Posted on 01/06/2004 1:17:58 PM PST by rightcoast
Let's look beyond the MoveOn.org / Bush in 30 Seconds Hitler ads flap, and analyze the 15 finalists that have been posted at the Bushin30seconds.org website.
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Ad 1: 'CHILD'S PAY'
Description: Scenes of young children are displayed on the screen, working laboriously in several different jobs (dishwasher, hotel maid, trash collector, etc.)
Line at the end: "Guess who's going to pay off President Bush's $1 trillion deficit?"
Analysis: This is an obvious "our children will pay" argument against the rising deficit under President Bush. This is a possible weak spot for bush; however, the current budget deficit is under $500 billion, so the $1 trillion figure must be some sort of projection. This could be an effective ad early this year, however it could be countered with the more positive economic news that has been coming our way recently.
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Ad 2: 'IN MY COUNTRY'
Description: A man with a foreign (Indian perhaps?) accent says the following to the camera:
"In my country, a group of religious extremists are reshaping the government to promote their own agenda and morality.
"The government can keep a list of everyone I call and they do not need a judge's permission.
"Our citizens are seized and held in prison without being charged of a crime -- without the right to a trial and without a lawyer.
"Why should you care about what is happening to my country?"
Camera pulls back to reveal shot of New York City skyline.
"Because my country is the United States of America."
Line at the end: "George Bush is Changing Our Country"
Analysis: This is an anti-Patriot Act ad, which is an issue where Bush has drawn criticism from both the left and the right. Most people, however, are more concerned with the fact that no major terrorist attacks have taken place on American soil since 9/11.
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Ad 3: 'POLYGRAPH'
Description: Various closeup views of a polygraph machine (lie detector) spiking with the following statements by President Bush:
"Saddam Hussein had an advanced nuclear weapons program."
"Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
"Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."
Line at the end: "Americans are dying... for the truth"
Analysis: So these are all big lies? The first statement is undeniably true; all you have to do is read 'Saddam's Bombmaker' by Khidhir Hamza. The seconds statement is a rehash of the "16 words" crap from the 2003 SOTU address, and conveniently excludes that this was a British intelligence conclusion, and it has never been proven that Hussein never tried to obtain uranium from Africa; Bush never said he was successful. As for the third statement, there have been several past connections between Hussein and terrorists with strong al Qaeda ties, and there are certainly enough al Qaeda terrorists presently in Iraq.
A weak ad, short on facts, but sure to excite the Bush-haters.
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Ad 4: 'BRING 'EM ON'
Description: Pictures of service men and women who have died in Iraq are shown onscreen as President Bush makes the following statements on video in the background:
"The security of the world requires disarming Saddam Hussein now."
"500 tons of sarin, mustard, VX nerve agents..."
"...significant quantities of uranium from Africa"
"...mobile biological weapons labs"
"Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."
"There are some who feel like that the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer's bring 'em on."
Line at the end: "He lied. They died."
Analysis: Trying to paint Bush as a lying Commander in Chief, uncaring of the men and women who have died serving their country. There would be quite a backlash if this is the winning ad, especially since it contains so-called "lies" of the previous ad, as well as adding in the "Bring 'em on comment", as if the president is cavalier and uncaring about our armed servicemen.
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Ad 5: 'WHAT ARE WE TEACHING OUR CHILDREN?'
Description: Children take their turns speaking at a podium, in front of an audience that seems to be parents, who are aghast at the comments coming from the childrens' mouths:
"If elected, I'll lie about weapons of mass destruction as a pretext to invade another country."
"I'll call myself an environmentalist and gut clean air standards."
"Our allies will go from respecting us to hating us, and I don't care."
"I'll leave no child behind... unless they can't afford it."
"I promise to keep you in a state of fear and anxiety, so you never question what we're doing."
"And if you do we'll call you unpatriotic."
"Bring 'em on."
Line at the end: "What are we teaching our children?"
Analysis: Labeling Bush as both a manipulating president, and also as a poor example to our children. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the winning ad, since the likes of Michael Moore and Janeane Garofolo will most likely be unable to contain their smarmy glee at the message of this ad.
