Open thread: Obama commercial
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
As you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, Obama aired a 30-minute commercial on primetime TV last night. I found it in 4 parts on YouTube and included the clips below.
So readers, what do you think? Was this a good use of campaign funds? Do you think this commercial will convince undecided voters to choose him?
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
atlasien wrote:
I think it’s going to work. It had a really feel-good positive appeal without being completely syrupy. There was nothing negative or defensive about it. Obama played to all his strengths in the ad.
From a cynical perspective, I think one main goal of the ad was to soothe the savage white undecideds… using both substance and style to stroke them gingerly on the arm, to show them unthreatening messages of unity and common struggles, to dampen the arousal of the reptilian subcortex so that rational political thought patterns can finally coalesce.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 11:31 am ¶
Sheena wrote:
Had this been any other (white male) candidate, I probably would have thought Obama’s commercial was a bit extravagant. However, I think the commercial was wise in this case because Obama’s character and background been questioned so much, and this was a good way at addressing some people’s unfounded fears at length.
Particularly when it came to having senators and military leaders praising Obama in the commercial, it seemed to me that the show was saying “these experienced white political leaders are backing Obama, so you should feel comfortable doing so, too.” It’s a shame that Obama should have to paint that picture for people. But in the end, I do think the commercial might help quell some of the fears that undecided voters might have about voting for a man whose background is probably very different from their own.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 11:35 am ¶
Sean wrote:
I believe it will have a generally positive impression on swing voters. Besides the previously mentioned positive appeal, Barack laid out his plans for the Country’s future without ONE single mention of John McCain.
If McCain could afford to do what Obama just did, would he be able to actually discuss ideas and strategies for 30 minutes WITHOUT mentioning what a maverick he is, OR without uttering what Barack will/won’t do?
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 12:16 pm ¶
Joanna wrote:
I think it might help somewhat. It was cheesy and patriotic like those portraits of Olympic athletes… People love that stuff. Right?
I also think Obama came across as reassuring to “struggling” Americans, especially retirees. Anyway, I don’t think it’ll hurt!
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 12:24 pm ¶
Yaj wrote:
As much of an Obama supporter as I am, this commercial really did nothing for me. It made me upset if anything. The lack of Asians, Hispanics did not help. I felt like I was watching a bunch of privileged white folks whine about not being able to pay their mortgage, the medical insurance that they have or that their kids may not be able to attend a four year college. Please.
Most of the people in my community could barely afford to pay their rent, has never had medical insurance, are lucky/proud/consider it a privilege if their children finish high school, and was probably still working when this commercial air.
I am a Naturalized 1st generation political asylum refugee Hmong-American and sadly after watching this commercial I now feel less connected to him and his campaign.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 12:43 pm ¶
Nina wrote:
I don’t think this ad did anything for the campaign. Nothing new was said, nothing new pointed out. Yes he bought us a couple of human interest stories from”real Americans” but as Yaj said where was the diversity.
I think the last few minutes broadcast live from Florida were the most inspiring part. I guess if he had been behind in the polls the 30 minutes may have been used differently. But once he bought the time he had to fill it with something.
I love that McCain’s response to this is “I will never postpone a World Series play off game to make a speech” Newsflash, some things are more important than baseball.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 1:08 pm ¶
ms. four wrote:
Yaj, one of the featured families was Hispanic. Her last name was Sanchez. The third family, I believe.
I thought the featured families showed pretty clearly whom they are targeting:
1. White moms
2. Retirees/black people
3. Hispanics
I think the fourth focused on a white man and his family.
I thought it was surprisingly well done. I can’t guess if it will convince people. I’m in too deep already.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 1:11 pm ¶
ms. four wrote:
Regarding the presence of white male politicians: those who were featured are from key swing states. The first guy was from Florida, the second from Virginia.
The went to non-swing states to feature a white woman (Gov. Sebilius from Kansas) and a black man (Gov. Devall from Massachusetts).
This was a *very* targeted piece.
