From the Bar©
Partial excerpt from a New Republic article:But by trying to focus on their opponent's obvious weaknesses, [Dems] are missing the chance to neutralize their own. Democrats in general--and Kerry in particular--face an uphill struggle in convincing voters that they can be tough on national security. They ought to be running ads that let voters know that if a terrorist attack occurs on President Kerry's watch, he will respond confidently and with military force. Democrats should be reminding voters--most of whom view homeland security as a Bush strength--that it was actually Democrats who proposed the idea for a homeland security department, and that it was Bush who blocked the proposal for months."I certainly think that the ads Kerry does shouldn't be about Bush's weaknesses, if for no other reason than there are plenty of organizations out there doing those ads for him. But he shouldn't just be doing ads to offset his weaknesses; he also needs to be highlighting his little-known strengths. I've posted here before about his work to bring down CBBI and Kerry should do an ad about his willingness to take on corporate special interests. He should do ads that show actual Kerry supporters talking about why they support Kerry. He should do ads where he looks you right in the eye and tells you about all the things he's going to do when you vote for him.
For the necessary negative ads, no more half-veiled insinuations. John Kerry, candidate for president, should sit down and say, "I believe my opponent is corrupt, and I am going to stand behind that, and not back down or use anyone else to attack him for me. I am going to tell you exactly what I think for the next thirty seconds, and why."
Perhaps it's the insulating effect of the beltway. Perhaps its the fact that both sides use the same P.R. companies. Maybe it's cheaper to just change the name on a commercial every two years.
Election ads rely, from a storytelling perspective, far too much on the ominiscent narrator and the still of important national events and the portrait of a candidate riding a horse. I think the intelligence of the half of the American people who bother to vote has been greatly underestimated. At the very least, the audience has grown used to the conventions. We need to shake things up. We need an ad for a presidential candidate narrated by the actual presidential candidate.
