The Ad That Will Ruin McCain's Week

[Cross-posted at Old Man McCain]

OK, I'm just throwing this idea out there for free use by the Obama campaign. Consider this public domain.

On MSNBC today, I heard Tony Blankley speak some rare words of wisdom. He said that in hardball politics, "if you are explaining you are losing".  So I don't think the Obama campaign should use explanations to respond to McCain's offensive new ad:

Instead, they should turn the tables using mockery. Force McCain to explain himself.

Without further ado, here is my ad script:

FADE IN on unflattering picture of John McCain.

NARRATOR: John McCain is confused again.

Shot of John McCain speaking to a townhall meeting.

NARRATOR: First he claimed that he had a "perfect" record on veterans issues, even though he got a "D" from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

A report card with a "D" rating circled in red.

NARRATOR: Then he denied endorsing Obama's Iraq plan, even though he told CNN it was a "pretty good timetable".

Newspaper clips of McCain saying "pretty good timetable".

NARRATOR: And now, McCain is claiming that Obama didn't visit the troops, even though Senator Obama visited our troops just a few days earlier.

Video clip of Senator Obama shooting 3-point shot with troops.  The same clip McCain used, but in full color with sound.

NARRATOR: Tell John McCain to get his facts straight.  America deserves better.

Smiling picture of Obama.

OBAMA: I'm Barack Obama, and I approve this message.

This ad succeeds by making John McCain look like a liar, which he is, and by forcing McCain to explain his misleading claims. McCain's campaign would try to come back and say they were talking about troops in Germany, not troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.  But as Blankley said, "if you are explaining, you are losing".

This ad also crushes McCain on his terrible veterans record and his flip-flopping on withdrawal. Obviously you could find a dozen other lies McCain has told, but I thought these fit well into how McCain is not being honest about matters of war and veterans.

And as an added bonus, it is always fun to start an ad with "John McCain is confused again." It's a wink-wink at his age, his constant gaffes, and his inability to keep his story straight.

Update [2008-7-29 7:42:59 by existenz]:: Thanks for the Recommend!

[Update 2]: Here is a new energy ad by the Obama campaign. It's OK, but not nearly hard-hitting enough. Obama is still tilting towards a positive message, which I understand, but you have to pull out the knives at some point. He promised to be less restrained against the Republicans, hopefully he shows that sometime soon.

•  Tips/Recs

  Instead of trying to explain why Obama didn't visit that base, we should just claim that McCain is lying because Obama did visit the troops. Let McCain explain which country he was talking about.

  by existenz on Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 09:47:52 PM PDT

  •  I like it.

    Tip and rec!

    by Lava20 on Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 10:03:15 PM PDT

    •  but, there are video clips of McCain

      saying "It was a good time table".  (don't need a measy newpaper article)

      by mjd in florida on Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 10:20:12 PM PDT

      •  true

        but in a 30 second ad, you don't have time to actually play the clip.

        by existenz on Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 10:32:33 PM PDT

        •  Best:

          use a short part of the clip, in addition to the newspaper clipping, highlighting the important words. We really just need "a good time table."

          Shirley Schmidt: A Democrat.

          by Jyrinx on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 02:23:44 AM PDT

          •  that could work

            The ad-makers could create both versions, see which one plays better, then put the best one on TV.

            My only concern, from a creative standpoint, is that you don't want to clutter up the ad with too many sound clips. One narrator, one set of facts, and images that support it. No reason to get too fancy with sound bytes from McCain.

            by existenz on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 04:32:30 AM PDT

            •  Yeah, but any quote of McCain that exists in

              video supercedes audio, which supercedes print.  This is because when something that challenges a viewer's perception of a candidate is simply  written on the screen, they can simply throw up their hands and dismiss it by saying who knows where these negative ads get their quotes from; a video clip of McCain allows for no such ambiguity or denial among voters distrustful of negative ads, or trusting of McCain.

              by ShadowSD on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 05:29:19 AM PDT

              •  supersede

                sorry--this has been a visit from the pet peeve spelling police

                by TrueBlueMajority on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:22:02 AM PDT

                •  I would cede this victory to you

                  But then you might supersede me in prestige here.

                  by ShadowSD on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 09:39:31 AM PDT

                  •  LOL n/t

                    by TrueBlueMajority on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 10:03:23 AM PDT

              •  logic versus psychology

                The strategy of the ad is to get Scarbro and Mika, etc. talking about this ad. The footage of him actually saying it is there and can be played or mentioned as part of the discussion.