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Ad 6: 'IMAGINE'
Description: Head-and-shoulders shots of average Americans, each saying part of the following statement, in front of various patriotic imagery:
"Imagine a world where corporations choose leaders, put them in power, and have them rewrite laws to increase profit. Imagine a world where corporations start wars to create increased demand for their products. Imagine a world where the news media, owned by these corporations, only tells the public what they want them to know. Imagine a president who sells out his people and their environment to boost the wealth of a few. Unbelievable? It should be."
Line at the end: "THINK."
Analysis: Oh my, what a gloriously Marxist ad! What else can I say?
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Ad 7: 'HUMAN COST OF WAR'
Description: As President Bush is heard making the following statements:
"25,000 liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters botulin and toxin... enough doses to kill several million people... enough to subject millions of people to death."
"Our intelligence sources tell us that he has attempted to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes suitable for nuclear weapons production."
As the following text appears on the screen...
January 28, 2003
The President of the United States lied to America... And the world.
Since then more than 451 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq.
An American soldier is killed nearly every day.
More than 8,000 civilians have been slaughtered in Iraq.
No weapons of mass destruction were ever found.
Line at the end: "Lies: The real weapons of mass destruction"
Analysis: "This is an attempt to cast the war in Iraq as unjustified. A clever line at the end, but most Americans are results-oriented, and unless things in Iraq go horribly, awfully bad, you aren't going to be able to shake the general impression that the war was justified and right, especially in light of Saddam Hussein's capture.
More analysis coming later... This is the first half.
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14 |
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Never underestimate your enemy's ability to propagandize. Remember, the left owns this type of media and they're very good.
But knowing these nuts they'll go with Hood Robbin or Leave No Billionaire Behind.
It's a pity they don't have that Hitler one to choose from any more. You just know they'd pick that one ;-)
Definitely NOT the demonrats. Vote demonrat: from each according to their frugality, to each according to their greed.
Followed by Bush saying we're gonna hunt them and get em on the run.
Then....
Which man do you want leading the war on terror?
All in all, if this is the best the left can do - W. is going to stomp a Mondale-sized mud hole in their candidate's a**.
Let's look beyond the MoveOn.org / Bush in 30 Seconds Hitler ads flap, and analyze the 15 finalists that have been posted at the Bushin30seconds.org website.
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Ad 8: 'WAKE UP AMERICA'
Description: Scene of a man laying in bed; not wanting to get up, he keeps hitting the snooze button as the alarm clock radio wakes him up with news reports:
7:00 AM - "During his administration, President Bush has..."
7:10 AM - "...3 Million Americans have lost their jobs."
7:20 AM - "The President has cut unemployment benefits..."
"...cut health care for veterans"
7:30 AM - "...the largest annual defict in history"
"bankrupt the Treasury" ... "dissolved more international treaties than any other president in U.S. history and removed more civil liberties from Americans..."
Line at the end: "Wake Up America"
Analysis: A free-for-all attack on Bush, slamming him on the deficit, the economy, veterans benefits, international diplomacy, and civil liberties. I'm not sure how effective this ad would be.. I think it's one of the weaker ads, personally.
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Ad 9: 'DESKTOP'
Description: A computer screen (Macintosh desktop) is shown with a large Presidential seal. In close-up, the ad shows several folder icons being dragged into the computer's Trash can. This is obviously supposed to be a gag where this is the President's computer screen we are seeing.
The following icons are "thrown into the trash": Environment, Social Security, Civil Liberties, Budget Surplus, $87 Billion, Veteran Benefits, Separation of Church & State, Corporate Accountability, Healthcare, The Constitution.
We then see the Trash being emptied, "permanently deleting" these items.
Line at the end: "What's next?"
Analysis: This is a more light-hearted ad, with the music, despite the subject matter. It covers a wide range of issues, but the lack of real visuals make it a pretty weak ad.
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Ad 10: 'ARMY OF ONE'
Description: Several clips of military footage, including that of President Bush is shown onscreen, while the following is narrated:
"The war they are in has been declared over by the same man who lied them into. Their reward:
Combat Pay Cut in Half
$1.5 Billion Cut to Military Family Housing
$20 Billion Cut to Military Health Care
No Health Care for Reservists
(George W. Bush quote:) "My answer's bring 'em on."
"Thousands wounded, hundreds dead, and no end in sight. If we support our troops, why can't Bush? Was this what they mean when they say an 'Army of One'?"
