This stark and unsettling ad from the Bush campaign doesn't mention the notorious escaped convict William Horton by name. (Although he went by William, the Bush campaign referred to him by the less respectable name “Willie”). However, with its release just a few weeks after the independently financed ad "Willie Horton" had generated controversy and national press coverage, the connection was clear. Under the direction of campaign manager Roger Ailes, Dukakis was linked with the case of the African American felon who fled Massachusetts during a weekend furlough and and attacked a young white couple in Maryland. Focus groups conducted in Paramus, New Jersey, in May showed a strong emotional reaction to the failed furlough system, and Bush decided to make this a key issue in the campaign, attacking Dukakis in a speech as "a tax-raising liberal who let murderers out of jail." Because of their strong imagery and underlying racial message, "Willie Horton" and "Revolving Door" received substantial coverage on TV news programs during the final month of the campaign. “I realized I started a trend,” said Ailes. “Now guys are out there trying to produce commercials for the evening news.” The creator of the "Willie Horton" ad, Floyd Brown, also made attack ads against John Kerry in 2004.
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"Really MD," which first aired on September 1, 2000, was the first attack ad of the general election campaign for George W. Bush. With the economy in good shape, and no major domestic or international problems, Bush was attempting to maintain his image as a genial, sincere person. In late August, Bush blocked an attack ad challenging Al Gore's trustworthiness. However, the strategy changed because Gore was enjoying a post-convention bounce. The ad team, led by Alex Castellanos, decided to raise questions about Gore's trustworthiness and integrity. The ad "Really" makes the attack with humor, and with the softening touch of using a female narrator. The woman is commenting sarcastically about an Al Gore ad that is playing on a small television set. As Governor Bush's communications director Karen Hughes explained, "They tried to insulate Bush from the harshness of the message. They put the words in the mouth of an anonymous narrator. They used a woman's voice. They phrased the criticism in a humorous way." Relatively mild by the standards of the 2004 and 2008 elections, this ad was viewed by the press as particularly harsh, with headlines such as "RNC Gets ReallyNasty," "Bush Approves New Attack Ad Mocking Gore," and "Bush Torpedoes Himself."
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The most entertaining and effective ad of the 2004 campaign was Mark McKinnon’s spot “Windsurfing,” which used humor, classical music, and footage from a disastrously ill-conceived photo opportunity to hammer home the single most consistent assertion of the Bush campaign: that John Kerry was a “flip-flopper” who followed the political winds and switched positions frequently. During the week of the Republican convention in August, Kerry took a vacation in Nantucket, and invited the press to photograph him windsurfing. There were two big problems here for Kerry. First, the sport of windsurfing fed into the perception among many voters that Kerry was an East Coast elitist. Secondly, as McKinnon realized immediately when he saw the news footage of Kerry, windsurfing could be used as a perfect visual metaphor, The most entertaining and effective ad of the 2004 campaign was Mark McKinnon’s spot “Windsurfing,” which used humor, classical music, and footage from a disastrously ill-conceived photo opportunity to hammer home the single most consistent assertion of the Bush campaign: that John Kerry was a “flip-flopper” who followed the political winds and switched positions frequently. During the week of the Republican convention in August, Kerry took a vacation in Nantucket, and invited the press to photograph him windsurfing. There were two big problems here for Kerry. First, the sport of windsurfing fed into the perception among many voters that Kerry was an East Coast elitist. Secondly, as McKinnon realized immediately when he saw the news footage of Kerry, windsurfing could be used as a perfect visual metaphor,
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On September 15, 2008, the financial services firm Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, igniting the financial crisis that dominated the fall season. That morning, John McCain made remarks including the comment “the fundamentals of our economy are strong.” The Obama campaigned seized the opportunity, making an ad that replayed McCain’s remarks in a way that makes him look old and out of touch. The Obama ad was aired within 24 hours of McCain’s remarks, creating a contrast between the speed and assertiveness of the Obama campaign and the unsteady nature of McCain’s remarks. This is a classic “backfire” ad, in which a candidate’s remarks are used against them. The ad also reminds us that campaigns can be strongly effected by breaking news events, which can offer an idea of how a candidate can react to a crisis. McCain had briefly pulled even in national polls in the days following the Republican convention; Obama regained the lead for good after the economic crisis.
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