                You'll notice that the anti-Obama ads don't use any actual Obama audio. They simply make assertions. They happen to false assertions, but if they weren't working, we wouldn't be having this discussion, would we?

                Yes, logically it is stupid to be swayed by ads that simply make assertions without any backup. But such ads are used anyway because they work.

                The ad-makers could create both versions, see which one plays better, then put the best one on TV.

                I agree with existenz. This is what focus groups are for.

                The point is to put McCain on defense.

                "if you are explaining you are losing"

                by miasmo on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:35:21 AM PDT

            •  Also, a nice little device would be

              Video clip of Senator Obama shooting 3-point shot with troops.  The same clip McCain used, but in full color with sound.

              As the narration begins to talk about this, the video should be used from or identical to the McCain ad, and then as the narrator finishes their sentence, the video should gain color and sound, morphing into the full version.  This drives home the point both symbolically and substantively that McCain took footage favorable to Obama and presented it as the opposite, using cheap editing tricks with troops as props, because it shows the videos were of the same visit (otherwise, some viewers will not realize the footage is from the same instance as the McCain ad is, and therefore not grasp the extent of McCain's stupidity).

              The two minor points I have offered on your ad aside, you have a pretty much flawless idea, and I hope it hits the airwaves soon.

              by ShadowSD on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 05:38:51 AM PDT

              •  Great idea! n/t

                by AlanF on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 06:28:53 AM PDT

              •  3-pointer was PRESUMPTUOUS !! ...eom

                by theloniously on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:31:22 AM PDT

                •  "presumptuous"

                  Leave it to the corporate media = propaganda machine to turn any positive into a negative when dealing with Democrats. Gore was too smart. Nobody likes a smarty-pants. Obama is too awesome, too popular, too inspiring, too presidential. To be that great is "presumptuous"! It's breathtakingly insane.

                  If the Democrat is smart and competent, then the Amuricun people must prefer a shallow buffoon because the shallow buffoon is more fun to have a beer with, and we Amuricuns are all as stupid as rocks and choose our president based on who we would like to have a beer with.

                  by miasmo on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:46:25 AM PDT

                •  If he missed the basket, it would be

                  Obama Misses Mark With Troops, Can He Really Close The Deal At Home

                  by ShadowSD on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 09:42:51 AM PDT

                  •  can't win

                    makes basket = presumptuous
                    misses basket = arrogant
                    skips playing hoops = hates the troops

                    But if he could bowl a strike, then he could lead the Free World (TM).

                    by theloniously on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 10:47:33 AM PDT

              •  Instead of basketball...

                (or in addition to the basketball footage) why not a clip of Obama visiting injured troops in a veterans' care unit or hospital.  This has the added impact of addressing the charge that "Obama didn't visit the troops" without taking the time to even mention the charge. (GREAT added subliminal value here!)

                by Rudyard on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 09:59:19 AM PDT

                •  Unfortunately, there aren't

                  photos of at least some of his visits to wounded soldiers because he left the press & photographers behind -- didn't use the visits as a photo-op.  

                  by Tamar on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 12:46:15 PM PDT

                  •  OK.... then... uh...uh...

                    use a clip of McCain calling a wounded veteran a c**t.

                    by Rudyard on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 01:37:39 PM PDT

                  •  Which should be a focal point itself

                    How about a hand going over the lens as Obama approaches a military hospital?  

                    "Obama.  Visiting wounded soldiers WITHOUT the cameras.  Because who needs cameras in a hospital?  Respect.  Compassion.  Obama".

                    by tle on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 03:42:35 PM PDT

              •  We're on the right track. I hope

                the Obama campaign does something great along these lines.

                by NWSteve on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 10:46:16 AM PDT

            •  MAKE THIS AD!

              Someone here who has the know how, needs to make this ad now and post it to You Tube and everywhere else. It's a good idea and whether is is on the TV Machine or not it needs to be made. Things have a way of migrating from You Tube to the corporate media once they get a little push from us! Ok..so who here has the talent to do this???

              by Seattlite on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:56:02 AM PDT

              •  Done.

                Assuming YouTube ever processes it, it'll be up right here:

                by Geiiga on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 09:52:06 AM PDT

                •  Wow! Did you do this? Beautiful!

                  by JoanMar on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 11:14:59 AM PDT

                •  Great job !

                  by axel000 on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 11:55:08 AM PDT

                •  Awesome...somebody should send this along n/t

                  by ElectricVan on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 12:08:48 PM PDT

                •  Stellar!

