« previous | TPM CAFÉ READER POSTS HOME | next »
The ad that will win the election? Cartwrightdale's crusade
This is sterner stuff than Obama and his team seem willing to do:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRpIfTDHG2U
If we could get this on the air, maybe the awful consequences of giving the GOP yet another pass would become clearer to people? This is an ad originally crafted by a blogger on DailyKos, and slightly retooled to go on the air now in Ohio and Michigan. They have another ad that is also persuasive but not quite as powerful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4eiE_ijB6E
Do you think it's worth it to make an organized effort to get the first ad on the air? If we're unsatisfied with the tenor and message of Obama's ads, then maybe we ought to get together to put out our own messages.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/9/14/203255/447/106/598917
Comments (30)
Wow. Great ad, really. Do you know which states it will be airing in? I don't see anything on their website that says.
September 14, 2008 10:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Supposedly Ohio and Michigan, on a limited basis. I'd love to see us put together an ad hoc effort to air the ad, since both Obama and Moveon's ads seem so punchless. I feel like it would be great if we could construct our own stunts as media events, to steal away the attention that Jerome Corsi, the Tennessee GOP and other goobers are able to get. What do you think?
Truthandhope.org, the airers of the ad, have an ActBlue account to support the commercials:
https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/21128
September 14, 2008 10:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ohio and Michigan would be good. So would Virginia... What would be nice would be a national movement against McCain's lies. But I don't know the first thing about getting something like that set up. I wish I could, but...
And I wish I could donate and help with airing the ad. But I don't have any money right now, not even for Obama, to whom I desperately would like to donate.
September 14, 2008 10:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll make a donation for ya fella.
September 14, 2008 10:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you. =)
I've donated when I can, even though I really have practically nothing in the bank. And right now is worse than ever for me financially. Maybe once I'm on my feet I'll donate more. I don't know if it'll be for a while, though.
September 14, 2008 11:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
You can always use your feet and voice in place of cash. (everyone else: that should read in addition to cash!)
Hope you get through soon, these are indeed are tough times. I'm not far from a ramen diet myself.
September 14, 2008 11:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm moving to WA, so as soon as I get there, I'm gonna do everything I can to get involved. One of the reasons my funds are so tight right now.
September 14, 2008 11:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well you'd better hurry up and get out here, the voter registration deadline is Sept 4! :)
September 15, 2008 3:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
SEPTEMBER? I looked it up and it said OCTOBER 4th! ...Like tons of other states. And I know. I'm gonna register ASAP. =)
September 15, 2008 8:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
Er, Oct. 4
September 15, 2008 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
The main problem with donating to Obama is his so-far tepid ads. Maybe they have a better vision of how to win this campaign than we do, but I have found most of his ads to be surprisingly unpersuasive and uncreative. I'd give my entire bank account and my right leg if it would win us this election, but I don't want to throw good money after bad.
September 14, 2008 10:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
His money doesn't just go to ad buys, though. That money also goes to the ground game, to registering voters, to increasing voter turnout, etc., etc. That's where I imagine my money going. Even if it doesn't go specifically to those things, I can pretend it does. ;D
September 14, 2008 11:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wish I could choose to donate to ground game (very important) rather than ads (lackluster), just like I wish I could selectively donate to certain efforts by MoveOn and not some of their other, less clever campaigns...
September 14, 2008 11:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Of course. But rather than withhold funds because you think they MIGHT get put into ads... Well, it doesn't really help. I'd rather donate and assume it's going to the ground game (even if it's not) than to not donate at all. Ads are not the most persuasive tool, but I think Obama's ads have been improving, and I think that in some cases they certainly can persuade certain voters.
September 14, 2008 11:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I am an organizer and I like the ad, however I do not see it having the appropriate $ to impact ratio.
September 14, 2008 10:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Indeed, the only way it would be effective is if we could cultivate interest in the campaign, so the mainstream media would see it as a "story." I was thinking of setting up a Facebook group to support the Cartwrightdale ad, but only if there was a consensus that the ad was wortwhile.
Alternatively, Chris Bowers has an impressive project to use Google's advertising program to spread anti-McCain memes, in a way that might do better on the $ to impact measurement. What do you think?
http://openleft.com/userDiary.do?personId=9
September 14, 2008 10:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
In creating news, yes I agree with this ad, get the hairdos talking then you may have something, that is a big if though.
I definitely do not intend to discourage though, it cannot harm, every bit of positive action is needed. I am glad to know that folks are taking initiative. Thats the point of this participatory democracy we want to create, no?
Separately I do not agree with your assessment on Obama's ads, they are not great but I have seen some effects of them on the ground. Will they be enough, dunno, time will tell, I just do what I can do in the meantime.
September 14, 2008 11:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd love to know more -- which ads have you noticed people responding to, and how?
September 14, 2008 11:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
It started with the houses business and has left an opening for rational kitchen table discussion. The lobbyist piece has gone with the theme and left an impression as well. Now this is anecdotal I know, but the way I view the ads are that they are only to seed the frame to be hatched in the f2f conversation. Anecdotal yes, but not just me, it's what I gather from others during debriefs and could be regional as well. Hope that isn't too vague.
September 14, 2008 11:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have no idea where to go w/ this, but it is a really good ad.
Surely someone has an in w/ the Obama campaign...Josh maybe? Has he seen this? What about Olbermann or Matthews...they seem to always be showing spots that are coming from weird places...
I heard the other night that Olbermann blogs at the Daily KOS...the guy that started Kos was on Countdown the other night...
September 14, 2008 11:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly... if we trumpet this ad and draw attention to it, then Olbermann might pick up on it, leading other gasbags to pay attention -- in the same way that the Republicans get the media to amplify their messages for free. We just have to turn it into a mini media event.
September 15, 2008 5:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
I love that ad. Josh posted a link to it a few weeks back. At the time I sent a link to it to MoveOn hoping maybe someone would pick it up or put something out like it. Then it disappeared. I think it would be more effective with a deeper and more forceful voice. We can blog, comment and email it with the hopes of it going viral. I think when it comes to putting something on the air it's best to work with marketing pros who know viewing trends and audience targeting.
September 15, 2008 3:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, I checked out truthandhope.org and see that it did go somewhat viral. You can donate there too. I'll put some $ in for it.
September 15, 2008 3:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is a great ad and is in keeping with Obama's overall messaging. If he had it tagged with "I'm Barack Obama and I approved this message" I wouldn't have been disappointed.
I think it is an effective way to remind those folks in the middle who gave Bush the benefit of the doubt and got burned that they shouldn't assume McCain is any different.
I am guessing that Barack has a method to his madness given the results of his efforts so far.
September 15, 2008 9:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
The only problem with the ad is it is 1 minute long. That would cost a shitload of money but everyone post and give it 5 stars so it can get some honors.
September 15, 2008 10:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's a damn good ad.
I'll support it.
September 15, 2008 12:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Decent ad, but it needs a new voiceover. To me, this one sounds way too NPR/East Coast intellectual and won't appeal to the right people.
September 15, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about a female voice? Or someone like Harry Connick, Jr., a little Southern, a little Cajun?
September 15, 2008 5:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
truthandhope already did an ad buy for this ad in Dayton and is going to air in Michigan as well. It has already been on the air. I helped pay for it.
See this diary on DKOS:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/14/203255/447/106/598917
September 15, 2008 9:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
I e-mailed the link to Rachel Maddow...I would imagine she's looking for off the wall stories, and I proposed a story about grassroots efforts on Obama's behalf as perhaps a way of getting it some on air play...
September 15, 2008 10:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Post a Comment