McCain's Unaired Attack Ads: Creator Speaks

Time:

What if the McCain campaign had run ads using footage of Barack Obama dancing with Ellen DeGeneres to show his coziness with celebrity? Or followed up on its Paris Hilton ad with others featuring Donald Trump and Jessica Simpson? All of that was on the drawing board of Fred Davis III, the advertising whiz that John McCain's used for almost all of his campaign media, and one of the most talented conservative political operatives in America. Oh yes, he also had an internet ad up his sleeve that would attack Obama's celebrity by associating him with Oprah. But in the end, he scotched that one. "We decided you don't really fight Santa Claus or Oprah, so we removed her."

In an extended interview with TIME, Davis detailed what-might-have-been in the campaign ad war -- and what self-censorship the McCain staff imposed on itself regarding the issue of race. For most of the campaign, Davis functioned as McCain's silent partner. While journalists hounded McCain's senior campaign aides, people like Steve Schmidt, Mark Salter and Rick Davis (no relation), Fred Davis worked away in the shadows. He designed and often wrote the scripts for the most stinging of McCain's spots -- the web ad that depicted Barack Obama as a messiah, the kindergarten ad that suggested Obama wanted to teach young kids about sex or the many others that questioned Obama's qualifications for the White House. (See best Obama pictures from the presidential campaign.)

Read the whole story: Time

Comments

[westreal]

They lost because of reverse racism? The GOP comes up with the darndest of excuses.

[Hillrick]

If they are so put out because their hands were tied concerning the race card, perhaps they shouldn't have been/allowed racism over the decades. Of course they could just have ran a decent campaign talking about how they were going to run the country, not just tearing the other guy down.

[JackND]

The "refused to be released" is an ambiguous, if not bogus claim. It isn't heroic...i­t's protocol. I found myself correcting many people about that.

[glitz]

McCain's campaign had more serious problems than the ads it ran or didn't run. Who can forget the night of the nomination speech with a big screen image of Walter Reed High School, constant infighting about money, the fall to the far right, absolutely no vetting of his Vice candidate, or the attempt to "dumb down" the next Administration following the most mis-managed Presidency ever? No, his choices for ads had nothing to do with his loss.

[Klimb]

These failed ads were archaic, babaric, castigating, denounced, ex-communicated, flabbergasting, humiliatin­g...outdat­ed, retrogressive and unpalatable! These words are not too far apart in meaning but I had to write them. Also, I could go on BUT the Ads did not work...tha­nk God!

[thepoliticalcat]

I would never have clicked on that article if I hadn't been promised pictures of Obama. Bah, humbug.

[ddb]

His mum must be so proud.

[carlgt1]

wow, sounds like a losing strategy all around! not to mention extremely hypocritical considering the celebrity star-f&kker wanna-be Sarah Palin...

[proudem]

Aaaawwww Maann!! One more guy I gotta hate from the repug right regime.

[majorteddy]

You mean there was even more stupid stuff they didn't use ?

[CloseToTheEdge]

"All of that was on the drawing board of Fred Davis III, the advertising whiz that John McCain's used for almost all of his campaign media, and one of the most talented conservative political operatives in America."

I guess he is talented at throwing mud and lying about your opponent. Where I come from, lying is not generally described as a "talent", but rather a shortcoming.

But then, I'm a democrat.

[Colmore]

He is an "advertising whiz" and Rove is a "genius". Well, I guess the GOP has it's own standards for "quality". Our candidate is intelligent and adult. That trumps whatever the GOP has in my book.

[lynnn]

That's why they like Palin so much, she's a pathological liar, so that makes her like a super nice genius!

[metalpipe]

Interesting how more of these smear attempts would have deepened the trench the GOP presently finds itself. So much for the wiz kid.

[KathyinCT]

Exhilarating? To do campaigns for three big losers?

This guy needs some reality Kool Aid.

How he could take credit for the Dole ads is beyond me.

[Grunty1]

Maybe the goal was to throw her out?

[KarlaElisa]

that Obama wants to teach your 5 year old about sex one still has me pissed.

that was UGLY.

[mexamerican]

this davis character should be publicly bullwhipped, not interviewed by time magazine. just another sign of the depraved admiration society offers ruthless liars.

[moda31]

the fact that he was behind the despicable ads that came out of both the mccain & dole camps, says a whole lot about the work he does, especially when he cites them as being a career highpoint. and yes a lot of the stuff he mentions considering was racist, the phrase "playing the race card" has been so badly misused and distorted that too often we lose sight of very legitimate things behind the flurry.
republicans need to stop the garbage about the financial crisis sinking mccain, his numbers were sinking before it hit (a lot of that thanks to their golden gal palin). a candidate is supposed to be able to tackle all issues, as president you wouldn't get to write off an unpopular term as due to big bad unfair economic problems; he was a bad candidate plain & simple, the world imploding around you is not exactly christmas come early for an unknown & inexperienced candidate. a lot of the normal campaign postmortems are being lost amidst the continually sinking economy, and the CW that's being written is that mccain was a victim of everything but himself, his policies and his campaign; an assessment that is very unfair to the other side, which really overcame a lot to exceed everyone's expectations. winning big as a relative unknown, no matter how many great qualities you have is never easy, and no the media did not do their best to help him out (the other favorite republican lie).