The white guys were there, yes, to reassure folks that Obama is okay, but also because osetensibly they have some influence in either a particular geography or demographic.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 1:16 pm ¶
Eva wrote:
I really liked this commercial, especially the elderly black couple where the woman was ill and her husband had to go back to work to pay for her medicine.
I met a woman last year who was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 25, now she is 46 and getting steadily worse.
I think what this commercial showed is something that I’ve known for years, middle class white people are one or two paychecks away from folks in the hood.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 1:17 pm ¶
fran wrote:
@Yaj:
I believe they did profile a Hispanic family in the piece. The mom was a teacher with two jobs. Also, I did see several Asians although none were profiled.
However, I agree that the purpose was to connect with undecided white middle class voters.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 1:22 pm ¶
Arturo wrote:
At one point I actually started laughing. Not out of derision, but of happy disbelief. Something this well put-together that resonated with truth, to boot? Something this flush with hope? Something this positive? I find it hard to believe so many people are actually choosing to go the right way.
And I find it even harder to believe the race is even still close.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 1:24 pm ¶
Versai wrote:
@Yaj – wasn’t the school teacher hispanic? Maybe I’m mis-remembering . . . I understand your frustration (I think) about not seeing people more representative of your communities highlighted. I’m a black lesbian in a civil union–peeps like me are not going to be front and center in an appeal to Americans.
Over all, I liked it but . . . Maybe it was the earnest/serious narration–I got a small “magic negro” vibe. If this were a movie, Obama (played by Morgan Freeman) would be tenderly touching our shoulder and promising that he would help us make everything better.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 1:40 pm ¶
monica wrote:
I completely agree with Yaj, its kinda hard for me to sympathize with some of these 3rd generation Ford workers. One a lot of people in this country don’t live in places where you can just graduate HS and get some low skilled manufacturing job and make a decent living. Most low skilled workers are barely getting by and don’t even have a union. And in 3 generations nobody thought hey I should do something bigger and better than this. They should have seen this years ago when everyone started buy foreign cars.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 1:41 pm ¶
jen* wrote:
I liked it. There was the opportunity to talk – uninterrupted – about what his plans are. Hate to break it to ya, but most people aren’t lining up to go read his proposals on his website. So it was informative, positive, and well put-together.
I second the sentiment, Sean, I doubt McCain could’ve filled 30 minutes with positivity. Unless of course we strung a bunch of his blunders into a 30min montage…
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 2:22 pm ¶
Bagelsan wrote:
Maybe it’s kinda like spending extra time with the clueless kids during tutoring; you might not like them more or anything, but they need the most help hammering some basic concepts into their heads: “Wait, wait …now I do what?” “You vote for Obama.” “Yeah, like… uh, why?” *long-suffering sigh* “Because he HAS YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART.” “…oooOOOh… I get it…”
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 2:27 pm ¶
Bagelsan wrote:
…And then 2 minutes later they ask you the same question. :p
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 2:28 pm ¶
CEdwards wrote:
For those who didn’t like it because you felt neglected just remember that this is targeted to the undecided. No need to “preach to the choir”. Almost everyone at this point, unless their devoted to McCain, has Obama-fever.
“It’s getting hot in here…”
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 2:58 pm ¶
rosmar wrote:
A lot of third generation Ford workers are black people. (I’m a former member of the UAW, so I know this for a fact.)
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 3:03 pm ¶
Tariq Nelson wrote:
I thought it was brilliantly put together and very touching. I just hope that it works
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 3:14 pm ¶
roschelle wrote:
McCain’s camp attempted to smear Barack for his affiliation with Rashid Khalidi who’s only offense is his ethnicity (Palestinian) and his opposition to the military occupation by Israel of his homeland. And that’s offensive because why?
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 3:26 pm ¶
Gail wrote:
I like Obama’s approach to political campaigning. He is consistent about taking every opportunity to speak for and define himself, and he provides a platform for others to speak for and about themselves. He does try to claim anyone else’s perspective or knowledge. And he is infinitely compassionate. He is open enough to empathize when others describe their suffering. I am inspired by him. Life is about loving and speaking truth. That’s the only thing we can bring to this world that will be our unique contribution. He’s already done that, and to me, that is the greatest success.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 3:30 pm ¶
Gail wrote:
I meant to say, “he does not try to claim”. Just a clarification.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 3:31 pm ¶
Caro wrote:
@ ms. four:
I think you’re right that it did show a lot about who they are trying to shore up votes with: white middle-class moms, Black people, retirees, Hispanic people (the Hispanic lady was also a school teacher)… and the fourth guy was a Union worker.
