Iowa’s 2.3 million eligible voters have been bombarded with close to $40 million worth of political ads on television this cycle — more than three times the amount spent there in 2004.
That works out roughly to about $17 per voter, between $150 and $200 per expected caucus-goer, and nearly $500,000 per each of the state’s 82 delegates in a contest that — unlike 2004 — is wide open on both sides of the aisle.
But what Iowa might lack in population and size, it makes up for in primary calendar position — especially in this truncated cycle when well over half the states will have held their primary contests on or before February 5.
Early momentum — or lack of it — is more likely to make or break a presidential bid….
What are they getting for all that money? Take a look. Here are the final ads or statements being run by each of the campaigns in Iowa. Or, at least, as close as I could find to the final ads, since a few campaigns haven’t updated their YouTube pages to include them:
– Edwards campaign. (Good, gut level message aimed at real middle America. Like this one. And I like the fact that it’s empowering for the real person speaking, not just for the candidate.)
– Clinton campaign. (Like this one as well — this is her close the deal ad, selling Hillary as much as her policies. But I’m not sure this is enough in Iowa — this "steady hand" campaign needs an infusion of some kick ass "take action" ideas. But maybe it’s just me…)
– Obama campaign (This one isn’t their closer — it doesn’t seem to be online that I can find. If anyone can find the closing ad, please share the link in the comments. Thanks! This seems like such a quick splice-together of public events, and I don’t get a good feel for this other than "look, lots of different people support me" — thoughts?)
– Dodd campaign. (Good personal presentation by Dodd — character and caring about the country really come through here.)
– Richardson campaign. (Emphasis on real world experience and a need for change. Good sales pitch, but not certain it closes the deal.)
– Biden campaign. (I like this ad, mainly because every time I see it, I think about the current occupant of the Oval Office and how we as a nation need to do so much better…and that is a great message for Democrats across the board.)
– Kucinich campaign. (No ad available online that I could find. So this is a longer introductory piece about Kucinich, with highlights from his career.)
– Gravel campaign. (Only Gravel ad that I could find. It’s a bit…erm…avant garde for my taste as a political ad. It’s like Andy Worhol does America.)
– Romney campaign. (They have three — here, here and here. Attack ads against McCain and Huckabee, and one string of quotes from the NRO. Not much Romney himself. Odd choices.)
– Huckabee campaign. (Note the prominent placement of religious symbols yet again in his video — this says "Jesus loves me, this I know." In Bible school, they told me He loved me, too, but that doesn’t necessarily make me or anyone else super duper Presidential material, but it is good for a bumper magnet I suppose. And a special extra super supporter video here.)
– McCain campaign. (This says to me that all the other candidates are children playing at being President, while McCain wants you to know that he’ll do the hard work — even if you totally disagree with him and he pisses you off. He’s trying to grab the "we need a grown up" contingent. I think Malkin’s head may have just exploded. McCain also returns a smackback volley at Romney. This is going to get good…)
– Giuliani campaign. (Gee, I think Rudy’s message is "fear, fear, fear." You? Did Dick Cheney write his ad copy or what?!?)
– Thompson campaign. (If there were a drinking game to take a swig every time they say "conservative" in Thompson’s ad, we’d all be drunk as skunks. Although, as Kos says, we may not have Fred to watch for much longer depending on how things go this evening.)
– Paul campaign. (Folksy appeal to "hope for America" and a return to American values. The standard, generic voter appeal message that you usually see once you hit the general election. Seems to be going for a "morning in America" feel, but don’t really get there.)
– Hunter campaign. (Says he wrote the ad himself. I believe him.)
(Above YouTube is Dire Straits live playing "Money for Nothing." Also, gang, FWIW the Richardson campaign is saying that they did NOT direct supporters to caucus for anyone else. More here.)
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Christy! Go Mountaineers!
Nice Christy!
Hmm…
Wow, Christy! Great roundup, thanks!
