"I Am Not A Crook"--The Anti-Palin/McCain Ad Obama OUGHT To Run

by: Paul Rosenberg

Thu Sep 11, 2008 at 16:30


As ABC is set to run a puff-piece celebrity interview with Sarah Palin, I would hit her hard ahead of time, if I were running Obama's campaign.  The hard hit would go directly at the GOP's illusion of change, and serve to underscore how totally bogus the ABC interview will be.

How would I go about it?  Simple: I'd link her to Richard Nixon, via Dick Cheney and GW Bush.  The script I'd use is on the flip.

Paul Rosenberg :: "I Am Not A Crook"--The Anti-Palin/McCain Ad Obama OUGHT To Run
Warining:  Yes, I know. This script is long and wordy.  It's intended to be illustrative of what I would do, and provide maximum food for thought.   Plus, one can always do a 2-minute web version, with 30- and 60- second tv versions, right?

"I Am Not A Crook"

Stock footage: Richard Nixon: "I am not a crook."

Voiceover:

But he was.

Series of headlines and/or text (over photos or footage) relating to arc of Watergate investigations and coverups, including payoffs, Staturday Night Massacre, etc. as voiceover continues...

Republican President Richard Nixon eventually resigned after years of stonewalling congressional investigations finally collapsed, and his impeachment was immanent.

Series of pictures of Dick Cheney, from Nixon era to the present, with headlines and/or text reinforcing the ongoing voiceover:

Dick Cheney was a Nixon White House loyalist who went on to do his best to obstruct the Iran/Contra investigations when the Reagan/Bush Administration broke the law, and sold arms to Iranian backers of terrorism. Cheney hated the idea of holding the executive branch accountable

Series of headlines and/or text highlighting Bush/Cheney scandals, coverups and resistance to oversight, with iconic pictures of Abu Ghraib torture, Katrina, etc.  as the voiceover continues:

The Bush/Cheney administration has been the most secretive in history, with lies, coverups, and resistance involving everything from ignoring the threat of terrorism before 9/11, to misleading us into war against Iraq, to engaging in torture that has produced yet more false intelligence, to politicizing the Department of Justice, to hiring incompetents and failing to act to protect our nation in the case of natural disasters

Series of headlines and/or text highlighting McCain's lobbyist connections, with images leading up to screenshot of McCainsLobbyists.com, as voiceover continues:

To revive their fortunes, the Republicans turned to a "reformer" who is totally surrounded by Washington lobbyists, and voted with Bush over 90% of the time.

Series of headlines and/or text highlighting Sarah Palin's scandals, corruption and resistence to oversight, with supporting pictures, as voiceover turns to her:

And now the GOP has introduced its newest star-a scandal-plagued earmark queen prone to firing people out of personal animosity.  She was for the Bridge to Nowhere, before she was against it-but kept the money, anyway.  She promised full cooperation with an Alaska Senate investigation in early August, but is now stonewalling, refusing to cooperate, and encouraging others to refuse to answer subpoenas.  She hopes to run out the clock, and move to the White House, without ever coming clean to the Alaskan people.  It's proof that she has the attitude and the experience it takes to be like Nixon, Cheney, Bush or McCain.

Series of mugshot-like head shots go up on the screen, Nixon, Cheney, Bush, McCain, Palin.

The GOP: The more they change, the more they stay the same.

Stock footage: Richard Nixon: "I am not a crook."

Variants

"I Am Not A Crook" -- Variant #1

Stock footage: Richard Nixon: "I am not a crook."

Voiceover:

But he was.

Stock footage: Nixon getting on jet and waving goodbye after resigning, as voiceover continues:

And he left the White House in disgrace.

CONTINUE AS ABOVE UNTIL...

Series of mugshot-like head shots go up on the screen, Nixon, Cheney, Bush, McCain, Palin.

The GOP: The more they change, the more they stay the same.

Stock footage: Richard Nixon: "I am not a crook."

Stock footage: Nixon getting on jet and waving goodbye after resigning.

Quick cut to: Footage of McCain & Palin waving, as visually similar to Nixon as possible.

"I Am Not A Crook" -- Variant #2

SAME AS MAIN VERSION UNTIL...

Series of mugshot-like head shots go up on the screen, Nixon, Cheney, Bush, McCain, Palin.

The GOP: The more they change, the more they stay the same.

Stock footage: Richard Nixon: "I am not a crook."

Fill screen with head shot of Palin, then McCain in synch with final voiceover:

Sarah Palin: Not a crook?  Then what's she hiding?  And why is McCain helping her hide it?

Tags: , , , , , , (All Tags)
Print Friendly View Send As Email
"I Am Not A Crook"--The Anti-Palin/McCain Ad Obama OUGHT To Run | 28 comments
Sarah Palin (0.00 / 0)
Like Nixon...  without the Dick.

miasmo.com
Not Really (0.00 / 0)
She's got her husband, and by the looks of it, he's got the dick thing covered.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3
[ Parent ]
He's got one? Or he is one? (0.00 / 0)
Or both.

miasmo.com
[ Parent ]
We Retort, (0.00 / 0)
You Decide!