Not to mention that I believe all of these people whose stories were shown were from competitive states (Missouri, Ohio, New Mexico), except the Ford employee from Kentucky.
I think the purpose of the infomercial was A) to reassure some of those lean-Obama voters who were still somewhat on the fence or who might not bothered to vote and B) create enthusiasm among supporters to encourage them to volunteer over the last few days. I feel like it was pretty effective in that respect.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 3:41 pm ¶
drydock wrote:
Personally, I’m not wasting my time on some bullshit video. Vegas has Obama at 7.5 to 1 to win. It’s pretty much over.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 4:08 pm ¶
Fatemeh wrote:
It got me all faklempt. Hearts for the Obamas, all around.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 5:41 pm ¶
bertie wrote:
I felt like I was watching a bunch of privileged white folks whine about not being able to pay their mortgage, the medical insurance that they have or that their kids may not be able to attend a four year college. Please.
=====
Man…this statement really bothers me. Everybody featured seemed to be of pretty modest means. I’d be hard pressed to call anyone struggling to pay their mortgage or get medicine “privileged” in the derisive way it was meant here. Why hate on the white guy beause he was blessed to have a decent job waiting for him after highschool. I got plenty of relatives who were blessed to get auto jobs out of highschool in Flint, Mi and they would fall into the unprivileged black folks category. Those jobs are gone now, so I sympathise with the white cat going through the same thing my uncles and cousins are. To call him a whiner because he is facing real economic hardships and is worried about providing for his family is like kicking a man when he’s down to me. That’s all I’ll say because the more I write and think about the insentivity of the statement the more pissed I get.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 5:55 pm ¶
Lorraine wrote:
I absolutely loved it! If you were a Obama supporter there wasn’t much new information.
I think it will make a great bit of difference for the undecided people though.
And, I absolutely agree with Arturo up there!
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 6:33 pm ¶
Chris wrote:
@monica: Maybe he and his family didn’t have access to opportunities to advance. Maybe his school district was poorly funded, and provided poor education opportunities, and there wasn’t much in sight but to have a stable job at the same factory his father/mother and grandfather/mother worked at.
Those very same arguments you gave about the Ford factory worker are the same arguments people bring up when they talk about poor POCs and their kids in poverty-stricken areas of the inner city.
No matter who we’re talking about, be they POCs or white people, rural or urban, it’s still unfair to assume that someone had the same opportunities, fiscal means, and family and community support to achieve anything better than the situation they’re in now. It’s not fair to assume they were dealt the same cards as the son or daughter of a wealthy family who’s now a lawyer or a doctor or an executive at a large corporation… someone who’s “worked hard” to achieve something bigger and better than landing a low skilled factory job at Ford.
The world doesn’t work like that. There are barriers to success that some people have to face and some can circumvent. That’s is exactly why I read blogs like this, to gain a perspective on the struggles and inequalities present all across the racial, gender, socioeconomic and religious spectrum and what can be done to mitigate those obstacles to level the playing field for everyone.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 7:29 pm ¶
G.K. wrote:
@monica
Just so you know, here in Michigan, many workers who work for the Big Three (or least,the ones who haven’t been laid off just yet) have had to go back and get re-training, or go back to college just to keep up with the changing technology of the workforce. The days when you could–like my stepdad said–just drop out of high school and get a job at the Big Three have been LONG gone, I can say that for a fact. You can’t even get your foot in the door of the any of the Big Three without a degree nowadays,and even if you know a family member who works there, that’s no longer any guarantee that they’ll be able to get you the hook-up to a Ford/Chrysler/GM job.