                  Nice work, Geiiga

                  by ShowMe Indie on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 12:17:58 PM PDT

                •  Geiiga, I made a slightly different version

                  Granted I don't think it was as good as yours...hell it was my first attempt at making a video and have a crappy mic..using windows movie maker.

                  What do you use?
                  How long did it take Youtube to process yours?  mine is taking hours.

                  by dogdad on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 12:37:28 PM PDT

                  •  Well, I waited around for about twenty minutes...

                    ...before posting it at 9:52am on the DK clock. The first comment showed up at 11:15, so about an hour and forty-five minutes.

                    And thanks for the kind words. It was a little bit of a rush job, but I've spent quite a bit of time at the editing and voiceover tables.

                    by Geiiga on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 01:16:33 PM PDT

                    •  I just posted mine in the thread

                      ..I don't think it is nearly as polished as yours...but this is my first video creation...that and I'm working with a crappy headset mic....

                      What kind of equipment/software do you use?

                      by dogdad on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 01:29:19 PM PDT

                •  Outstanding

                  The only suggestion I have is to make it clear to the low information voter that a D grade is a bad one. A D is generally a pretty good grade for McCain. Very impressive work.

                  by thefretgenie on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 01:36:48 PM PDT

                •  Thanks for doing this...

                  Now all of us need to send the link to friends and family and ask them to do the same. These facts need to be talked about until even the lowest information voter knows the truth. We CAN NOT allow the corporate media to let this gain momentum AT ALL.

                  by Seattlite on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 05:57:42 PM PDT

          •  Yes, use audio/video of "pretty good timetable"

            It's easier for the viewer to have McCain in his own image and sound say the words himself, immediately affter the narrator says it. Showing a newspaper clipping makes the viewer have to work harder.

            The idea for the ad is good. I think a good general formula would be any ad that tightly edits a whole sting of flip flops together would work well. And there's so many flips and flops to choose from!

            by bejammin075 on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 04:37:19 AM PDT

            •  Yeah

              Showing a newspaper clipping makes the viewer have to work harder.

              Yes, it's undeniably hard work. These campaign ads can't just spoon-feed the sound bite to the average American voter - they have to chew it for him too.

              by Night Train on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 05:00:49 AM PDT

              •  That's right

                people get paid ridiculous amounts of money to come up with campaign ads, to do exactly that.

                Think of "chewing it" as the part where you really drive your point home. A good ad really does do all the work, so the viewer doesn't have to.

                by o the umanity on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 05:25:04 AM PDT

              •  There is a reason these voters are called

                low information voters. It  these voters and the media that the McCain ad was aiming. Obama could do a broader release of his response ad, forcing the news shows to cover it at least as much as they did McCain's.

                by TexDem on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 06:31:25 AM PDT

                •  Thoughts from an advertising person:

                  -- very good script

                  -- cheap shots about 'low information voters' and 'spoon feeding' are not called for. Sound-bytes and video clips get through to people who, however 'high-information' they are, happen to not be focused on the ad when it comes up. All viewers tune out - some a little, some a lot - during commercial breaks. That's a healthy response. Reading press clippings requires a focus which just may not be there at the moment.

                  -- suggestion: pretty good timetable could be in McCain's voice, with or without the corresponding visual footage.

                  by gotgat54 on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 06:59:07 AM PDT

                  •  I work in Hollywood

                    so I know a thing or two about scripts, editing, etc.

                    After thinking it over I do think using McCain's "pretty good timetable" video clip would work. In addition, I love the idea ShadowSD presented above, where you transform from the blurry McCain shot of Obama dribbling the basketball into the vivid actual footage where he sinks the basket and the troops all cheer.

                    It would really be a slam dunk ad.

                    by existenz on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 07:37:04 AM PDT

                    •  That it would.

                      Smart tight editing, and meaningful transitions & juxtapositions make all the difference here, as always

                      I worry, though, that whooping it up with the Kuwait troops is not quite the same as visiting wounded soldiers. However, can't be helped; not without straining the possibilities of a very brief ad. Don't think it matters all that much anyway.

                      by gotgat54 on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:06:32 AM PDT

                      •  Obama visited the wounded troops in

                        the Green Zone while in Baghdad.  How do I know?  because for three days now Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC, latest last night on Hardball, has been calling McCain's ad a LIE, FALSE - she is steamed, why? because Obama kept the troop visit so low key that she had to scrounge around to find out from the military.  

