The Swift Boat ads have been played far more on TV around the country than the 527 responsible for them payed for. The lesson here in terms of media strategy (although really, we should have learned it from Wellstone back in 1990) is that ads are much more powerful when they are memorable, entertaining, or outrageous, both in the immediate reaction of the viewer and in their massively increased air time due to media coverage.
Wellstone won in 1990 despite being outspent 7-1 in part because his ads were incredibly creative. He had one two minute ad -- "Rudy and Me," an unscripted ad chronicling Wellstone's search for Boschwitz to challenge him to debate -- that only aired once, but was seen by every Minnesotan because it garnered so much media attention.
The people at MoveOn seem to understand this to an extent, but they are tied down with many other duties and cannot afford to devote MoveOn's energies entirely to a media firestorm like the one SBVT has created.
We need something else . . .
In thinking about this problem, I wondered where on the left there is both the creativity and the money for such an operation. The thought struck me -- what if there were a 527 operated by the lefty blogs. Kos has said before he doesn't want to be a 527, but what about a 527 operated by say, Jerome Armstrong, Chris Bowers, Atrios, Kos, etc.?
The diarists and commenters of these blogs together could propose ad ideas and, of course, fund their production and airing. My guess is that we wouldn't need to spend more than $300,000 or so per ad in the cheaper markets of swing states to grab serious media attention. We would just have to be very aggressive and controversial -- not misleading like the SBVT.
Take jazzmaniac's movie, in the diary below. Take the movie he created, throw in some quotes to back up what we know to be true, and toss around the word liar. I bet an ad that asked "Why won't George Bush stop lying?" would grab some attention.
Recommend this diary to grab Kos' attention.