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On the eve of the next presidential debate, I learned of a new Obama campaign ad narrated by Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman. Since its weekend debut it has been viewed nearly 400,000 times on YouTube. Many pundits are citing this as what may be the campaign’s most striking TV ad this season.
The evocotive ad, called “Challenges” focuses on the President’s accomplishments rather than attacking his opponent, Mitt Romney. With the election three weeks away, many analysts are wondering about the timing of the ad’s positive tone. Others note that the constant barrage of negative political ads up until this point carries the risk of turning off voters. What do you think?
On the eve of the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida there is much to be learned about marketing. Regardless of your political affiliation, paying attention to both political conventions will be very informative – due largely to the level of sophistication campaigns have reached in shaping perceptions about their candidates. As a recent New York Times article points out, experts from television and the Broadway stage have been tapped to create positive impressions of presidential nominee Mitt Romney. A $2.5 million Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired theatrical stage has been built to project an image of warmth, approachability and openness – qualities not readily associated with the GOP’s nominee.
Read the whole article here and tune in to some of their prime time stage show – GOP branding will be kicked into high gear.
Here we are, just days before the Midterm elections and I’m fighting the urge to tune out. Yep, I’ve had it.
People who know me well, know that I love politics and debate about policy, etc. I’ve been active in political campaigns both local and national…worked tirelessly up until the last vote was counted…but this year I’m definitely feeling the effect of what may go down in history as the most contentius of election seasons. If you doubt it, listen to NPR’s story that aired this morning on the relative truth of this year’s political ads.
The endless negative ads, the robo calls at all hours, the tsunami of fundraising emails have worn me down. And if you listen closely to the campaign rhetoric and the media accounts of this election cycle, you’d think we should rename our country “The Divided States of America.”
I’ll be traveling on election day so I’ve already cast my absentee ballot…which was a nightmare in and of itself for a number of reasons. But I’ll spare you the details. So I’m essentially done. Maybe a few last “get out the vote” calls, but no more contributions, no more attention to untrue political ads. It’s over.
I hope that when all is said and done that, as a country, we’ll pause and take a slow, deep breath and stop to consider how extreme this election cycle has been and its true effects – beyond that of simply getting any one candidate elected over another. How many votes will be cast on Tuesday based on a candidate’s actual stand on public policy?
State and national political parties, and candidates in 2012 – you’re on notice: I, for one, expect better from you next time around. Our democratic process has been on shaky ground since the 2000 presidential election and this year has seen the worst. Clean up your act – the American people deserve…and expect better!
I came across an editorial this morning that points out that a couple of the biggest assumptions on which much of this election cycle’s anti-incumbent fervor is based are, in fact, false. With the mid-term election now less than 30 days away, there is mounting evidence that the government’s actions with the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and other government-financed rescue efforts actually worked.
While the economy is not where most would want it to be, it appears it could have been much worse. In this blog I try to address topics related to marketing and brand communications more than politics…but this is definitely where the fields intersect. Read “Reality vs. perception – TARP, rescue plans worked” here. It will be interesting to see if perceptions about these programs can be shifted.
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) – a panel of economists entrusted with the responsibility to officially declare the beginning and end of recessions – declared Monday that the longest recession the country has endured since World War II officially ended in June 2009.
Funny; I’m sure there are many Americans that feel like it is still going on.
President Obama spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation dinner this past weekend and reaffirmed his Administration’s commitment to restoring the economy and creating new jobs.
About 6 minutes into the video, the President makes the point that from 2001 to 2009 the income of middle-class families in the US went down 5%. In other words, the problems that became evident at the beginning of the recession (12/2007) were building for years, and fixing the problems will take time.
Our US Representatives and Senators know this, but if you watch the rhetoric of the political campaign season it would appear that many are content to over-simplify the complexity of our national economy and suggest a quick fix to the sluggish recovery is possible simply by voting in new leadership. Sadly, many American voters will believe the claims of these candidates for office…because they desperately need it to be true.
Steve Chapman with the Chicago Tribune made this point yesterday:
A recession begins when the economy starts shrinking. It ends when the economy stops shrinking and resumes growing — nothing more. The conclusion doesn’t mean we’re getting rich. It merely means we’re not, as a nation, getting poorer. That may sound like a minimal achievement, but it’s better than the devastating contraction that went before. It’s the first step on the path to prosperity. We’re like…a village after the tornado has passed through. The danger may be gone, but there’s a lot of rebuilding to do.
Perhaps the recovery will be quickened if businesses and individuals actually tune out the fear-mongering politicians (whose election depends on an angry electorate) and actually begin thinking and acting as if the recession, in fact, is over. There is money to spend and jobs to create, people to hire and products to develop. Wall Street got the message! What will it take to get the rest of us going?
Pollsters and pundits are working overtime to predict the outcome of this year’s midterm elections, now only 55 days away.
While only election night will reveal the winners and losers, one thing is for certain: it is a high-stakes election and payback seems to be the order of the day.
As an example, while Democrats scored a political victory in passing financial regulatory reform, Republicans are reaping the reward as the financial services industry directs its campaign contributions toward those that tried to minimize the effect of reform.
The Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan organization that tracks money in politics, reports that political action committees of commercial banks have contributed a total of $5.4 million to candidates this cycle, with 55% of it going to Republicans.
Similary, with the Gulf Oil disaster and the Congress’ failed attempt to pass energy legislation on the minds of oil and gas executives, we shouldn’t be surprised to see 67% of oil & gas PAC money going to Republicans with Koch Industries leading the way with $594,000 to Republicans, $99,000 to moderate or conservative Democrats.
To learn more about money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy visit the Center for Responsive Politics.