                        She felt ignored because she did a good piece of investigative reporting and noone wanted to listen, all they wanted to talk about were McCains'a false claims, by playing the ad over and over again.  That's how the game is played in the dirty pool of politics.

                        Sometimes the MSM can be useful when they do their jobs well.  These are the kind of statements most people remember.  Most people do not watch TV, they are doing soemthing else, cooking dinenr, eting dinenr, putting the kids to bed, supervising homework, whatever.  People do not sit glued to their sets hanging on every word. Also, most people are not junkies the way those who follow these blogs are.  Otr of they are they are addicted to other things.

                        Selling politicians messages is no difference than selling soap.

                        by soccergrandmom on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 09:40:11 AM PDT

                •  Low information voters

                  don't even watch the news, or if they do, not much.  It needs to be an ad, so they see it as they are watching Deal or No Deal, etc.  For many people, the ads they see will be their total information.

                  by not this time on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 09:58:01 AM PDT

                  •  Yeah, but it sort of amazes me

                    that those same people even bother to vote.

                    by Night Train on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 10:31:19 AM PDT

            •  Include

              that he was against the GI Bill because it was too generous.  

              by not this time on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 09:56:19 AM PDT

              •  That McCain thought our troops would desert if

                the college benefit was too much.

                by bejammin075 on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 10:32:35 AM PDT

              •  McCain saying he got great ratings from vets'

                groups (which he lists) in the ad Geiiga created overshadowed the "D" from a single vet group.  So maybe a clip where McCain says how he's all for the troops (I know he's said things like this several times) coupled with your idea about his statement opposing the GI bill (he didn't vote against it because he didn't vote at all -- but he spoke against it) and the D he got from the Iraq/Afghani Vets.  Otherwise it could just look like one disgruntled, less well-known vet group gave him a bad grade but all the rest love him.  

                by Tamar on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 12:58:02 PM PDT

      •  I agree with mjd.

        Hearing the actual words "It was a good time table" from McCain's mouth is much more powerful than a newspaper clipping.

        McCain housing policy shaped by lobbyist

        by Nonconformist on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 07:42:02 AM PDT

      •  What we really need

        is footage of McCain claiming we'll be greeted as liberators.  That goes right to the core of his judgment.

        by Philoguy on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:30:20 AM PDT

    •  Great ad--T&R

      by CoolOnion on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 06:46:41 AM PDT

    •  I would

      also include the other vet organizations that gave him low grades and would include Obama's high grades.  

      GI Bill should be mentioned.  He was against it and didn't bother to vote.

      by not this time on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 09:54:04 AM PDT

  •  Let Moveon do it?

    Obama has stayed entirely above the fray and this will become more and more apparent to the public as it has to us as we get closer to the election and McCain gets worse and worse.

    Obama will stay strong, and he doesn't need to do this.

    by Big Danny on Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 10:57:48 PM PDT

    •  Or VoteVets nt

      by revgerry on Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 11:26:16 PM PDT

      •  yes

        good call. they would be good surrogates to go against mccain when he tries to politicize soldiers.  

        by jarnikles on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 01:09:00 AM PDT

        •  the only problem with 3rd party groups

          is that they can only mention one candidate or the other -- not both. MoveOn can run an anti-McCain ad or a pro-Obama ad, but they can't do both in the same ad.

          So in order to refute some of these charges, the ad would have to be done by the Obama campaign.

          If somebody is better versed in campaign finance law and wants to correct me, go ahead. But I think this is how the law works.

          by existenz on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 01:36:22 AM PDT

          •  That's not the only problem

            But I think you're right about the limitations on what a 527 can do. The other problem with MoveOn is that they are very good at appealing to progressives (i.e. already on our side), not so good at reaching swing voters.

            by Alice in Florida on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 06:02:28 AM PDT

            •  Yes, but this can change.

                imho, low information voters tend to identiy with the winningest candidate - in their opinion.  The candidate who fights the hardest.  Its part of a value judgement, me thinks.

              by oceanview on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 11:00:28 AM PDT

          •  Pretty accurate, but ...

            According to the FEC one could probably design some type of third-party ad where both candidates are mentioned.  But it'd be pretty bland (e.g., "Senators Obama and McCain are running for president - please vote this November")

            To make some type of claim concerning an opposing candidate, the FEC requires a statement by the alleging candidate that s/he approves of the ad, and is paid for by him/her or an authorized committee.

