Archive for December, 2007

Huckabee ad: Who hates taxes more?

Huckabee’s latest claims to have made the first big tax cut in 160 years of Arkansas history, which led to jobs and surpluses and milk and honey flowing down the White River.

Clinton ad: “Countdown”

Hillary Clinton’s latest Iowa ad counts down her top-10 promises for the New Year.

Thompson fires back

Speaking of Thompson vs. the press, here’s a snowball fight between the candidate and Christine Byun of ABC and John Bentley of CBS. Note the bewildered voter witnessing the moment with a kid. We can imagine him trying to explain later that these people run the country.

Thompson goes nuclear

In a mirror image of infamous the anti-Goldwater nuke ad, Fred Thompson raises the spectre of dukes in a 17-minute video aimed at Iowa voters. Johnson warned about Goldwater’s finger on the button; Thompson warns about bin Laden’s, but with slightly less subtlety.

Sound bite: “Most Americans know that the forces of terrorism will not rest until a mushroom cloud hangs over one of our cities.”

He also goes after his fellow Republicans and media with one swipe, bragging that when asked to raise his hand (the latest debate trick) he refused.

Sound bite: “If those other fellows can’t stand up to an overbearing moderator in a debate, I’m not sure how they could stand up to the leaders of Iran or North Korea…. What you see is what you get. I dance to no man’s tune.”

He hits every conservative chime he can, saying that the Democrats are ruled by the radically secularist ACLU and — here’s the kick to the kidneys — Michael Moore. But Thompson says he’ll protect us from that.

Here’s it’s opposite number, the nuclear “Daisy” ad from Johnson’s campaign:

The Rudy Way

Rudy won’t say it directly but he’s basically thrown in the towel in Iowa (and maybe New Hampshire too). No worries, he says, he’s employing a “proportionate strategy” that’s aimed at winning the majority of the 29 primaries and caucuses between now and February 5.

Mac’s mo

“The Mac is back,” declares the YouTube video page from the campaign describing his latest video, entitled “Momentum.”

No parent left behind

John Edwards speaks to every parent whose child is being tortured by standardized testing taking over the classroom thanks to the testing mania of no child left behind. (Can you tell I speak from personal experience?)

Sound bite: “I don’t believe a child learns anything filling out a bubble on a cheap, standardized test… A friend of mine from South Carolina says, ‘You don’t make a hog fatter by weighing.’”

Obama pep rally

It’s just another Obama pep rally video — we’ve seen plenty of them — but what’s weird to me is the moment halfway through when, acting as one, the crowd suddenly stops cheering and applauding and brings the signs down just as Obama lowers his tone into his serious, profound voice (nevermind that he’s not saying anything profound). It’s as if he has them trained in political Pavlovian response.

Campaign bloopers

That’s what I want to see: more moments of fallibility. Here’s an outtake of Gov. Beasley praising Mike Huckabee:

Romney Ad: “Everywhere”

Voters generally don’t think much of “Washington politicians” so positioning oneself as the “non-Washington” candidate is standard operating procedure for every contender. Here’s Mitt Romney’s version:

Romney ad: “Permanently”

Mitt Romney’s festival of negative advertising continues with an attack on John McCain for championing a bill to let illegal immigrants say permanently and even get Social Security.

Clinton ad: “President”

Hillary Clinton says that she called for action on home mortgages in March, in June, in August, while George Bush did bupkis. She’d freeze foreclosures and rates. Hmmm. For everybody?

Sound bite: “When we choose our president next year, let’s choose one who would have starting fixing our economy this year.”

Votervids, please

WMUR TV in New Hampshire is asking voters to send in their videos from the campaign. Hell, from their own livingrooms.

Clinton on Pakistan

Once the candidates got through their phase of making obvious and sympathetic statements about the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, now it’s time to sound decisive and presidential.

Hillary Clinton calls for an independent, international investigation into the murder. She says an investigation from inside Pakistan would have no credibility and an American investigation would be politicized; she’d offer U.S. resources but says it must be international.

Romney ad: “Ready”

Mitt Romney sums up all his attacks on Mike Huckabee in 30 seconds: Mike’s soft on government spending, soft on illegal aliens, soft on commuting criminals, soft in the head on foreign policy. What a softie.




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