Oh. My. Gosh… Is Carly Fiorina’s “Demon Sheep ad” the worst political advertisement of all time? It’s so bad, that it’s hard for me to believe this isn’t meant to be a parody of a bad political ad. See for yourself (fast forward to 2:26 to skip directly to the “demon sheep”):
As long time readers of this site know, I make it a policy to always adhere to the 11th Commandment. So this is not meant to be an attack on the Fiorina campaign. This is meant as constructive criticism. Someone in the Fiorina campaign has to “take the reins” on their web strategy ASAP.
Hat-tip: Linkiest
Scott Brown believes that our laws are meant to protect this nation, not our enemies. You can help Scott Brown mobilize voters by signing up for our Call From Home Program.
Interesting choice of subject matter for Brown, as he is indeed running for the JFK’s old seat. Obviously, the Kennedys are lining up on the other side, but it’s definitely a valid point to bring up parts of the Kennedy legacy that our friends on the left try to ignore. In fact, as the left has insisted on tying ObamaCare to Ted Kennedy’s ghost, it’s probably a good idea to remind people that the Kennedys were not single-issue candidates – and that Ted’s legacy and Jack’s legacy are not entirely the same.
As I said yesterday, this race should be our top priority for the next 20 days – and I think this ad is an intriguing and aggressive kick-start as we head into the home stretch.
So Jim Geraghty has noticed a new Chris Christie web video. He mentions it, without a whole lot of comment, but I think it deserves some.
Am I the only one who thinks this is a terrible ad? Web ads, the same as real ads, need to work as both video AND audio. This sucker doesn’t come close. I clicked on the ad, and then, as I often do, distractedly opened another window. So I just heard a minute and thirty seconds of Barack Obama exhorting the value of bringing Americans together. I couldn’t figure it, so I actually LOOKED at the ad. Or tried to anyway. It didn’t much help. The images aren’t stark enough, the music is soporific, and the pro-Christie stuff doesn’t show up until 1:10. I think it’s entirely possible, maybe even likely, that most people just clicking on the link could view the whole video without having the slightest idea it was a Chris Christie ad. If you’re going to do the “rhetoric vs reality” style ad, you need to A.) Make it bouncy so people pay attention, and B.) Make the contrast with text, audio, and images. Sure, it’s just a web ad, but it’s a bad signal for the closing argument of an already lackluster campaign.
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Matthew E. Miller can be contacted at Obilisk18@yahoo.com and at his Pawlentyesque blog
If you follow my blogging long enough, you will learn that I lose all domestic focus when there is a national election in either Britain, Canada, or Israel. I’m an election junkie, and I believe that the best way to be innovative her in the U.S. is to take new ideas from overseas. Hence, this is your warning that I will be covering the upcoming Canadian elections in depth.
I also think this one is going to be particularly fun to watch, because the Liberal Party’s popular leader and Prime Ministerial candidate – Michael Ignatieff – seems to be prepping himself for one of the most spectacular political implosions ever.
Why do I say this, expecially considering that Ignatieff’s Liberals are polling about even with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservatives? Well - watch these two ads and see if you don’t laugh as hard as I did (the second one is the more important).
Even if you don’t usually like foreign politics, my spidey senses are telling me that watching Ignatieff shoot himself in the foot is going to be highly entertaining.
Ad #1 – Conservatives attack the fact that Ignatieff didn’t even live in Canada for 34 years and only came back when recruited to run for Parliament in 2006.
Ad #2 – Ignatieff attempts to take the high road – but unloads an entire ammunition clip into his foot by talking about all of the Canadians he’s met while living overseas.
Now, this is going to be a long campaign – and I would caution the incumbent Conservatives to not rely too much on negative ads. However, I guess you shouldn’t fix what isn’t broke, and if this keeps up, Mr. Ignatieff is headed for what Rahm Emanuel would call a “Thumpin’”
I believe in positive political advertising. However, I also think that there are times when it is important to raise questions of character – especially if you are opposing someone who has problems so serious that they would affect governance. In fact, I wonder if we would be where we are today if McCain had been less hesitant to highlight Obama’s narcissism and shady connections (both of which have spawned numerous controversies since the election).
Hence, when I stumbled across Ignatieff.me today, I immediately thought that it was worth studying - as it could be a great template for a future effort against Obama.
So, what is Ignatieff.me? Well, it’s a new site being developed by the Conservative Party of Canada in the run-up to a likely election this fall – in which Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper will face of against Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff. However, the fun thing about Mr. Ignatieff is that he has many of the same liabilities as President Obama.
