The RNC’s terrible new TV ad.

Posted byWaldo Jaquith 8 Comments on The RNC’s terrible new TV ad.

This Republican TV “be very afraid” ad is terrible. It’s like a parody of a Republican political ad: the ticking timebomb, the heartbeat, the images of terrorists. I guess voters are to conclude that Republicans will keep them safe, but I think it has the opposite effect. The message that voters will get from this is “Bush has had six years to capture bin Laden and he’s done dick-all about it.” I hope they spend millions running it. It’s time to retire this “Karl Rove is an evil genius” meme, isn’t it?

Published by Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith (JAKE-with) is an open government technologist who lives near Char­lottes­­ville, VA, USA. more »

8 replies on “The RNC’s terrible new TV ad.”

  2. Sounds like it’s out of the “Daisy” ad school. One founded by LBJ.

    If a good Liberal like you declares an ad “terrible,” Waldo, I have to believe it’s “terribly effective.” ;-)

  3. Sounds like it’s out of the “Daisy” ad school. One founded by LBJ.

    You have to understand that I’m 28 years old, a generation removed from you. I know that I’m supposed to think “oh, damn, he tied it back to the Democrats,” but that’d be kind of like me telling you that this style of advertising was, in fact, started by Warren G. Harding. It’s history that’s so far removed from my reality as to be as meaningless as an invocation of Van Buren or Fillmore. That doesn’t make it inaccurate, just irrelevant to anybody under the age of 40.

    If a good Liberal like you declares an ad “terrible,” Waldo, I have to believe it’s “terribly effective.”

    Only if you assume me to be a liar, James.

  4. The audio wasn’t working on my computer, but based on the visuals the ad gives the impression that the RNC has signed a joint business agreement with al Qaida. The subheading could read “The GOP welcomes the newest members of its political family”.

    Phrased another way: Why is the GOP using the celebrity appeal of Bin Laden to woo its voters? I thought we were fighting against international jihadists. The GOP ad minus the audio gives the opposite impression.

  5. This turns out to be a ploy for free media exposure, as the RNC spends only $20,000 to run the ad this Sunday and Monday (with only one airing on Fox). They were counting on all the free media they could, with newscasters using the ad and ‘Republicans’ in the same sentence.

    Bluster and spin, no real ad. No wonder it sucks as an advertisement. If it was any good, they would want to show it everywhere.

    Hat tip to Markos.

  6. Hey, Waldo! I’m only 15 years older than you, which means I was one year old when the “Daisy” ad was run (once) by LBJ.

    And I don’t assume you to be a “liar,” Waldo. I assume you to analyze the effectiveness and propriety of an ad from your own perspective. Don’t be so sensitive!

  7. You’ll recall that I declared Tim Kaine’s rebuttal ad to Kilgore’s “Hitler” ad to be terrible, too. But I was wrong about that.

    MAN IN BLACK: All right: where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right and who is dead.

    VIZZINI: But it’s so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you. Are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet, or his enemy’s?

    VIZZINI: Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I’m not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool; you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

    MAN IN BLACK: You’ve made your decision then?

    VIZZINI: Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows. And Australia is entirely peopled with criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me. So I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.

    MAN IN BLACK: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

    VIZZINI: Wait till I get going! Where was I?

    MAN IN BLACK: Australia.

    VIZZINI: Yes — Australia, and you must have suspected I would have known the powder’s origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

    MAN IN BLACK: You’re just stalling now.

    VIZZINI: You’d like to think that, wouldn’t you? You’ve beaten my giant, which means you’re exceptionally strong. So, you could have put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you. So I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you’ve also bested my Spaniard which means you must have studied. And in studying, you must have learned that man is mortal so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

    MAN IN BLACK: You’re trying to trick me into giving away something — it won’t work —

    VIZZINI: It has worked — you’ve given everything away — I know where the poison is.

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