If a political advertisement starts with amber waves of grain, it’s got to be horribly cheesy, right? Somehow Barack Obama’s 30-minute infomercial, shown on seven networks Wednesday night, passed the schlock test: It was moving without being too sticky sweet. Obama, stepping out from behind a presidential-looking desk, and standing in an Oval Office-looking room, was our narrator for the evening, telling us about four struggling families (predictably, some were from swing states) and explaining how his policies would make life better for the featured families, and by extension, America as a whole.
Obama has proved many times he can draw a large audience in person. He proved on Wednesday he can draw a large television audience as well. Final Neilsen numbers show Obama’s commercial had 33.6 million viewers across the seven networks. (In contrast, the conclusion of the World Series that same night had 19.8 million viewers.)
Obama sounded like a candidate in the lead—he didn’t mention John McCain or his policies, and only made a couple of vague references to “the last eight years.” According to Obama, the country is suffering, but he is listening to peoples’ problems.
Traditional media largely shied away from giving the commercial too much additional coverage after it aired. The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times buried their recaps (here and here) in the middle of their front sections, and the Washington Post handed coverage to their style columnist.
The big concern prior to the airing was whether the advertisement was too much—too much Barack, too much television, too much grand-standing right before the election. But in Politico’s survey of policy-makers, most said the ad was “surprisingly effective.” Obama looked “presidential,” and during the ad he “raised the bar for discourse.”
Some pundits, mainly conservatives, had one broad complaint: Obama only sees what’s wrong with America.
Mark Hemingway from National Review Online: “The last thing that should be driving America’s voting habits is a half-hour of Manipulative Portraits of Downtrodden Victims of Shadowy Governmental Forces. Whatever our problems are right now, America is not one big breadline.”
Michelle Malkin: “Obama is now profiling Americans in economic distress … more sob stories …Â Another couple facing hard times, layoffs …Â Sorry, I am having a snort attack.”
Michael Lind from the New America Foundation: “Am I the only one who finds Obama’s vision of America a downer? Even the music in the infomercial struck me as sad rather than inspirational, more suited to a telethon raising relief money for victims of Katrina than a political revolution against the forces of reaction.”
Rush Limbaugh: “Obama really is a depressing man, and he sees a depressing country. He sees an America with nothing but victims.”
Yes, the commercial wasn’t an “America is great” cheerfest. But most viewers probably didn’t didn’t disagree with Obama’s central message. After all, in Thursday’s new New York Times/CBS News poll, 85 percent of respondents said the country was on the wrong track and 89 percent had negative views of the economy.
Obama’s supporters like to say he is a different type of candidate, and through his commercial he tried to prove that. By highlighting families suffering from high health care costs and fearing job cuts he showed he was being realistic about the challenges Americans face today. And Obama’s closing speech, before cutting to a live campaign event in Florida, must sound inspirational no matter you end up voting for. He said:
I’m reminded every single day, that I am not a perfect man. I will not be a perfect president. But I can promise you this, I will always tell you what I think and where I stand; I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you when we disagree, and most importantly I will open the doors of government and ask you to be involved in your democracy again.
It’s a promise any voter would want to hear. Now we just have to see if the candidate can keep it.