First thing I noticed? There’s an awful lot of white folks in that ad.

tree hugging sister on April 6, 2008 at 5:27 PM

Yeah, but I think that was done in order to make the one black guy in the ad stand out as the clear interlocutor with whom he makes peace with that handshake near the end. And why is that important? Because

With this Sen. McCain is engaging Sen. Obama on his calls for unity. Looks like Camp McCain thinks they are going to be running against Camp Obama.

terryannonline on April 6, 2008 at 1:22 PM

He will be running against Obama, there’s no question about that. If he’s not running against Obama, then he is running against the Democratic party w/o the black vote, and in that case, as long as he doesn’t moon anybody on camera, he’s going to win.

So, I agree with Typhoon that he’s setting himself up as “the calmest and most reasonable person in the room,” and underscoring, at the same time, the big gravitas gap betw him and the junior freshman senator. In addition, he’s laying an implicit challenge at the feet of Obama, which is to throw over the nutroots, and nutballs who with whom is currently encumbered. But that is something that Obama can’t, or won’t do. He may try to do it in the general, but but his nutty buddies will savage him if he does. So a central sub-text of this ad is putting this question in the mind of its demographic [Centrists, not conservatives. Allahpundit on April 6, 2008 at 1:20 PM]–can you see Obama doing this, being this reasonable?

So far, the ad has only been viewed 7600 times on YouTube. It hasn’t gone viral. Campaign videos are hit and miss. Some work better than others. I am impressed the McCain campaign has used an interesting aesthetic. They don’t look like average campaign ads.

The serious muted tone is a stark contrast to the largely empty hype and faux excitement of Obama. The message polishes the McCain commitment to cooperation, not partisan division – it also has an element of attempting to gain the principled high ground before the Democrats rev up their divisive gutter attack machine.

A good ad for the middle of the road, non-party affiliated demographic, except it needs to be shorter (90 seconds?) and it needs to be a bit more Reaganeque with an uplift at the end.

Now, I’m waiting for the ads with the “we hold these truths to be self-evident” and the “for the people, by the people and of the people” lines.

Well wait maybe he’ll pick his friend Teddy (hiccup) Kennedy

sharinlite on April 6, 2008 at 5:14 PM

I couldn’t agree more. I like to think there are enough thinking people left out here for the message to take hold. Then again…

Lockstein13 on April 6, 2008 at 6:23 PM

…I guess we’ll see.

This is the very first time I have seen a high level politician address the socialist threat. It really suprises me that McCain was the one to so much as suggest this internal threat existed.

Update: The ad explained.

LIKE A JOKE: If ya gotta explain it, it ain’t worth it.

From the article, “The Arizona senator said he would go after votes of blacks and Hispanics, two traditionally strong Democratic blocs, as well as independents and young voters who have been attracted to the Democratic campaigns this year.”

Fair enough. But with these three lethargic, sleeping-pill ads?! How about a few slam dunk 30-second pieces instead?!!?

“Freedom is the inalienable right of mankind and in accord with the laws of nature and nature’s creator.”

In which case countries that have sharia enshrined in their Constitutions (i.e. Iraq, Afghanistan) are NOT populated by free peoples. At least from a Christian perspective.

Is the McCain campaign really dumb enough to waste resources on California?

corona on April 6, 2008 at 4:15 PM

I don’t know how accurate this is, but I’ve heard that if McCain can swing Los Angeles County 4% points, he takes the state. Anyone else heard this?

That said, I like the ad. He’s presenting himself as a “uniter” much better than Senator Obama and that’s Obama’s main talking point. He’s essentially nullifying Obama’s best weapon.

I’m pretty confident of a McCain win in November. Like a friend of mine likes to say, elections are won between the 45 yard lines.

“I’m not sure that the old red state, blue state scenario that prevailed for the last several elections works,” McCain said.

ABOUT HIMSELF, TRUE ENOUGH.

That he’s ignoring the importance of voters who eschew open borders, tolerance of criminals in preference for liberal progressive demography speaks volumes to anyone with ears to hear.

If I am not mistaken, the first soldier in the picture is Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor before he was killed in action.

If I am right, than this ad works for me…….

GodSpeed Michael……….. HOOO0-YAAHHH!!!

If not, than it still works for me……

Typhoon on April 6, 2008 at 3:28 PM

Excellent. I think you hit it right on the head. Now it’s contingent on McCain to not throw one of his own spewing spittle-flecked fits along the way.

I thought of that, but look at the images of Iraq and the language about putting aside our differences to find the best solution. It ain’t conservatives who are the problem there.

Allahpundit on April 6, 2008 at 1:13 PM

Here’s the thing, and here’s what I think you’re missing: For the past couple years, I was involved in a very bitter and protracted legal dispute, and at one point I got a key piece of valuable advice to always attempt to be, “the calmest and most reasonable person in the room.”

For eight years now, we’ve had an entire segment of the population of this country foaming at the mouth in sheer unadulterated hatred of the President of the United States. What this ad is doing is taking those people artfully and subtly to task with everyone else.

Most people who aren’t political junkies are turned of by nothing quicker than hatred and viciousness in political debate.

And poor Barry, these screaming nutcases are now his base. When they start screaming about Bush lying and kids dying and calling warmonger and rending their garments and throwing their bottles of blood about the third Bush-McCain term, well, McCain’s going to look like the calmest and most reasonable man in the room.

And that’s what the country wants right now. Watch and see.

As to cost/benefit, well, you said yourself they’re Internet ads. All the footage is surely stock or already existed. So you’re not talking placement costs, just editing and voiceover, or, in essence, nothing.

In his mind we are.

malan89 on April 6, 2008 at 2:40 PM

No…in your mind he is.

On another note, is that voice-over guy the same one who does the Lost recaps?

To say that a campaigner seeks certain votes is kinda redundant. I’m sure he seeks all kinds of votes.

Clarence Thomas, in his book, says that the Reagan administration demurred on his offer of help during the re-election campaign as that block was not actively sought after.

To say that a campaigner seeks certain votes is kinda redundant. I’m sure he seeks all kinds of votes.

Exactly. I’m sure every candidates wants as many votes as they can get.

Sounds like an elitist human resources propaganda piece aimed at conservatives. We must be tolerant. We must be nice. We must understand the non-stop anger of The Left. It’s silly, and quite unnecessary.

SouthernGent on April 6, 2008 at 2:06 PM

I just couldn’t disagree more. In the first place, humanists don’t think rights come from a Creator.

But I loved this ad. Loved it to the point of nearly having tears in my eyes, and I am old enough to have voted for Ronald Reagan twice.

This is an ad Reagan could have run folks. And this is something that needs to be said. Brick by brick McCain is building something here. Something that’s looking more special to me by the day.

Poor Barry, he may want to be the coming of hope and change and new politics, but he’s wound up with a bunch of rabid haters from Kos Kiddies to Uncle Jerry’s flock as his base.

McCain’s ever-so-artfully cutting them off early and right at the knees.

Any news shows out there willing to devote two and a half minutes of precious airtime to this behemoth?

*Chuckling…*

Yeah, maybe so. After all, there are so few cable news channels and they only have 24 hours a day to fill every single day and there’s so much going on right now.