Obama Rapid-Response Ad Skewers McCain

Every day, my inbox is filled with twenty or thirty or more press releases from the presidential campaigns and their surrogates. Some communicate important factual information or make newsworthy position statements; at least half are just toss-off cheap shots or blatant spin on ephemeral and forgettable events.

Sometimes, though, even the trite stuff turns interesting, reminding us that politics isn't just deadly serious -- it's also a great spectator sport when it's played well. (Think Roman gladiators instead of pro football.)

Exhibit 1: the campaigns' exchanges Thursday afternoon trying to turn the nation's economic woes to political advantage:

At 2:37 p.m. Pacific time Thursday, the McCain campaign issued a press release announcing its newest T.V. ad, titled "Advice," which ties Obama to a disgraced financial figure. The McCain press release describes the ad this way:

ARLINGTON, VA -- Today, McCain-Palin 2008 released its latest television ad, entitled "Advice." The ad highlights who Barack Obama is seeking advice from on mortgage and housing policy. Unfortunately for the American people, one of those advisers is Franklin Raines who led Fannie Mae when "extensive financial fraud" was committed to enrich Fannie executives. The ad will be televised nationally.

At 3:50 p.m., the Obama camp responded with a press release disputing the McCain ad's central premise. It read:

Statement from Frank Raines on the ad: "I am not an adviser to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters."

"This is another flat-out lie from a dishonorable campaign that is increasingly incapable of telling the truth. Frank Raines has never advised Senator Obama about anything -- ever. And by the way, someone whose campaign manager and top adviser worked and lobbied for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shouldn't be throwing stones from his seven glass houses," said Obama-Biden campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

So far, this is no different than the dozens of other, relatively benign, usually unreported tit-for-tat exchanges that the campaigns excrete two or three times a day into a thousand journalists' inboxes. Even the inadequacy of Obama's response isn't newsworthy; for at least a couple of months, it's been standard practice for the Obama campaign to answer a McCain T.V. ad with a mere press release that, even if accurate, doesn't reach the same audience -- a symptom of deficiencies both of cash and of inspiration.

But then, in one stroke (and in just over three hours), the Obama campaign turned a pedestrian, inside-the-Beltway kerfuffle into high political art -- and did so by borrowing a tactic from McCain, whose own media strategy has focused largely on appropriating and confusing Obama's trademarks by making them his own (e.g., "change" and "enough is enough").

At 6:54 p.m. -- three hours and four minutes after McCain announced his ad -- the Obama campaign issued a second press release announcing (and linking to) their own new TV ad, "Who Advises?" -- an ad that mirrors McCain's so closely that there's no other way to interpret it except as a direct "in your face!" to the McCain campaign -- the electoral equivalent of stealing McCain's ball, stuffing it in the hoop, then leaning into McCain's grill and sharing just a couple words of trash talk to drive home the point that it's Obama's court now:

The Obama ad parallels the McCain ad from its intro (the opponent doesn't understand economics) to its theme (voters should be worried about the opponent's advisers) to its title (McCain's "Advice" vs. Obama's "Who Advises"). In fact, Obama's ad secretly has the same name as McCain's: the video embedded in Obama's own website is coded simply "advice.flv."

And both ads contain hidden messages. Most of Obama's inner circle happens to be white -- but McCain's ad lingers on three different images of another black man, one with few connections to Obama's campaign, and follows with a shot of a troubled, elderly white woman. It's not unreasonably cynical, in this era, to realize that this is a carefully-calibrated effort to trigger some voters' recollections of Obama's former black-rights-oriented pastor, and to provoke latent fears of a black cabal taking control of the government (remember, at the Texas Republican Party's convention there were buttons asking, "If Obama Is President... Will We Still Call It the White House?").