Specifically, Ignatieff is a “celebrity intellectual” (ex-Harvard professor) and an inexperienced candidate who relies on his charisma rather than policy – and he’s full of himself. Basically, he’s an old, Caucasian version of Obama – with the only real difference being that Ignatieff is much more narcissistic.
So, what do the Conservatives do, they launch a website that show Michael Ignatieff as the shallow celebrity that he is – by putting him on the cover of a fictional celebrity magazine called “Me!” (a play on the fact that Ignatieff once appeared on the cover of the British “GQ”). It’s a light hearted monument to Ignatieff’s narcissism – heavy on direct quotes and light on unfounded smears. It’s also loaded with info so hard-hitting that the popular Ignatieff will be lucky if he has any reputation left after this fall’s campaign.
Now, Ignatieff is an easy target because he has done so many stupid things. He left Canada in the late 1960s to become a globe-trotting intellectual, returning only when he decided he wanted to be Prime Minister (he was recruited as a celebrity candidate for the Liberals in the 2006 election). Along the way, he’s described both the U.S. and Britain as his adopted country, and even told the British press that the only thing he missed about Canada was Algonquin National Park. He has also literally described himself as “horribly arrogant”.
Obama would not be quite such an easy mark, but I do think he shares many of Ignatieff’s qualities. So, I would advise all of you to spend a few minutes poking around Ignatieff.me – and think of just how easy it would be to do the exact same thing with “Barack.me”. And when you watch the opening video sequence, be sure to remember that this guy is running for Prime Minister of CANADA.
I might also add that people like Ignatieff are also sad reminders of why negative ads are sometimes neccessary for the public to make informed decisions.
As Bob points out, a few advertisers have withdrawn sponsorship of Glenn Beck, based on pressure they have receiving from Obama’s brownshirts.
I agree with Erick Erickson, that this is our first opportunity to fight back against Obama’s thug squad and stand up for conservatism and free speech:
Barack Obama’s brownshirts are after Glenn Beck.
We can’t let them win. If they win with Beck, they’ll be emboldened to go after even more people.
A while back, Glenn Beck called Barack Obama a “racist.” Given all the terrorists, thugs, and racists Barack Obama has chosen as close personal friends (see e.g. Rev. Wright), it’s not a stretch to say it.
In fact, Obama’s Green Jobs Czar, the convicted felon and self-declared communist Van Jones, has direct ties to the organization that’s trying to shut down Glenn Beck. Jones’s group has hired a big Hollywood PR firm and they are pressuring Glenn’s advertisers to stop advertising. If not, they’ll lead a boycott.
We need to strike back and boycott these groups for ditching Beck. If they are going to fold so easily in the face of Obama brownshirts, we must push back. If not, who’ll be next?
Here’s the list of the groups that have boycotted Glenn Beck. Let them know you disagree. Let them know you will boycott them for kowtowing to Barack Obama’s worshippers, brownshirts, goons, and thugs.
SC Johnson:
Fisk Johnson Chairman & CEO
Phone: (262)260-2000Petrell Ozbay
Senior Global Public Affairs Manager
Phone: (262) 260-2114
pmozbay@scj.comProgressive Insurance:
Glenn Renwick, President & CEO- (440)461-5000Linda Harris, Advertising & Sponsorships
Linda_J._Harris@progressive.comGeico:
Tony Nicely
Chairman, President & CEO, Insurance Operations
E-mail: tnicely@geico.com
(301) 986-2462Chris Tasher, GEICO Media Relations
301-986-3271
ctasher@geico.com
I am no longer willing to sit silent as the far left dismantles everything I love about this country, including the very basic of liberties
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Kristofer Lorelli can be contacted at lorville@rogers.com, on Facebook and twitter/Kris_Lorelli.
This e-mail from Newt just hit my inbox:
Dear Aron,
Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants the U.S. House to vote at the end of this week on the Waxman-Markey National Energy Tax (House Bill 2454) and we need to defeat it.
With gas prices climbing, the last thing we need is a new energy tax that will drive them even higher, nearly double the cost of electricity, and destroy millions of jobs every year for the next 25 years.
Right now, Al Gore and all the anti-energy interest groups are buying television ads and mobilizing their activists to pressure members of Congress to support this job-killing bill.
We must act now. To fight back, we created this TV ad, and we need your help to get it on the air.