In fact, due to the proposed GM/Chrysler merger, 5,000 plant jobs wil be cut, and people are either taking early buyouts or early retirements—-and since Michigan has the highest umemployment rate is the nation (7.5%) no matter how one updates one’s job skills, there’s no guarantee that you’ll find another job soon after you get laid off—that’s how bad it is out here.
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 8:34 pm ¶
G.K. wrote:
I forgot to say that workers at the Big 3 have been doing this for years—getting re-training and more education—in fact, a lot of them have seen major cuts in pay, benefits, and every 2 weeks there’s a huge layoff from one of the Big 3. Since they’re the Detroit region’s main employer, it’s been hitting everyone hard here, especially since there’s no other major industry to replace it (the development of one which has been held up by regional squabbles, city vs. suburb antagonisms,racism.etc.)
Posted 30 Oct 2008 at 8:47 pm ¶
Jaye wrote:
cheesy but did its job. good story arc. enough relevant information to keep the rest of us interested.
the thing i’m surprised they didn’t clarify on was that reduced taxes for incomes less than $200,000. at first it looked like he was rolling back on his promise, since the number $250,000 has been talked about so much. but it’s actually reduced taxes for less than $200k, and no new taxes for less than $250k. i needed that one explained to me, and i’m surprised they put that out without a little more clarification.
Posted 31 Oct 2008 at 12:43 am ¶
LegalDiva wrote:
Reading the discussion about the privilege of the people in this special is pretty disconcerting. Yes, I understand fully the struggle that POC have to endure to succeed as a POC myself, but to deny someone else’s struggle only breeds more contempt. On the verge of being laid off surely doesn’t scream privilege, neither does working multiple jobs with the faint hope of sending your child(ren) to college, struggling with medical bills, etc. These people’s problems are real and to discount them is completely counter-productive. Especially the point about three generations working at Ford and none of them attempting to better themselves. I come from MI and as the others have stated that is offensive. How can in one fell swoop you condemn people for being privileged to have a job like that out of high school and at the same time look down your nose at them because they didn’t do something “bigger and better”! The American Dream is the possibility of defining success in your own world not what “society” may tell you. Success to him may be to have a decent paying job to have a family that he can take care of and spend time with. Who is anyone to tell him that his way of life isn’t good enough.
The struggles of every community are real. I’m sorry but a lot of this country is struggling right now and the anger and resentment that can come from this rather than the realization that together we can come together to make ALL of America better is dangerous.
Posted 31 Oct 2008 at 1:12 am ¶
Michelle wrote:
Just so you all are aware, Campbell Brown just said on her show that young voters are already polling the way that they usually do, appearing apathetic, disinterested and unreliable.
If you thought the ad was so-so or just whatever, realize that he did because THIS IS NOT OVER!!!!! Don’t get comfy! Vote! Vote! Tell your friends, make it a party, send texts emails, and make sure that if you are young, vote. If you know a young person, get them to vote!
Posted 31 Oct 2008 at 1:43 am ¶
Kara wrote:
Like Fatemah, I was faklempt too! I was feeling so comforted by Obama’s demeanor and it was such an overwhelming sense of positive emotion (rather than McCain’s dismal fear-mongering) that I did tear up a couple times. (I’m also a few weeks pregnant, so, maybe my hormones were just acting up.) But overall, I just don’t get how McCain supporters can keep on going being fueled by fear and anger; it’s such an energy drainer, you know? Obama’s message is so much more uplifting and actively positive.
Posted 31 Oct 2008 at 9:15 am ¶
Princess wrote:
This infomercial is consistent with Obama’s campaign efforts during this entire election process. He must compaign until Nov. 4th regardless of what the polls or MSM news outlets suggest.
Posted 31 Oct 2008 at 11:19 am ¶
Anna wrote:
I liked it. I don’t like that Obama needs to reach so much for people to feel like it’s “safe” to vote for him, but that he’s what he’s dealing with, and I think he’s responding to that in a wonderfully positive and consistent way, not trading in his integrity.
A few comments were dismissive of the third-generation auto-workers. That was cold.