Obama's ad subtly reminds viewers to fear a different cabal, one terrifying to liberals, moderates and libertarian conservatives alike: the small and narrow-minded subset of evangelical Christians, sometimes called "dominionists" by theologians but more popularly (mis)labelled "fundamentalists," who seek control of everything from Middle East policy (where they believe God wants a cataclysmic war between Israel and the forces of Satan) to the intimate lives and reproductive choices of ordinary American people. The Obama ad doesn't just slam-dunk McCain on the economy; it also reminds people that the Republican Party is still dominated by fundamentalists like the anti-choice, anti-sex-ed, anti-gay, dinosaur-bones-are-a-trick-by-Satan Sarah Palin, who thinks God has given her a mission to occupy the White House and who, given McCain's age and health, may well wind up doing so. Where does the Obama ad do this? It's subtle but it's there: watch the word "fundamentally" draw attention to itself as it moves across the Obama ad, and ask whether it brought some undefined but nevertheless powerful emotions to the surface the first time you saw it.

Bottom line: the McCain ad is good, but the immediate, same-news-cycle Obama response is great. "Advice"? Naw. McCain's getting "schooled." Not only will Obama's ad neutralize McCain's if they both are run in battleground states, but it may succeed in stopping McCain from actually running his ad altogether, since he knows it will only be trumped, embarrassingly, by Obama's. By acting quickly, decisively, and creatively, Obama has preserved the status quo -- which, this week, is trending in Obama's favor. And by creating and circulating such a superb response ad to the media, Obama also is sending a message to opinion-makers that he's back in the game, carrying all the momentum.

This is the kind of brilliance that helped a little-known civil rights lawyer, Constitutional law professor and community organizer win the Democratic nomination over the best-connected political machine since Daley the Elder ran Chicago. The exchange of press releases and ads today is reminiscent of those the Obama camp pumped out regularly during the middle third of the primary season, before Obama decided to start dropping to a knee after the snap to run out the clock (and seemingly forgot how to rise to his feet again once the general election started). The mojo seemed to be missing from the Obama campaign over the last couple of months -- but if today's exchange of ads and press releases (coupled with August's fundraising numbers) is any indication, Obama may be getting that mojo back. And not only is it good politics -- it's great sport, as well.

Comments

[Sometimey]

McCain may have pulled out the race card sooner because Barack has been holding up too well under normal attacks. Take a look at what John McCain's trying to pull:
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/260059

[deliriousgod]

jokers wild

[rose london]

YES...GO OBAMA. WE WILL FIGHT THEM WITH THE TRUTH.

YES WE CAN...(please God don't let mcsame still YES WE CAN as he had stolen ENOUGH AND CHANGE AMEN)

[S1m0n]

I suspect that confirmation bias is likely to have McCain's target audience as enthusiastic about his ad as you are about Obama's. You're already convinced, so you have his ad much more convincing...

[vgirl1]

BULLSEYE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OBAMA TAKING IT TO THEM!

I COULDN"T BE HAPPIER...................


HIT 'EM WHERE IT HURTS, FOR AS LONG AS IT HURTS!

[Jezreel]

Mr. Bellows I always enjoy reading your articles. This one was especially wondeful. Your insights are spot on and your points well taken. Thanks for providing us with such great writing.

[hadtosayit]

I'm very concerned about Sara Palin's fundamentalist beliefs. I've read she believes Rapture will take place in her lifetime. Is it her desire to help facilitate it? If so, I must ask (re: the quote above)...If Palin is elected, for how long will there even BE a White House?

According to Economic Policy Journal, 9- 5-08, Wasilla Assembly of God, Palin"s family church "believes humanity is in its "end times" -- the days preceding a world-ending cataclysm-- bringing ¦ the second coming of Jesus."

In 2006 Palin sought job advice as governor from the former pastor at WAG. Her "foundation and source of guidance" continues to be " [a literal interpretation] of the Bible...and a conviction to be God's servant" (New York Times, 9-5-08).

At a WAG church event featuring Palin, Pastor Ed Kanlins made it clear he believes the end times are coming in his lifetime by declaring "Alaska is one of the 'refuge states' ¦. In the Last Days hundreds of thousands of people are going to come to this state to seek refuge; and the church has to be ready to minister to them" (UTube, 6-8-08).

