The excellent website Living Room Candidate contains over 300 presidential ads from Eisenhower/Stevenson to today.
It is edifying. It is saddening. It shows just how effective Madison Ave has become in shaping our leaders' messages and, in a very real and organic way, it shows the evolution of the attack ad. From the spark that was the nuclear bomb for Johnson all the way to McCain's grossly disturbing distortion of Obama's sexual predator education reform.
One ad stood out among others to be as moving to me as Johnson's bomb was scary and the "Morning In America" was heartstring-tugging.
It's this one. And watching it, at 12:30 in the morning two things happened to me. I wondered just where the hell this guy has been for the past 2 weeks and will he ever really come back?
And I cried. Real tears. The kind the crew on Rescue Me would torment a Probie for.
I've seen it probably half a dozen times and it always seemed....well...nice.
But, do yourself a favor. Listen to McCain talk about Obama. Listen to the Republican talking heads try to spin things around so McCain and his prom date try to sound more and more like Democrats.
Then, watch this again and see if it doesn't make you wanna run out and volunteer. Or weep for hope. Or believe that maybe, just maybe, one candidate really did try to take the high road. And, if we're lucky and we approach the better versions of ourselves for just one short day, that road can lead to a better tomorrow.
Yes. We can.
Neat sidenote: I went to college with the director and didn't know it was him. Coolio!
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