Reader Posts
« previous | TPM CAFÉ READER POSTS HOME | next »
Can Obama Survive this Ad?
If Clinton aired anything like this, she would be crucified.It's just a taste of what is to come, if Obama actually moves from presumptuous state of entitlement to elected (or appointed) candidate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7Yd80tXs_4
Advertisement







Comments (16)
Yes he can! :D
May 9, 2008 9:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Apparently the right and the Clinton supporters weren't listening the many times Obama has already answered those questions.
Go home folks, nothing to see here. Just a re-hash of attacks Clinton has already tried.
May 9, 2008 9:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Holy $hit. That's about the most pathetic garbage I've seen today. Thank you very little, "Present/slumlord".
May 9, 2008 9:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
lol.thats a weak ad.
maybe you havnt been paying attention to the economy or the war or the price of gas or health care or...
maybe you just havnt been paying any attention at all.
May 9, 2008 9:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
That's rather pathetic for an attack ad, but I'm not surprised to see that slummy is impressed by standard GOP "tax and spend" rhetoric. It confirms where he's really coming from.
I can think of two sorts of ads that will be far more difficult. One will be ads with the most inflammatory things said by Wright. That didn't derail his campaign during the primaries, and will do even less in the general election, but it will still pack more punch than the one slummy is so impressed with here.
More of a threat is the ad that McCain will use with video of Hillary endorsing McCain over Obama. If Obama were stupid enough to pick Hillary for a running mate that ad would be devastating. Can you imagine ads with Obama's own running mate endorsing his opponent? But I don't think Obama is going to make that mistake.
May 9, 2008 9:59 PM | Reply | Permalink
First as people have commented, Obama has answered these questions -- and he can answer them again.
But if Hillary aired this, most of these attacks could just as easily be directed at her (spending, experience, votes on war)... so yes, it would be like hitting herself in the face with a pie.
And that, would be enough for people to question her intelligence.
May 9, 2008 10:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you would have said she DID run this ad, I would not have been surprised.
May 9, 2008 10:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you would have said she DID run this ad, I would not have been surprised.
She's run her campaign badly, demonstrated her ability to come up with reasonable plans and contingency plans, and had a Bush-like tendency to let loyalty outweigh incompetence. But none of her ads (that I've seen) have been as thoroughly lame as this one.
On the other hand the depths of Penn's incompetence have yet to be fully explored. And she's been embracing GOP rhetoric and GOP positions more and more, so I suppose I could believe that she could start using GOP boilerplate "tax and spend" rhetoric against a Democratic opponent. It wouldn't be any stupider than making "experience" an issue and ending up looking foolish for inflating a photo-op in Bosnia into some sort of heroic war zone story.
And in general she's run such a completely incompetent campaign that she's squandered huge leads in name recognition, fundraising, and endorsements, to end up losing to a freshman Senator with "Hussein" for a middle name and a last name that rhymes with "Osama."
So I guess now that you mention it, if she ran this ad I wouldn't be all that surprised.
May 9, 2008 10:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
demonstrated her ability to come up with reasonable plans and contingency plans
demonstrated her INability, obviously
May 9, 2008 10:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
As someone who has been in advertising my entire adult life as both a writer and producer of TV spots. I can safely say, this ad fails on numerous levels.
It asks questions supposedly we can't ask, because he has no answer. Yet after each question it states yes we can ask those questions.
And I believe in all cases he would have good answers for them. The "present" has been answered so many times it's become meaningless. However, I am sure it will have to be answered again and again. Since most people to understand a legislature that have an option beyond yes or no votes that carry meaning.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20cnd-obama.html?_r=1&ref=politics&oref=slogin
The visual image of Obama is a positive one. Doesn't make him look scary. In fact it makes him look thoughtful.
As an attack ad it doesn't work and may end up working to his favor.
May 9, 2008 11:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Plus it's pretty boring.
May 9, 2008 11:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not to mention there's simply too much in the ad. For most viewers, this ad, when it's finished, will have left nothing more than a jumbled mess in their minds. An effective ad is succinct and drives home a particular point that sticks in a viewer's mind. This one has no focus and won't leave a lasting impression, at least not of the individual issues it's trying to raise. It's like those epic laundry lists of "what's wrong with Obama" you immediately scroll past in comment threads. The only people who read them are members of the choir.
The the dominant and clearest elements of the ad are the images of Obama (I agree most aren't sufficiently insulting) and the "Yes we can." "Yes, we can," the competition's trademark, is what people will remember from the ad, especially those who see it only once or twice. A threshold of awareness for the negative arguments won't be reached. And the purpose in trying to appropriate the "Yes, we can" isn't direct enough. So it will be lost under the impression of the mantra itself.
May 9, 2008 11:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Do people really believe that the Republicans are less principled or smarter and tougher than Clinton? I agree the 527s might be pretty rough--but I doubt the McCain campaign will go any lower than Clinton has. Certainly he won't be saying "I'm the candidate of the white people" which seems to be her new campaign theme.
May 10, 2008 12:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran!
May 10, 2008 1:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
No he can't. The "Yes We Can" chorus in the vid is scary as hell.
May 10, 2008 2:52 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is it ok if we ask Hillary Clinton if she can hear Rush Limbaugh over the sniper fire
"Yes We Can"
The sad part of your post is that the questions being asked on that ad are actually OLDER than the stupid Bosnia controversy.
Give it up, pack it in and go have some Crown Royal. Come back when you have some fresh material. Better yet, don't come back.
SO SAYS DOOM!
May 12, 2008 1:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
Post a Comment