While it was exquisitely painful watching Biden try and fail to get that line into a call-and-response cadence at the DNC, I think it sums up a successful tactic for Obama. Both McCain and Pailn have been touting themselves as agents of change without batting an eyelash at the irony of belonging to the party that actually set the conditions people want changed. Obama needs to reassert control over that rhetorical stance.
And I think this first ad does pretty well. He may take some hits from commentators on the Right who will do their false indignation thing and call this a mean-spirited attack on McCain's age, but I think the combination of images and message resonates, particular when it arrives on the button with McCain riding shotgun in Bush's golf cart.
Still, it is an attack ad, which I could do without from either side (but notice how I'm not holding my breath). I like this second ad even more - simple, straightforward, and a vision-builder. It had better be just one small piece of a strategy to come - I'll be disappointed if this is the last time I see an Obama ad with him looking into the camera and just telling us who he is. It plays to his strength.
Thanks to HuffPo for pointing both of these out this morning. I'm planning on a lot more ad analysis in coming days, finally putting my (and this is no lie) BS in Advertising degree (I arrived at college with math and science credits that pushed me into the Bachelor of Sciences category) to work.
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I agree...that second ad is so much stronger than the first. There is no way to play on the playground the Republicans make without becoming childish...we need to find a better way of getting the message across, inspiring people and becoming something the Republicans have to react to instead of us always answering their bullies. If we keep playing into their schemes it will most certainly only become 'more of the same'.
The first ad is an attack ad, though the thing it has going for it is that it is a damning parody of most attack ads, as if the Obama camp thought it was far beneath them to take it seriously.
Also, I don't see Obama being remotely comfortable with just going to full on attack mode. What's more, I don't think it's in him.
I don't like the first ad. Somehow I wish that the Democrats could remain above it all, but I know that is unreasonable.
The second ad is fantastic!
So, JJ, is this a "gut message?"
I'm working on a post on the "gut" issue - coming soon.
I don't know. I think he needs to come up with a catchy "change" jingle. Can't you just see folks walking down the street humming it as they head to the polls?!?
Let's see..."range", "strange", "blange"...
Well Joe, the jingle is already written. Greg Brady wrote it when Peter's voice started to change and he needed to come up with a new song for the contest.
It's perfect!
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