If you’ve ever felt like you could hear a bit of partisan sneer or cheer in the voice-overs on the Today Show, MSNBC, or other NBC program, it may not be your paranoia talking. (Well, maybe not just that.)

It turns out that Melissa Leebaert, the same pleasant feminine voice giving voice-overs for the Today Show and various other NBC programs, is the same voice-over appearing in plenty of Democratic ads over the past years, voicing lines like:

“It could have been your child, it could have been your mother. It could have been someone you love, put at risk by budget cuts to social services. Don’t let it happen here.”

“Corporate executives, playing by their own rules. Lying to investors, destroying jobs. And where’s John Thune? South Dakota deserves better… Senator Tim Johnson is taking on corporate crooks. Closing loopholes in the law.”

“Every day the tobacco industry hooks 3,000 more children on cigarettes, putting their profits ahead of our kids. Now a big tobacco retailer has launched Prop 28, so it can make even more money.”

“We all remember at least one great teacher. Someone who would never let us give up. Our public schools are making gains, but with thousands of teachers retiring in the next decade…”

“From pushing laws that crack down on scams target the elderly to writing the Medicare reform law that’s saving us millions, Ron Wyden makes a difference…”

“The fact is, I200, the so-called civil rights initiative, would hurt real people. It would turn back the progress women and girls in our state have made.”

This isn’t a scandal or ethics issue — Leebaert is free to accept or reject any clients she wishes, and cites “hundreds of Democratic campaigns” among her clients – but it’s just something I find interesting. We’re already conditioned to find a particular voice reassuring or trustworthy – and the same voice telling you about a heartwarming story coming up on Today after the break may be the same voice telling you that South Dakota deserves better than John Thune during the break…