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3
[ Parent ]
Variant #1 has the winning tag line (0.00 / 0)
good work. probably a little wordy, but could easily be turned into 30 seconds.  

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
Hmmm... (0.00 / 0)
The thing is, narratives take some time to punch through, I think.  It's pretty clear that Palin has been lying for basically 2 weeks straight, the media has called her on it, but that narrative is not really setting in yet...

So, I'm just wondering rather than something this heavy, maybe something a little lighter (but still hard hitting) that's basically a simple contrast ad... Similar to the "No Mavericks" commercial, but just even more blunt.

It could be something like "Do you like being lied to?"  Show McCain repeat something like the Ebay claim and then another video text disputing the ebay claim.

Then show Sarah Palin reciting her Bridge to Nowhere garbage followed by the debate video of her saying that she liked the bridge to nowhere.  Follow-up with a snapshot of her with the "Nowhere, Alaska" t-shirt with text saying overlaying "She kept the earmarks anyway".

Then, "If you like being lied to, vote McCain/Palin.  If you want a President you can trust, vote Obama/Biden."

Someone with some more experience in marketing can play around with this a bit, but I wonder if basically assigning her to Nixon now is too heavy-handed.

I like it (4.00 / 1)
Sarah Palin: For the Bridge to Nowhere, before she took the money anyway.

Tim Wolfe
Go for humor (4.00 / 1)
Up-beat hoedown music and Barack Obama (shirt, tie, and dress shoes) running after a pig.  Slipping in the mud, wrestling it to the ground, then cut to his hands un-capping some lipstick.  Next shot, Obama (grinning with dirt smeared on his face) with his arm around a pig with a fresh (heavy) coat of lipstick.  Obama says:

"See why I honor John McCain?  This ain't easy!"


"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."

Good One! (4.00 / 4)
As I mentioned in a comment to SouthFrankfort's diary, "The Obamathon", I see value in a two-fold approach, one that's hard-hitting, and one that's humorous, and moves in the sitcom-informed direction that SouthFrankfort suggests.

I like your ad idea just fine, so this is offered in addition, not instead:

Have Obama in a Home Depot, looking at kitchen sinks, he looks up and says:

  "Hi, I'm Barack Obama, and I think I've found what John McCain is looking for.  He's thrown everything at me but the kitchen sink, so obviously he can't find one that's not installed in one of his many houses.

   Well, there are plenty of them here, Johm.  No need to hurl absurd accusations about things I never said or did.  And no need to resort to ridiculous interpretations of things that I did say or do.  Just come on down here, and buy yourself a kitchen sink to throw at me.  It's okay.  I'm fast enough to take of myself.  Just like I'll take care of America, once I'm elected.



"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3
[ Parent ]
Oh yeah (4.00 / 1)
I think your Nixon ad is too cerebral.

I'd bet that half the folks watching prime time TV don't even know who Richard Nixon is!

Home Depot Ad: At the end, set it up like the old "Space Invaders" game: Obama at the bottom, dodging from right to left (well, OK, mostly to the right...) as kitchen sinks fall from above (all done digitally).

Call John McCain and tell him:

"GAME OVER"



"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."

[ Parent ]
Too much memory required? (0.00 / 0)
I like the idea of attacking the Republicans en masse especially when McCain might to use weasel words to cover his ass and pretend he is a maverick. I think it could be very effective. I do wonder about doing it as an historical chronology? Most American probably don't know (amnesia) that Nixon was a crook or that there was such a thing as Iran-Contra. Or they would also dismiss the ad by saying "what about Monica?" Sad but true. What do you have with sex in it?

Why not just ask "why did John McCain choose a V.P. that is so willing to lie about her record? What does it say about his character that he is defending a liar?" And, make him explain that she is not a liar.

Destroy The Brand, And The Products Die, Too (4.00 / 3)
What? You don't want to see the "Party of Lincoln" defending itself as the Party of Nixon?  And if people don't know the history, then all the more reason to bring it up.

Finally, not least because campaign thinking tends to be so small, I like to think big.

OKay, that wasn't finally.  But this is:

Why not just ask "why did John McCain choose a V.P. that is so willing to lie about her record? What does it say about his character that he is defending a liar?" And, make him explain that she is not a liar.

How do people know what you're talking about?  You have set it up, one way or another.  I want to tie all the disgust with Republicans up into one tight little package.  Why is it better to do less?


"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Americans are simple minded. (0.00 / 0)
Rove knows that better than anyone.
Look, I like your ad, I just think it doesn't have the "mental velcro" necessary to have a lasting effect. No one cares about Nixon anymore except smart people like you.
[ Parent ]
It's Not About Caring About Nixon, Per Se (4.00 / 1)
It's much more about the recurring ancient evil factor.  Think HP Lovecraft, Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, The Mummy, or whatever.  You think you live in a modern world of taken-for-granted progress, only to discover the dead hand of the past reaching out to try to strangle you. That old grainy footage of Nixon.  You don't have to know who the hell he is, all you have to do is look at him.

