The New Republic

Interesting ad. I liked the one I saw during my Steeler's game last night; nailed McCain hard on the lobbyist thing.

- GSpinks

September 15, 2008 at 1:47pm

It's about time.

- janus

September 15, 2008 at 2:06pm

Mike made a nice catch last week when he linked to this McCain ad from the 2000 campaign that lambasted

- Anonymous

September 15, 2008 at 2:24pm

Janus: this ad could not have been run two weeks ago.  There was still, for reasons unknown, this thing in the media that McCain is an honourable man; he was taboo.  Any attack on McCain's honour would have been met with stony embarrassment by the media - and, what is more, it would have been attacks by an uppity nigger against a Venerable War Hero. POW POW POW.  They had to bide their time and wait for the Rovian tactics to kick in, so that they could then kick the shit out of McCain.  The last two weeks have been the setting of the tone by McCain, and from now on, it's open season - and note, this is not Obama attacking, but the opinion-makers.  For God's sake, even the WSJ and Rove are pissing on McCain now.  

The Obama campaign is unrolling amazingly well right now, and McCain's missteps on the economic meltdown and Palin's awful performance are doing the yeoman work of changing the "fundamentals" of the electorcal campaign.

- icarusr

September 15, 2008 at 2:28pm

It is long past time.

As a stand alone, this is very well done, but it needs to be part of a frame the repeats the message over and over again in different ways, using different visual and verbal hooks.  You don't make a "frame" with a single message.  Moreover, for the meme to take off, it requires not only paid advertising, but repetition by all surrogates and via all media.  Then it becomes a story of its own and a piece of the frame is in place.  At some point, Obama has to roll out another piece of the frame -- McCain's incapacity to serve as president -- too doddering, mind wandering, confused.  Not a lot of time left, but enough time if this is pursued aggressively.

One more thing:  When McCain starts to scream about it, double down.  That's when really nailing it in unforgiving terms turns McCain's complaint into "whining," the horror of any candidate.

- roidubouloi

September 15, 2008 at 2:29pm

GSpinks:

Super glad to here about the lobbying ad although I haven't seen it.  The ultimate frame for McCain is three pieces:

dishonest (campaign lies), corrupt (owned by lobbyists), too old (confused about all policy)

The three support the top of the pyramid:  More Bush

Two out of three pieces is as much as Obama should be going for at one time.  Otherwise, there is confusion.

- roidubouloi

September 15, 2008 at 2:31pm

Roid, some afternoon delight for the anti-lobbyist crowd; www.youtube.com/watch

- GSpinks

September 15, 2008 at 4:38pm

I like it, except that it doesn't identify any of the sleazy attacks it's referring to.  Perhaps there's a danger in that, and perhaps the idea is just to plant this narrative in people's minds and demonstrate that everyone's saying it.  If so, mission accomplished.

- jhildner

September 15, 2008 at 5:55pm

Noam Scheiber: "not exactly what I was proposing."

But pretty damn close, don't you think?  And I'm not sure your's fit into a 30 second spot.

- aeromonas

September 16, 2008 at 2:05am

"yours" not "your's"  uggh.  I hate them dad burn errant apostrophes.  

- aeromonas

September 16, 2008 at 2:06am