Looking forward to everyone’s thoughts on all of these. Took a long time to compile all of this, and watching a few of these may have constituted a cruel and unusual punishment violation…
Christy, would you care to divulge your opinion as to which is the best Democratic ad and which the best Republican? (Yes, I’m a lazy shit and can’t be arsed to watch all of them.)
Oh, and if anyone can find a link to the Obama closer, I’d love it. I can’t seem to find it on YouTube — the campaign doesn’t have it on their page, and what I’ve seen of it, it is much better than the one they have up there at the moment. Thanks!
Found this on Huffpost from Steve Clemons
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…..79574.html
I think Clinton is working hard for a “non-Dean-scream” effect…
it seems a bit too subdued to me, but I have sympathy for her position.
Sort of an existential question here but can Thompson be expected to drop out of a race he may not know he’s in?
I don’t like the sound of that at all.
What an incredible team if they got together. Edwards and Obama
EPU’d: In addition to Teddy, who else is on pins and needles? I sure am.
Edwards’ Doug Bishop ad still chokes me up, and I’ve seen it five or six times.
Going through that, all I could think of was how much work must have gone into that. You have the patience of a saint
I am not against Hillary but I am really against a dynasty and I just cant bear another re-run of the Clintons
The lighting is extraordinary in Clinton’s ad. Her low-key approach wooed me the first time I saw it, but it’s still too incumbent-y.
Edwards ad: Great! Glad they had a supporter speaking.
Clinton: I like what she’s saying, but her delivery is…dead. Not inspiring at all.
Obama: Too high school…all show — no substance.
Now to watch the next 3.
Yep. Excellent production, and she looks softer than I can ever remember.
I gotta say, I think the production values on that piece are great. WHoever did that lighting? It makes her look angelic yet strong at the same time. Same thing with the sound, there is a richness to her voice that you usually only hear when youtalk to her without a microphone involved (live and close up)
Jane is the expert, but I think that ad is a technical wonder. I love the shining face effect.
Agree completely about the Bishop ad. I wouldn’t have to go very far in this small NC town to find several guys just like him….or a retiree whose promised benefits have been axed after his/her former company has been bought by a private equity firm.
I know this isn’t exactly what you asked for, Christy, but here’s why Edwards resonates so strongly with me that overarches a closing ad or a single night’s speech [tying your and Jane’s thread together a bit]: Edwards self-described passion and also the urgency he injects into that.
No more dilly-dallying, his campaign says to me, we’ve wasted too much time, too much energy, too much treasure already. We can’t stand by blathering while a single more coffin comes home thru Dover. We can’t stand by blathering while the heart has been cut out of a major US city like New Orleans. We can’t stand by blathering while our best scientific researchers are leaving this country.
We can’t stand by blathering while hard-working people who the millworker’s son reaches out to are losing their homes, their jobs, their health care, their quality of education, their liberties….
We just can’t stand by any more. We have to stand up and shout in a loud voice that enough’s enough. Change is coming, and, yeah, we’re mad as hell about what’s been going on while the political establishment’s been dancin’ our quality of life away.
That cracked me up
TPM has this for the Obama closer. (I’m at work and can’t check them, so forgive me if that’s the same as your link.)
Didn’t a huge number of NC textile businesses and their jobs disappear as a consequence of NAFTA?
I really like Dodd’s “experience” challenge to the Experience Brand candidate. I also really like Biden’s gravitas — “imagine your candidate were President today.” Biden looks really Presidential here.
What a great pack we have! With the mess we’ve got to clean up, can’t we hire them all to be President? We’re gonna need all the help we can muster to tidy up George & Dick’s doings.
LOL!!
I completely agree with you, but I also get the point Jane made earlier today: That same sense of urgency, that same frustration (which we all feel) can cross a subtle line and the next thing you know, Tweety’s pegging you with the Howard dean “scream” thingy.
Ah, a coalition of the willing.