            For more detailed info WRT guidelines about what requires a Disclaimer, check the FEC website.

            by dmhlt 66 on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 06:15:34 AM PDT

            •  AARP's got

              this covered with their health care ad asking voters to call both campaigns to remind them to put their promises into action.

              by Heiuan on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:01:14 AM PDT

          •  While I support VoteVets

            their ad won't get the coverage that an Obama ad would get. Their ad can be a supporting ad and one that can be referred to by the Obama campaign but it is not a substitute.

            by TexDem on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 06:35:49 AM PDT

      •  saw the VoteVets ad on MSNBC this morning

        and it's really good. It's on a lot, too.

        Nicely done.

        by Glic on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 05:58:52 AM PDT

      •  Vote Vets or

          IAVA, Iraq-Afganistan Veterans Association.  I think  i got that right.

        by oceanview on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 10:58:19 AM PDT

    •  Not MoveOn

      MoveOn is great and they are doing some good things this cycle, but the Obama campaign absolutely has to be the ones to come back at this - and hard.

      The script above is great - and of course as long as McCain is running his mouth, there will be plenty of other fodder for response ads - but the campaign needs surrogates out front on this loudly.

      Jonathan Alter - on the same MSNBC Verdict episode called the ad "lame, really damned pathetic, desperation politics" which of course it is - it would be nice to see the campaign be as straightforward about it. See Alter's comments in about 2:05.

      <iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/25892464#25892464" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

      The campaign had a great week last week, and McCain is grasping at anything. Now is not the time for nuanced response.

      by Pacific NW Mark on Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 11:33:09 PM PDT

      •  Try this link to video

        The Verdict with Dan Abrams

        by Pacific NW Mark on Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 11:34:40 PM PDT

      •  I watched that segment today with Alter and Clark

        and some Bushie retard. Alter was great.

        I think Obama himself should stay out of it and let surrogates attack McCain for a host of issues, including someone for the fact that McCain hasn't showed up in the Senate since April 8.

        by Big Danny on Mon Jul 28, 2008 at 11:41:39 PM PDT

      •  Good Ad

        but they must include not only the "D" grade Obama got from Vets groups but the fact that McLiar opposed the GI Bill.

        Then an ad on women's issues by laying out his votes against equal pay for women & against covering birth control but covering viagra.

        Where are their ads, fercrisesakes?

        by pattisigh on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 12:24:22 AM PDT

        •  Doh, McLiar is Mr. "D"...n/t

          by pattisigh on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 12:25:18 AM PDT

        •  Great points

          The only problem is that in a 30 second ad, you can only include so much. Hell, we could write up a 10 minute ad and still be forced to leave stuff on the cutting floor.

          I figure not every American knows about the G.I. Bill, but they do know that a "D" grade from veteran's groups really sucks.

          by existenz on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 01:38:41 AM PDT

          •  I don't think it's that

            important that people are well-informed about the specifics of the GI Bill; just that McLiar voted against the GI's and their health care.

            In actuality, the news covered the GI Bill much more heavily than they reported on the "D" grade.

            But no matter really, I just want to see ANY ads cover these issues.  This is not going negative...it's simply presenting the ugly facts about Ugly.Little.Man

            by pattisigh on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:03:53 AM PDT

        •  show the D McCain got from vets groups

          as the primary visual, with the D circled in red as you said

          surrounded by other news clippings that say McCain votes against body armor, McCain votes against GI Bill, McCain votes against up-armored vehicles, etc.

          also use the audio of McCain talking about the timetable with the visual elsewhere on the screen.

          people remember what they see and hear more than things they only see or only hear.

          by TrueBlueMajority on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 08:26:01 AM PDT

      •  I laughed when I heard the part

        of McCain's ad where he blabbers about Obama attending only one hearing on Afganistan.

        "McCain, R-Ariz., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Service Committee, has attended zero of his own committee’s six hearings on Afghanistan over the last two years".
        http://www.crooksandliars.com/...

        by Jeff Y on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 12:47:40 AM PDT

    •  Any dKos viewer

      could also make this ad. If you are proficient with digital video editing and can do an authoritative voice-over, the ad would be very easy to make.

      The more professional looking, the better. I'm sure some of those folks who did "Obama in 30 Seconds" ads for MoveOn could easily pull off something like this.

      by existenz on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 04:35:32 AM PDT

      •  Actually, I've been told

        <