To get it on the air, we need to raise $150,000 in the next twenty-four hours.
Can you make a secure donation right now for $15, $25 or whatever you can afford?
With over 110,000 people signing our “Stop the Energy Tax” petition, we’ve already made a big impact towards defeating this massive energy tax–but it’s time to take it to the next level.
With the vote just days away, your urgent contribution of $15, $25 or more will be directly used to put this ad on television and to keep the pressure on Congress.
Here’s the link to contribute:
http://www.americansolutions.com/contribute/index.php?id=70180000000JMYv§ion=energytaxad
Thank you for your generous support.
Your friend,
Newt Gingrich
General Chairman
American Solutions for Winning the FutureP.S. With your generous support, we’re also planning to place newspaper ads, radio promotions, and internet ads in key swing congressional districts to fight back against politicians who would punish the American people with higher energy taxes.
Chris Christie released a new campaign ad, targeting opponent Steve Lonegan.
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Kristofer Lorelli can be contacted at lorville@rogers.com, on Facebook and twitter/Kris_Lorelli.
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Kristofer Lorelli can be contacted at lorville@rogers.com, on Facebook and twitter/Kris_Lorelli.
So Jim Tedisco really just might lose that seat in New York vacated by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. A new poll showing Tedisco trailing Democratic challenger Scott Murphy prompted a rather ridiculous reaction from my colleague Matt C, who said that “Steele needs to be ousted, period,” if Tedisco can’t pull this off. Now, Matt is surely looking for any excuse to bash Mr. Steele, given that he was always skeptical of the chairman, but I think that my own comment in that thread better sums it up: “What the hell does this have to do with Michael Steele?”
Really, it’s nothing more than the nonsensical “presiding over” argument that people in politics always spout back and forth. “Bill Clinton presided over a booming economy,” say Democrats. Ari Fleischer recently contended that “George W. Bush presided over many years of job creation.” Yes, I suppose that’s true in the most literal sense. I’ve also lost weight since Nancy Pelosi has been Speaker of the House. But the better question to ask is whether correlation and causation are linked.
Quite frankly, I don’t really see how it’s possible to blame Steele for a Tedisco loss. Tedisco has run a terrible campaign, waffling around on its most important issue, the stimulus (he refused to take a position until just a couple of weeks ago). The ad campaign has generally been seen to be going in Murphy’s favor, and Murphy has been leading in fundraising. Tedisco recently weirdly skipped out on a debate with Murphy and the recently-disqualified Libertarian candidate Eric Sundwall, who endorsed Murphy but whose departure is seen to help Tedisco. Tedisco, for his part, chose to take part in a townhall meeting stacked with sycophants. Most recently, he released a last-minute ad bashing Murphy for opposing the death penalty for terrorists. I would leave you with this quote from Aron Goldman, who also highlighted poll numbers showing voters responding poorly to Tedisco’s ads:
This ad reeks of desperation, and all indicators suggest it will be counterproductive.
Even though I strongly support the death penalty for premeditated murder, I can’t say I agree with the ad’s suggestion that justice isn’t served if someone like KSM is locked up in Gitmo, or perhaps Bagram, until his dying day; that advocacy for anything less than death makes Scott Murphy somehow unpatriotic or weak in the…Overseas Contingency Operation.
Also, it’s one thing if this were intended for an audience that’s across the entire country, but no New Yorker, not even those living upstate, need to be reminded that 9/11 was “a national tragedy.” It shouted ‘tonedeafness,’ and highlighted a disconnect on the part of the NRCC.
Last point. It can’t come as any real surprise should Scott Murphy pull this off. In how many “Republican districts” does Obama still boast a 65 percent favorable rating? And I can’t imagine the GOP faring very well in any CD where the state’s Democratic senator sports a 76 percent favorable rating.
So please, dear God, don’t blame Steele for this mess. You might as well blame Chuck Hagel.
Not to put a damper on the respect for the peaceful transition of power that took place today, but this is freaking me out. It is frightening.
Watch as Hollywood B grade talent pledge the possession of their souls to the One:
“I pledge to be a servant to our president.”
Me? I pledge to make as much money as these people so when our country faces an economic crisis, I can devote all my time to serving the One. Ooops… we already are facing an economic crisis and I am broke.
Update: I thought of a new pledge… I pledge not to treat people, whether they are of the same political beliefs as I am or not, fairly and with respect, in times of agreement and disagreement.
That’s one pledge that I think everyone in this video FAILED.