True dat! In addition to all the things eloquently enumerated by Prairie Sunshine @ 22, lots of miscreants embedded in the executive branch will need to be rooted out.
Not to mention the miscreants in the Judicial and Legislative branches.
Loved the Dire Straits also loved John Mellencamp at last nights Edwards bash. Made me cry. Now off to watch the ads, going to Duncan first.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/…..rds-event/
We could put some pressure on the new President, to inlcude many of them in the cabinet…..? Just a thought
To me the Dodd, Richardson, and Biden ads leave me wanting something. Of the three Dodd’s is the best. The Biden ad makes me feel like I’m being lectured, and I don’t mean that in a positive way. Richardson’s is just blah.
I am becoming tedious even to myself. But I continue to believe that it is imperative to acknowledge that there is a mighty mess about which to be angry, yea, verily, furious. Hillary is wonderfully modulated in her ad. There is nothing — repeat — NOTHING — about which to be smiling benignly into the camera and making nice. LHP, I recognize the fine line, too. But the line has been defined by the Republicans. And so again I say, why not call them out? See this line? It was drawn in the sand by people who want us to be compliant and voiceless. They have dared us to cross over it. And guess what? We dare. It is incumbent on us to speak the truth of anger. Say the words. “I’m angry because . . . .” Someone in this post or the last ran a lovely, long list of what follows “because.” Oh, fah! I’ll shut up now.
Kucinich: Is this the best the campaign could do?
Gravel: Ahhh…not sure what to say about this one? I’m sorry, it’s just weird.
Ah, but that’s on Tweety. He’d say, there’s the subtle line…’cause I said so. There would always be something, if Tweety wanted there to be something. He’s got his own agenda and meme to push.
I do like reading commenters observing that Edwards can handle himself well with Tweety.
I also like that the bloggers are so much stronger now and can push back against such things as we couldn’t even 2 years go. And we must. And we will.
This is naive. Dean was taken down because he opposed the war. That was his only heresy.
Never, never, never shut up! This is exactly the point. The rising tide of all of us and more and beyond saying that yeah, we’ve had enough… and if you’re not gettin’ it, then the problem is you, not us!
The “subtle line” is called the Iraq war.
Was this it?
Yes..textiles have been gutted and now the same is happening to the furniture business. That’s a doubly sad loss in terms of the craftsmanship skills that have been passed down through generations. For furniture, it’s the double whammy of Asian imports plus Ikea.
NC as a state is trying to address these issues but is having difficulty simply coping with the infrastructure
needs of a booming population.
Okay. I’m back. Big mouth ready to roll. :-)
I was just thinking that it must’ve taken a lot of work to put all this together. I actually liked Hillary’s commercial best, I think. Too bad I don’t like her politics best. I’d love to want to vote for her, but I just don’t think she’d be quite what we need at this time. I’m not sure she wouldn’t sell out to corporate interest or rather, be seduced by corporate interests, kinda blinded by the light type stuff. That could be fatal for global warming purposes, for instance.
$40,000,000 is more than all candidates put together for Federal office have spent in the entire history of our state.
I’m not going to watch the GOP ads, why should I sully my beautiful mind?
Duncan Hunter: What a joke, a big flag and him whining about China stealing our jobs. What did he do to prevent it?
Biden: Interesting that he used color for the oval office and black and white for photos of himself. For me the black and white evokes the JFK era. I liked this ad
Richardson: His was black and white only, and I liked some concrete plans to deal with Iraq.
Dodds: Straightforward and he appeals in the end for my vote.
Clinton: The first thing is hers is 2 minutes, not 30 seconds, full color which reminds me of her very full coffers. I liked her calm, collected presence and when she talked about the troubles of the “real people” her eyes sparkled, which made me think she truly cares. She also asked for my vote and reiterated the “I’m ready on day one”.
Romney: Oh, yuck. None of these work for me, but I hate attack ads. The last one…you can hear the “nudge, nudge, wink” under that protection of marriage bit.