Analysis: This ad is an attempt to convince the viewer that President Bush is using the military, and cares nothing for the men and women in uniform. In this way, it is like the 'Bring 'Em On' and 'Human Cost of War' ads.'
I am not sure what the sources are for the claims in this ad. Can anyone confirm them?
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Ad 11: 'BANKRUPT'
Description: Mostly vintage footage of Americans, workers, troops, etc. Has an ominous slow-motion clip of President Bush at the end.
Ad narration: "Jobs Lost: 2.4 million"
"Federal deficit: $455 billion"
"War in Iraq: 9,000 human lives"
"Friends left at the United Nations: 3"
"America's future: bankrupt"
Line at the end: "The time is now. Take America Back"
Analysis: Somewhat of an echo of the MasterCard "priceless" ads. Probably more effective than most of these ads, but the vintage footage is a little cheesy.
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Ad 12: 'HOOD ROBBIN''
Description: A man in a Robin Hood-type outfit with a rubber George W. Bush mask runs through town, wreaking havoc: stealing a worker's lunchbox, pulling down a house's window curtain, stealing children's books at a playground, stealing an elderly man's money and cane, and giving the money to a business man at "Megacorp Inc."
Ad narration: "Once upon a time, a man set out to change America. Under his leadership, 3.3 million jobs disappeared. He signed a bill taking away our rights to privacy. He cut hundreds of millions of dollars from education, including his own No Child Left Behind Act. He even proposes draining $1 trillion out of the Social Security program. Who benefits from these changes? Not us."
Analysis: Well, it's back to the old "Republicans are evil" tactic. Imagine Newt Gingrich in the White House, and you'll get the idea: robbing children and the elderly blind, etc. This ad is unlikely to resonate with anyone outside of the extreme Hate Bush camp, in my opinion.
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Ad 13: 'LEAVE NO BILLIONAIRE BEHIND'
Description: Scenes of children in a classroom, are gathering money on their desks. At the end, we see a rich-looking businessman type, happy to receive the cash.
Ad narration: "Kids across America are digging deep. President Bush's tax cuts mean big tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires. Paying for them won't be easy, but these kids are ready to do their part. In 2003 alone, George Bush put every child in America $7400 into debt. To these children, we have one thing to say:
(Rich man speaks:) "Thanks, kids."
Line at the end: "Leave No Billionaire Behind"
Analysis: Bush is for the rich fat cats, and doesn't care about kids. The "paying for tax cuts" mantra can be easily defeated with the right message. Still, this is probably one of the more cutting ads, but that's more due to the lack of impact in the others.
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Ad 14: 'BUSH'S REPAIR SHOP'
Description: An auto mechanic talks to the camera cheerfully as a car is completely beat to shreds in the background.
Ad narration: (Mechanic:) "We'll take care of her. Got my best man Dick looking at it now."
(Narrator:) "George Bush says he is fighting terrorism. What does he do? Cut Funding for First Responders."
"He says he is for education. What does he do? Under Fund His Own Plan."
"He says he supports our veterans. What does he do? Cut Funding for Their Health Care."
"George Bush said he'd restore honor and integrity to the White House. It's not what you say, George. It's what you do."
Line at the end: "Bush' Repair Shop: Think what we can do for you!"
Analysis: This is another somewhat more lighthearted ad in approach, and is equating President Bush with a dishonest auto mechanic. This is probably more geared to a female audience for this reason, and makes the claim that Bush says one thing and does another. This ad is probably hurt most by its extremely weak first point about terrorism and first responders.
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Ad 15: 'GONE IN 30 SECONDS'
Description: A mock-up of a car speedometer is shown on-screen, with the years 2000-2004 as a sort of tachometer.
Ad narration: "When Bush got into the driver's seat, he took over the largest surplus in American history, and turned that surplus into the largest deficit in history. The U.S. economy has lost 3.3 million jobs, the most since the Great Depression. Then Bush drove us into war with Iraq. We're losing lives. We're hemmoraging money. And these costs are driving our country closer to bankruptcy."
Line at the end: "Just Where Does George Bush Think He's Taking Us?"
Analysis: I find it funny that in these ads, the jobs lost figures do not match up to each other. In any case, the Iraq claims are somewhat weak in light of Saddam's capture, and overall this ad would have been a stronger one sometime last year.
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