Rolling Stone names their pick for best ad of the campaign

[bascule]

Rolling stone has named their pick for best ad of the campaign, and it comes from a freelancer:

 

 

This guy did exactly what Obama's ads need to do: show the relationship between Bush and McCain and use Bush's horrible failures to sully McCain's image.

 

The Obama campaign isn't doing that. The latest ad is okay... it shows McCain as being a rich douchebag who's out of touch with the American people, and so rich he doesn't even know how many houses he owns. It's nice to see the turnaround on this ad as this whole thing came out a few days ago, but still, I don't think ads like this are getting the job done:

 

 

At the very end, we see the message: "We can't afford more of the same"

 

That's the message Obama's ads need to be driving home. Right now they aren't.

[Pangloss]

If by "okay" you mean "descending into attack mode again, focused on trivialities and giving the left wing blogosphere something to jaw about instead of a substantive discussion of the issues", I completely agree.

[iNow]

Keeping positive wasn't helping Obama. He was pure positive, and when McCain went negative, McCain picked up huge points. Obama stayed positive, and he kept losing ground. McCain kept negative, and kept gaining ground.

 

You don't need to have a PhD in hyperbolic topology to understand the math on this. The moment Obama struck back in kind his numbers started shooting back upward.

 

Now, I'm not saying I support the approach, nor that I think negative ads are good, but I am saying that you gotta do what you gotta do to get elected, otherwise, all of the hope and good will and intentions in the universe won't mean diddly squat.

 

 

 

Also, what's trivial about McCain being disconnected from the daily struggles of the populace and having an absent understanding of the economy?

[bascule]

descending into attack mode again

 

He needs to be in attack mode again. A bunch of feel good ads about how his policies will better American lives doesn't come close to convincing swing voters when they're seeing "OMG OBAMA IS HORRIBLE HE'S GUNNA RAIZE UR TAXES" ads from McCain.

 

Personally I'm quite happy to see Obama on the attack and think the feel good ads were a big mistake.

 

focused on trivialities and giving the left wing blogosphere something to jaw about instead of a substantive discussion of the issues", I completely agree.

 

All that said, what did you think of the freelance ad?

 

Also, what's trivial about McCain being disconnected from the daily struggles of the populace and having an absent understanding of the economy?

 

I think it's also important to note that McCain is making the same claims about Obama. It's just Obama's are a bit more substantive.

[Pangloss]

All that said, what did you think of the freelance ad?

 

It was nicely made. It constantly amazes me how good the general public is getting at video production.

 

You both have a good point about the "need" for attack mode. The story all last week was dropping poll numbers.

 

Also, what's trivial about McCain being disconnected from the daily struggles of the populace and having an absent understanding of the economy?

 

Nothing, but neither the story nor the attack ad prove that that's the case. That's what irks me about negative ads, they don't prove squat. We don't know these people from Adam -- we get a 10-second sound bite and then we get distorted, biased reactions on top of that. But I know I'm preaching to the choir here.

 

I can't help but wonder if both of their attack ads are working, and THAT'S why their poll numbers aren't as high as they could be. I like to think people aren't that stupid, but who knows, maybe you're right. The way the moderate left has mysteriously discarded "the only Republican they'd ever vote for", and the way the moderate right has descended into blogging about Obama's bastard half-brother living in a slum in Kenya (or wtf ever it is), or how he really is a Muslim because that's what he was born as, I guess it wouldn't surprise me after all.

 

Attack ads uber alles.