Huckabee: Oh Goddess save us an anti-abortion message. That’s an immediate turn-off, Gag — “our Founding Fathers were Pro-Life.” Riiiiigghhttt.
McCain: Another blah one — doesn’t move me at all.
Yes, that’s it!
Let’s make a list. Cathartic at the least, and possibly something we can share broadly.
Mad because the Constitution of the United States has been disrespected, disregarded and dismantled by the Republican administration.
707. Love it.
You are such a hoot – spewing my cream soda!
Just for laughs I did watch the Giuliani one. Gadzooks!
He may as well have just started with a blank screen, and then shouted, “BOO!” Is there a single person left in this nation that is scared by that shit?
Hugh’s list is a great place to start.
Mad because a carefully constructed culture of expertise in the Executive branch embodied by thousands of outstanding career civil servants has been dismantled and replaced with a collection of unqualified incompetent partisan hacks.
The Huckabee supporter video is particularly odious — especially with the Gingrich emissary in there. We need Newt as far away from this process as possible.
and here’s the link to Hugh’s List
Giuliani: What a load of horse…t. This came across like some of the Nazi films. Triumph of the Will, anyone?
Thompson — showing the man shaking his fist does nothing for me, this comes across like an ad for at TV show not a Presidental hopeful.
Paul — This ad tells me nothing, is it really supposed to be an ad for the primaries? I’d expect to see something like this in the fall not now.
I really did laugh out loud!
We’re still hoping for Edwards. Or Dodd. We think Edwards just might pull it out. We know this: We don’t want any Demo with connections to Lieberman or Bush. We want change. Good change.
Huckabee: I’m anti-choice and I hope most of my base in Iowa is too.
McCain: He brags about his anger, wonder if there will be a peep out of the MSM. Doubt if they’ll give him the same treatment as Edwards. I thought he looked healthier than I’ve seen him look in a long time. Good makeup I guess.
Guiliani: Ugly, fear mongering, looks like something Hitler would use.
Thompson: He covered all the bases tax cut plan, immigration, Reaganlike rebuilding of the military, and of course, anti-choice. I know a number of people in Iowa who vote solely on the choice issue.
Ron Paul: They didn’t put his face in it until the end. Smart move. Opens with the statue of Liberty, closes with the flag. I liked his line “great nations stumble, but great nations do stand again”. Comes across as realistic about the problems and optimistic about being able to solve them. Of course, in 30 seconds, he doesn’t offer solutions.
I liked John Edwards’ the best. The sincerity was impressive and I think I’m most likely to remember to good impression a week from now (I hope it’s not just the fellow speaking I like).
Hillary Clinton’s, I would rate as the second best. It’s clear, reassuring, and says the right things about the things I care about.
The others I rated in the following order: Chris Dodd, Dennis Kusinich (too long), Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Mike Gravel. I think Gravel’s might have been intended for that NBC catch-the-perv show.
I couldn’t watch many of the Republicans. As much as I despise Duncan Hunter, though, I did like the phrase, “rebuild our industrial base.” If there is an actual way of doing it, I wish some Democrats would take it.
Still, the worst Democratic candidate is about 1000% better than the best Republic candidate.
So far I have viewed each one through Biden.
Edwards is excellent. he didn’t need to appear in the ad.. because the fellow and what he had to say is what this entire election is about.
Hillary: Way to long couldn’t finish it because I felt like she was patronizing again.
Obama: Wonderful
Dodd: Straight shooting
Biden and Richardson.. both to foreign for the moment (unles one wants to say “End the war now” which neither did.
Richardson’s ad didn’t connect with home at all.
Biden’s ad is all about him and his DC dreams.
We are looking at MSNBC. They have Ron Christie on. My lady finds this man thoroughly onjectionable. And so do I.
Edwards – the best ad.
Hillary – outstanding.
Gravel – i admire his sense of whimsy.