The GOP has run against the 60s forever.  At the same time, they keep trying to steal MLK.  Well, I say, live by the past, die by the past.  If it's done right, all those pop-culture cliches I'm talking about will do their work just fine.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
The Left hasn't built the memes. (0.00 / 0)
I would love to see this work the way you see it. I just don't think the foundational memes (if that makes any sense) exist to support and amplify it. The rethugs have spent decades building a set of ideas that enable them to use their attacks to maximum effect--like the '60s, hippy thing. The Left has done nothing like it to enable a message like this to resonate in the popular mind.

Haven't you made this point in numerous, previous posts?

[ Parent ]
I Don't Pretend It's At All Equal (4.00 / 1)
But one has to start somewhere, and this is just a great opening.

You don't have to know any of that history.  The voiceover tells it to you, the onscreen text supports and adds to it (at the very least, showing viewers there are all sorts of places where you can learn more about this, we didn't just make it up), and the clips and imagery convey the vibe.

Of course it would be far stronger if Democrats talked about this stuff all the time.  But if we don't start sometime, it will never happen.  And this is really a great opening to do so.

I mean, think about it.  What good does it do the Reps to get into an argument over Watergate?

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
even people who don't know Nixon know Cheney (4.00 / 2)
And the ad would be talked about nonstop on cable -- and Chris Matthews certainly knows who Nixon was.

I think the Home Depot ad and the Nixon ad would both be stunningly effective.

[ Parent ]
Very True (0.00 / 0)
Speking of which, it would almost be worth the cost of the ad just to see the steam pouring out of Pat Buchanan's ears.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3
[ Parent ]
Well, if we're brainstorming ... (4.00 / 3)
Photo: McCain and Bush hugging.

When exactly did John McCain lose his honor? His embrace of George Bush?

Photo: McCain and Hagee/Robertson.

His embrace of men he himself called 'agents of intolerance'?

Montage: McCain's flip-flops.

The seventy-second time he flip-flopped? The seventy-third?

When, exactly, did John McCain lose his sense of honor?

Photo: Palin with the 'Nowhere' T-shirt.

When he chose a VP he'd only met once? Picked a complete stranger to be one heartbeat away? A stranger who lies. And lies. And lies.

Montage: Clippings of editorials/articles about Palin's lying.

What happened on the day that John McCain lost his honor?

Very Good Vs. McCain (0.00 / 0)
But not so strong vs. Palin.

I wanted an add that hit both, and was thinking specifically about undermining ABC's celebrity interview.

But for targetting McCain specifically, I think that's very good.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Well, I don't care about Palin, (0.00 / 0)
except as a way of attacking McCain. And I think calling her 'a stranger who lies and lies and lies', or some such, is the right sort of direction, if it's in a frame of 'WTF is John McCain doing?'

But of course you're talking about hitting her before the upcoming tongue-bath.

I just think if you wanna seize the initiative, you go to McCain. And there's never been a better window in which to question his oh-so-dubious honor than right now, with the media starting to wonder ...

[ Parent ]
I like this one a lot! (0.00 / 0)
High risk but potentially devastating for McCain. Palin should be treated as an obvious blunder--no need to explain it. Take it for granted. It's not about Palin's weakness. It's about McCain's blunder in choosing her. I believe that her ditziness will become more and more self evident. Let the rethugs rise to fight it off.
[ Parent ]
Why the - before she was against it - (0.00 / 0)
Why not just state "She was for the bridge to nowhere before the earmark was canceled by congress, but managed to keep the windfall anyway."

"the "before she was against it" is a flip-flopper meme that works for McCain, but that's not our complaint with SP - with her we are driving the "same old republican pork-barrel politics as usual" I say everyone should drop that last tag.

This Is A Kitchen Sink Ad, Of Sorts (0.00 / 0)
All the GOP baggage that will fit into the flow.

Besides, it's not just flip-flopping in a vacuum.  It's the duplicity, and echoes with her shift in position re welcoming the Troopergate investigation.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
To be technically correct - - (0.00 / 0)
Sarah Palin was for the bridge to nowhere before congress deauthorized it - - but she kept the money anyway.  


[ Parent ]
tagline; (0.00 / 0)
John McCain is NOT your friend.
The original "Maverick" tagline is better! (0.00 / 0)
"The greatest gambler in the West has finally met his match."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt01...
[ Parent ]
John McCain, Brett Maverick: Charming crooks (0.00 / 0)
Why not use McCain's most famous attribute against him? Does anybody want a gambler and con man as president???
"I Am Not A Crook"--The Anti-Palin/McCain Ad Obama OUGHT To Run | 28 comments
USER MENU

Open Left Campaigns

SEARCH

   

Advanced Search

QUICK HITS
STATE BLOGS

Home | RSS/XML Feed | Register | Contact

  © OpenLeft 2007-2010, Powered by SoapBlox

Powered by: SoapBlox