In Detroit, I see how the loss of auto jobs has decimated communities of all colors every day. Believe me, these factory workers, white or not, aren’t feeling much privilege these days.
Posted 31 Oct 2008 at 12:57 pm ¶
Jeff wrote:
To answer the question posed above, given the amount of cash on hand Obama has, is there such a thing as a poor use of campaign funds at this point? Seems to me that any expenditure is worth it even if the payoff is relatively small.
Posted 31 Oct 2008 at 3:29 pm ¶
Daniel wrote:
It was okay, but I was hoping to hear something new. It’s a numbers game though, so the more people who hear his message, the better. He has run such a brilliant campaign that I’m not going to complain! I just wish we had early voting in New York!
Posted 31 Oct 2008 at 4:03 pm ¶
browne wrote:
While I can totally relate to the “screw you people like me couldn’t even go to disneyland in the 60s” I have to say I really agree more with the everyone’s struggle is valid.
When a white guy loses his job that sucks. It sucks when anyone loses their job. The only people with true privilege in this country are the three percent of people that own the majority fo the wealth in this country. I’m not with the hating on white people thing. I’m more like I want everyone to have the same opportunity. I don’t want to take from one working class guy because he’s white and give to another not yet working class guy because he’s a poc. That’s with the people with all of the wealth want us to do. Fight for crumbs.
I want to take from that rich guy who is exploiting and take his crap. I’m more from that school of thought.
Browne
Posted 01 Nov 2008 at 12:28 am ¶
browne wrote:
I think statements like, “i don’t care about your pain, because mine is greater” points to a sort of bitterness. It also points to a thought process that says you are not so much liberal because you want to, but liberal because you have to and as soon as you get enough power to wear the boots you’re probably going to be the kind of person that oppresses people.
Browne
Posted 01 Nov 2008 at 12:30 am ¶
Yvette wrote:
I have read that, according to the Obama camp, the point of the commercial was not necessarily to sway undecideds (and definitely not to change the minds of McCain supporters). Instead the point was to remind those who are already Obama supporters what the “stakes” are in this election and to re-state the Obama message.
Another thing it accomplished, of course, was to take up a HUGE slice of the news cycle in this last, important stretch. It gets news media folks, pundits, and men and women on the street talking about Obama, instead of talking about McCain.
Posted 01 Nov 2008 at 12:23 pm ¶
linda wrote:
Thanks to everyone for sharing your perspectives. You kept me listening to the commercial longer than I would have.
My perspective is that we are going to change things. All these people who have been mobilized around these ideas of sharing, fairness, and change are unstoppable. Let’s get to work.
Posted 01 Nov 2008 at 3:53 pm ¶
Genevieve wrote:
@Yaj:
While I don’t really like your tone when talking about more privileged people, I do understand where you are coming from; for a lot of people, being able to pay for a 4-year college is really putting the cart in front of the horse, as compared to keeping kids in school to begin with, keeping food on the table, being able to afford a place to live, etc. The campaigns and the news have for the most part been ignoring the suddenly homeless families, older children being abandoned at baby drop-offs at hospitals because their parents can’t afford them, pets being abandoned all over the place, people going without medication, etc. The campaigns I understand are trying to keep hope alive, and these topics are perceived as “downers” making it difficult to get undecided voters; when one candidate is bringing you down and one is not, I’ve noticed people tend to flock to the non-depressing one. Which is lame, because those are the issues and people should face them head-on, but to cope most people avoid them. And the local news just sucks and there’s no excuse for the lack of coverage (I saw one piece where a member of the school board was whining about school funds being used to get buses to and from homeless shelters so kids could get to elementary school). If Obama is as good at walking the walk as he’s been at talking the talk (which I suspect
) then low-income families and school systems should be getting a boost sometime soon.
But with the economy the way it is and with the target demographic for this commercial (undecided largely white voters), it was a really well-done piece of campaigning. The targets for this kind of advertising, that need reassuring, are not people who would explicitly suffer under McCain’s tax and job programs.
Btw: the schoolteacher was Hispanic, as is Bill Richardson.
Posted 02 Nov 2008 at 12:13 pm ¶