Dodd – straightforward.
Biden – the only thing he could do.
Rudy – Leni Riefenstahl, Producer.
Hunter – you get a free pouch of Oxy-Clean with…
The rest – completely predictable.
I must say the Clinton one was very skillfully done. The longer format works well and gives her time to actually say something – and the slower pacing kinda drew me in. Plus she looks incredibly beautiful in that light.
I couldn’t watch the Obama one to the end – something about it made me feel really uncomfortable. I think he was trying to evoke the energy of public rallies from the civil rights era.
The Edwards ad is powerful – primarily an appeal to the emotions – but a very credible speaker who is very easy to identify with.
And that’s my two cents worth.
The Dodd ad didn’t seem to have much content to me – basically says I’m a mature, experienced guy, so vote for me.
Biden ad left me cold -
I wasn’t going to watch the Gravel ad, but I laughed so hard at your comment that I had to. 60 seconds of weirdness. I think you were right.
I dislike him so much I generally change the channel when he comes on.
Very much so. We will, at this point, be voting for the Demo nominee in the ‘general’. No matter who it my be. ;0)
I wasn’t going to watch the Gravel ad, but I laughed so hard at your comment that I had to. 60 seconds of weirdness. I think you were right.
OT: Sorta
I liked this piece over at HuffPO by Larry Abrams titled what side are you on. It speaks to why I find it difficult to support Hillary or Obama.
I find him so objectionable that I generally turn the channel as soon as he comes on.
Great post, one of the ones I have been waiting for.
Also would like to see everyone list all/most of the candidates and their pro’s and con’s (in their eyes) including who is being supported (and the each persons honest though of the biggest weakness of the person they support).
That would take a while, but my one note on tone of the candidated kind of left over from last thread and going into this one:
HRC campgain seems to be making a concience effort to have hear and her husband, and from what I have seen some of their people on TV speaking very -low- and -steady- and -calm-. This at the same time as the Edwards is “angry” talking point. It could also be the clips that are being choosen – but from what I have seen Hillary and Bill and others are ending with this very odd style of talking (could it be to cash in on the “angry” theme with a calm confidence thing). Have I seen to much of these closing arguments in the last few days – has anyone else noticed this? It seems as obvious as when she was laughing at everything.
This is not policy its just one of those stupid things, but as a fast talking New Englander I have to concentrate when people are talking that slow (to not rudely complete their sentences) so it sticks out to me.
Would be kind of interested to know the theory behind that, or if I am off-base.
I find him so objectionable that I generally turn the channel as soon as he comes on.
I have 2 problems with Edwards ad.
First, I think the closer should be from the candidate. These type of ads should come in the middle of the cycle.
Second, this might be a very good ad in Michigan or Ohio, but outside of Jasper County, I don’t think it resonates very well in Iowa. Iowa’s economy is very good.
Having said this, I do like Edwards and hope he does well tonight.
LOL
I’m afraid if I click through to the ads I’ll never get back here.
I’ve seen the Edwards one and find it moving and powerful. Off to watch Clinton’s.
Obama’s ad is totally focused on youth it seems. I watched twice to see if I could see any boomers. If they were there, they were enveloped in the crowds.
Is anyone else having trouble being bumped off FDL? Maybe I’m too close to Iowa.
Rudy – Leni Riefenstahl, Producer.
LOL
The Triumph of the SHRILL…
carmen — We were having a server hiccup. Should be fixed now…
I have had trouble all day loading the lake and the wheel today
I think it’s a server thing
Chris Dodd: I wish he had used something punchier than the experience meme. Like FISA. I wanted to see the lone crusader against basket warrants and telcom immunity.
Edwards: Liked it. I think though there should have been more than one Iowan edwards supporter in the ad though. People might mock the poor fellow as maudlin. But I like the human touch. I am pleasantly surprised by the punchy edgy corporate america doesn’t work kind of thing. It sounds less sterile with the Edwards supporter being up close and personal.