If Sara Palin believes the end times are near and as God"s servant is guided by a literal interpretation of the Bible, can we trust her judgment and determination to preserve the future well-being of our country?

http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/the-terror-that-would-be-president-mccain/

[Willow712]

We could be watching bombs dropping, and Palin would be looking around for Jesus. And when she didn't see Him? "Oops!"

[Shiral]

No "may" about it--Obama's back on his feet and picking up speed. His Mojo is officially back. And his campaign is turning out some great ads! There's the Spanish language ads where Rush Limbaugh's own nasty words come back to bite him. (I LOVED seeing that gasbag get some of his own back--literally, and squealing like a piglet with pain. He's deserved that slap for YEARS. That alone would make me want to vote Obama if I weren't already. There was the "Honor" ad showing how McCain is willing to sell out everything to get elected; there's today's ad in another column here on the Huffington Post adressing the problem of unequal pay for equal work and how McCain said women just need more education and training rather than acknowledge this is a problem. (UGH!)

And now we have THIS ad. =o) All of them have been truthful and hard hitting.
Keep 'em coming, Barack! We're counting on you!

[zor]

WAY TO GO O...McCain is so intent on telling...well, you know...so O's truth probably hurts him to the inner core of his being...but, you know, I could be wrong...McCain could be alergic to the truth... which may explain why he is having trouble telling the truth...

[cyndeewi]

Brillant!!

[4wehttam]

I love when O is on offense. I'm so PROUD to be a democrat, we have decency and intellect on our side. He repugs only have their hate, lies and ignorance.

[Ofactor]

I know, it really does make your proud to be a Dem. I mean I don't know about you but I really do beleive in the things that Barak is saying. I think that no matter what he will talk to the American people about what is going on. I have faith that he can clean this mess up!!! People always want to say that we dems are drinking from the koolaide. I try to tell them it has nothing to do with that, it really has to do with I beleive he is the one to make the change in America, and why is that so hard to beleive?

[chucklasker]

Awesome! Obama's back, and his campaign has the upper hand! Let's blow away those racist, cynical, lying bastards with a 48 state win in November!

[BBackSoon]

I would have to say that this is a great add even if it had taken weeks to put together but since it only took hours it is Fantastic!!! And this one does not have a shelf life. This add can be played till election day.

[drkazmd65]

Absolutely BBAck - Obama wasn't my first, second, or even third choice among the Democrats back in January,.... but I have begun to see the error of my early ways.

The man knows how to run a campaign.

[hardesty]

Two things: First, I just sent more money to Obama. Keep these coming!!! Second, will someone tell Ari Melber to PLEASE contradict the Republican talking heads that Raines is NOT and NEVER has been an advisor to Obama!! Come on! David Shuster's show today at 3:15 had Watkins from the Repubs spouting about Raines as an advisor to Obama. Melber passed it over and left it hanging out there like it was a fact!! Get with the program here!!

[doctordoubt]

Need to start reminding the great unwashed of the Keating five. That should take them out for awhile.And if I remember right, wasn't mcwhatever part of that?

[missedith]

Makes ya miss Tim Russert all the more. I have the same irritation with all the MSM talking heads. Stuff gets said and they don't challenge it - either cuz they don't know enough to do so, or because they have a hidden agenda. Improper and egregious lapses in journalistic integrity like this from Matt Lauer and Tom Brokaw in recent days.

[Ofactor]

I agree, man Tim was the one person that you could count on to keep it real, and tell you the truth. You new that there was no spin with Tim....I was so sad when he died because it was just to soon, but also for selfish reasons and that being that we would not be able to wade through the crap and Tim did that for us.

RIP TIM........PLEASE LOOK DOWN OVER MSM....THANKS GOOD BUDDY!!!

[johnnygoodwud]

no experience,,,,,,,,,hmmmm he's running a $500 mil campaign, and beat the most established political machine in history the clintons. john mccain, lets appoint a commission to look into things.

[MPeter]

Yeah, I love this guy. Obama is no push-over. He knows how to throw a punch. I just loved it. Once again it is like 'float like a butterfly and sting like a bee'. McBush is stung right in the ass. Good ad.

[sleek]

Pretty interesting how Republicans want more regulation and want change ...they want to be like Democrats!