were able to put our message out there undiluted without anyone putting a target on our back until the last week of the campaign.
Was there one key moment when you felt that the support was finally starting to materialize?
About 11 o’clock last night.
Why was the ad with Nutter’s daughter, Olivia, so successful?
I think it was effective because it was a different kind of ad. She’s so charming and so cute. It was just so different than all of the other ads that were out there and it really stood out. Ninety-nine percent of it was her personality, she was so wonderfully charming in the ad. It just cut through. I think that was the 99 percent secret of that ad.
Breaking News! Attention All
Small-Minded Johnny Doc Bashers!
All of you who are celebrating Mike Nutter's victory while simultaneously predicting the political demise of John Dougherty, know this:
Early this morning, Mike Nutter placed a call to John Dougherty. Mike acknowledged that he and Doc have had their differences, but added that he took none of it personally, needed John's help in November, and wanted John's support in helping turn the city around. It was a gracious gesture by Mike Nutter, which was returned in kind by Doc, who also congratulated Mike on a beautifully executed campaign. Their exchange was also evidence that Doc will continue to be a prominent player in Philadelphia politics, even in a Mayor Nutter administration. So, for all of you cyber-vultures who were hoping to pounce on Doc's political carcass, try eating some crow instead.
Posted by: Frank Keel | May 16, 2007 at 04:49 PM
The tables have turned on poor old Johnny Doc. I guess he's not the power broker he once was. Sure, he'll still have his little goon fiefdom, but this election showed just how little influence he has at the end of the day. It's a new day in Philadelphia and Johnny Doc is yesterday's news. If he wants to be relevant again, he'll need to stop living in the 80's and get with the Nutter program for a 21st Century Philadelphia.
Posted by: JKelly | May 16, 2007 at 05:04 PM
LOL
good one Frank, that was very funny...if such a call did take place why didn't Doc go public with it? instead you are announcing it on the metro blog
Posted by: Dave | May 16, 2007 at 05:09 PM
Because this is your No. 1 news source...duh.
Posted by: JoshCornfield | May 16, 2007 at 05:13 PM
What a coincidence. Mike called me, too, and told me he needed my support in helping him turn the city around. ;-)
Posted by: dude | May 16, 2007 at 05:43 PM
The arrogance of ignorant loud-mouth Frank Keel is appalling. Go back to your SUBURBAN home and stop interfering with OUR elections.
You are a LOSER in more ways than one.
Posted by: | May 16, 2007 at 06:03 PM
Keel + Knox = Krum KKK
Doc's dead and we don't want him and his Irish punks back -now it's time to investigate where Doc gets all the cash from and I would guess that the "appropriate" parties ahve already begun doing just that!
Free advice -it ain't just union dues -so -figure a good story in advance or do what you do best -blame somebody else!
Posted by: Philadelphia 2007 No Goin Back | May 16, 2007 at 08:02 PM
Please do not forget how much Doc actually hates Michael -always has! We are not buying the spin - Doc is a zero in this administration and he knows it. He threatened everybody's job and promised Armageddon when knox took office and nobody will forget that -he can never- never be trusted!
Posted by: Nutter is Better | May 16, 2007 at 08:06 PM
Doc might want to start looking over his shoulder. A smart young union lad might recognize that the Doc days are over and now would be a good time to get on the right side of the fence with new leadership. Are they going to cling to a dying past or embrace the Nutter future?
Posted by: JKelly | May 17, 2007 at 10:03 AM
Brady might want to start thinking about why he lost his home ward and division in this election. The party machine structure is crumbling and going down - rumor has it many ward leaders are already gearing up to take on Brady! I can't wait to see the reform movement sweep out that bum.
Posted by: JerKelly | May 17, 2007 at 10:18 AM