Now I am going to go rubber neck the Giuliani ads since you guys say it is a disastor. I am hoping it is. Completely. Because Ghouliani is a disastor.
Okay, I like Clinton’s . You guys are right about the production values. She comes across as measured, reasonable, caring.
I hope, after the Iowa caucus has been decided, I am not left wondering about the Democratic winner, ‘if there is any there… there’? What do you think, Joe Lieberman?
McCain: Do NOT look at that side of my face. You know what side. No! Look over here. I’m the strict father, see? I may want to bomb bomb bomb Iran but hey, it’s for your own good.
Huckabee: I’m running on being anti-abortion! Look, I’m holding a baby! Hey. Does this baby have mange? Haha just joshing, I’m real funny.
We like Edwards and Dodd. We are omitting mention of the ones we don’t.
I think I’m prejudiced against Obama’s – I don’t want to like it. And it creeps me out that in all the crowds, no one looks over 20. And changing the world, Obama? How about showing up for a vote?
OT …
Wolf has Frederick of Hollywood on. What a scary fellow.
The Gravel ad with that contemplative, non-verbal, woodsy vibe reminded me of the indie film “Old Joy.” I liked it!
I get in plenty of screen time, but I don’t see many commercials because I record everything on the dvr and zap through the ads. We have no local tv reception, so I miss out on the ads for state and local races, which I would actually be interested in seeing.
Here on the central coast of CA we’ve been bumped everytime we click an embedded link so assume it is a high volume traffic issue. We’re also bracing for a big storm and may well lose power from high winds now forecast. aghhhhh
Thompson has been using a lot of free national media availability today. Guess it beats having to actually go out and meet real voters and all…
/s
LOL! Yeah, what’s up with the shadows?
Ghouliani. It had a schlocky coming to a theater near you voiceover and what’s more I didn’t see what was so threatening about the ladies dressed in white. In fact the whole thing was a demonizing and despicably but predictably bigoted “us against them” crapoloa. And what’s more, I didn’t feel like siding the guy with the beady eyes and pitched fork at the end.
Is it because we want to help them and not the others?
No, he prefers to play with fundraisers and then sneer like a backseat driver at those who do show up to the Senate and vote (namely Hilary) or ignore Dodd.
Gravel: It kind of cracked me up with the wierdness, but in the end I sort of liked it.
The perfect ad for Gooliani is a picture of him holding a phone receiver, ready to dial, and asking somone, how do I dial 9 1 1 ?
Romney: bleh. Huck: yuck. “being unborn doesn’t make you unvaluable” )or something). How about “undead”?
I couldn’t decide if there was a Fellini influence, or an Andy Worhol one. *G*
Not sure I understand the question? ;0)
How about Ghouliani picking up the receiever and asking do you like to watch scary movies? He really is spooky.
Giuliani: far out. Scary scary brown muslim people. The crusades all over again. Disaster only moments away. He is one sick dude.
Me thinks you are kidding me.
I think that’s the side he had a tumor removed from, several years back. Those shadows hide it perfectly.
Now Christy that is an endorsement of his ad. Some of us like warhol and fellini both. I’ll watch.
Watched the Clinton ad, and it left me unmoved. Too…too polished, too smooth, too recitational. No sense of real feeling. Maybe it really resonates with my mom’s demographic, there is a certain institutional nurse quality to it, I thought. And that was key to me…I thought, I didn’t feel. It didn’t connect to me.
Interesting how these things affect us in different ways.
Dodd: oh I like his video immensely. Earthy, straightforward, warm.
She does that so naturally and seems entirely authentic, so that I wonder if in a nasty situation could she fight, does she get angry or sad. In other words, is she a human being?
I think it’s important to know your candidate, or any person, has emotional range. It shows they’re complete and able to function in different situations. She talks about disasters with a soothing calming voice. She talks about everything that way. What does she feel about? When does she get outraged? Does she give a damn that people’s jobs and homes are going away? Does she care when people tell her stories about their health care problems? I see no reaction from her.
How can you lead if you are doing alright and you don’t know other people need help and your leadership.
Edwards sees other people’s problems and immediately wants to do something to help them.
Well, it is a good thing if you are talking art in my book as well. But for a politicial ad it left me cold…and ever so slightly creeped out.
Gravel reminds me of Uncle Smiley. Except Uncle Smiley actually picked up litter. There was so much disconnect, but it was slightly sesame street. (I like sesame street.)
Obama commercial: Change the world how? By wearing pretty clothes, looking pretty and having pretty kids in the audience. All in all, it was predictable crapola from Obama.
Biden’s is too much of a Hallmark production. Pictures of him looking decisive on the phone, etc.
Thompson’s: laughable really. Think he’s trying to appeal to anyone in particular?
I’m always kidding people. That’s one of the things kiddos do. ;0)
I like Dodd so much I have to voice criticism. I want to see fighter Dodd and what he stands for, not fireside Dodd.
I’m in complete agreement with you about Edwards. I don’t support Clinton in the primary – but I’ve seen her looking goofy, as in the Christmas ad, or strident in other situations, and this seemed a good balance for her. Reassuring, just what some older rural couples might like, I imagine.
I think it depends on pre-perceptions about the individual candidates going into the viewing. The funny thing is, as I’m reading down through the comments, when you look at comments from folks who didn’t like Sen. Clinton to begin with, you see a lot of correlation with folks who didn’t find the ad all that moving. Folks who weren’t as vehement in their dislike of her had a better reaction — and it is those folks that the campaign is trying to reach, I think, and does so fairly successfully if our little comment section is any indicator (which, scientifically, it’s not really a representative sample, so there you are…just anecdotal).
The same is true for all the other candidates, not just Clinton. No idea why I noticed this as I was reading down through, but I did, and then started making mental notes of folks who strongly dislike Biden…and hated his ad, or strongly dislike Giuliani and really hate his ad (although, frankly, it’s really creepy, so unless you are an insane apocolypse now kinda person, I can’t imagine being turned on in any way by that one)…etc., etc.
I watched all of these ads more than once, to try and burn out any personal opinions of the individual candidates and just study them for production value, for script and content, for visual and emotion, and to try and think about them from a “person who doesn’t care about minutiae in politics” but more of a fresh look at the candidate approach as I was writing this up. I hope that came through a little bit in the writing…
True, and I admire Dodd greatly too. But as a last minute ad, that people might see as they head out the door, I think it’s good, particularly when he comes out and asks them to caucus for him in such a natural way. I think if he had started breathing fire about the Constitution and rule of law he might have lost people.
Huckabee: all fetuses are created equal. Family is great. (Screw the little guy, and forget about civil rights and a decent competitive science education. You can all swim in the creationist pool with me.)
My issue is that Dodd get so little coverage that he needs to at least pack a little of what he’s about in.
I absolutely agree with you, Christy. The closer ads are part and parcel of the candidate brand and why that appeals to different people in different ways.
Once did grad school study in mass comm theory, so this is like revisiting that whole “powers of persuasion” time for me.
Hunter: awfully amateurish. Fine for state senate, but not for the Presidency.
McCain. He needs a takedown. Populist he is not IMHO. “I don’t love corporate America and DC lobbyist money people, I love America so much I make everyone angry.” Is there a kiss picture somewhere, besides Chimpy and Lieberman?
Aren’t McCains numbers alarmingly up in New Hampshire. Red flag alert. I’d rather have party splitter Huckabee. Or maybe not.
If McCain starts to do well, we are going to be seeing a lot of the Bush hug photo, nu?
Since the caucuses are mostly about ad dollars, press preening, and Ordeal by Sleep Deprivation and Total Exhaustion on the candidate side, there must be a better way. Why not try this? A Modest Proposal.