With questions persisting about Barack Obama's ability to win over working-class voters, particularly whites, Obama has embarked on a campaign this week to reach out to blue-collar Americans, re-donning the all-important American flag lapel pin and, as the New York Times points out, "sprinkling his speeches with references to God and country" to "reassure Democratic voters about his values." Obama is also up with two new radio ads in Kentucky -- home to many of the voters in question -- in which local Democratic leaders specifically reference Obama's Christian faith and love for his country.

Kentucky Rep. Ben Chandler (subscription) and Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo (subscription) star in the new spots, launched Wednesday, portraying Obama as someone Kentucky voters can relate to. "Once you get to know him, he’ll be like family to us," Mongiardo says in his ad. Both men talk about Obama's upbringing -- raised by a single mom, his grandfather who "served in Patton's army," and his grandmother who worked in a bomber factory" during World War II. "They didn't have much money, but they gave Barack a thirst for education, an abiding love for America, and a belief that we all have a stake in each other," Chandler says.

Both men stress the fact that Obama is a "strong Christian" who began his professional life working with churches "helping communities left behind when local plants closed." And they both touch on his economic plan, which calls for ending tax breaks for companies that outsource and providing tax breaks for the middle class.

Continue reading "Gimme That Old-Time Religion" »

Click here to watch "Obamacan."

MoveOn.org, which has endorsed Barack Obama, announced the winner of its "Obama In 30 Seconds" ad contest on Monday. The liberal group will spend $200,000 airing the winning ad, "Obamacan" (subscription), on national cable stations and on network TV in Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Denver, all expected to be important markets in the general election. MoveOn says it will roll out the ad tomorrow, and that it will run for one week after that.

MoveOn put out the call for average citizens to create a 30-second spot about Obama and submit it for a vote by the organization's members, as well as a panel of 24 celebrity judges -- including actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, musician Moby, director Oliver Stone and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. According to the group, there were over 1,100 entries.

MoveOn spokeswoman Ilyse Hogue said that once the organization began to see a groundswell of support for Obama, they decided to give their members a way to participate directly in the campaign. She added, "We believe ads made by real people appeal to voters across the country as much, if not more than, ads made by paid political consultants."

The winning ad features Air Force veteran John Weiler, who says that although he's "been a Republican since before I could actually vote," he's supporting Obama. "We need somebody in the White House that is strong," Weiler says, as patriotic music plays and military medals are shown on screen. "We need somebody that’s going to represent the Left and the Right, the Democrat and the Republican -- everybody."

Continue reading "And The Winner Is..." »

Even before the Indiana and North Carolina results were in, Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton were looking ahead to the five states and one territory yet to vote in the protracted nomination contest. Putting his fundraising advantage to work (Clinton announced today that she has lent her campaign $6.4 million over the past month, while Obama continues to report strong numbers), the Illinois senator beat his rival to the airwaves in all six contests, going up with TV spots in West Virginia, Oregon, Kentucky, Puerto Rico, South Dakota and Montana by April 26.

West Virginia is the next to vote, on May 13, and Clinton is considered the favorite. But Obama is focusing on economic issues in hopes of attracting some of the blue-collar voters that make up a huge percentage of the state's electorate. A topic that dominated the debate in Indiana is spilling over into West Virginia -- what to do about gas prices. In "Nothing's Changed," a spot that debuted in Pennsylvania, Obama goes after oil companies for gouging customers at the pump and promises to change the system if elected.

Continue reading "Six To Go" »

Click here to watch "Minute."

Hoosiers and Tar Heels head to the polls today with the same mix of messages voters in other hotly contested primary states received from Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton: positive ads followed by several days of back-and-forth attacks, ending with closing arguments that make only veiled references to the opponent.

Since Friday, Obama has released four new ads in the two states set to vote today, with slightly different versions of some running in Indiana and North Carolina. Three of the four are contrast spots slamming Clinton for negative campaigning, and for supporting John McCain's gas tax holiday proposal.

"Pennies," released Friday, repeats Obama's accusation that Clinton's support for the gas tax holiday represents "political pandering." "It's an election-year gimmick saving Hoosiers just pennies a day," the Indiana version states, citing newspaper articles and data from Americans For Transportation Mobility. "Boost" takes up the same topic, arguing in the North Carolina version that Clinton's strongest surrogate in the state, Gov. Mike Easley, disagrees with the proposal. Referencing a Washington Post article, an announcer also claims that even Clinton's aides "admit it won't do much for you -- but would help her politically." "Here's the choice" as these ads lay it out: "Clinton gimmicks that help big oil, or Barack Obama -- a real energy plan and a $1,000 middle-class tax cut to help families truly pay the bills."

Continue reading "Closing The Case" »

Click here to watch "Truth."

A legitimate policy debate has arisen between the two Democratic presidential candidates this week: whether or not to support John McCain's plan for a gas tax holiday this summer. While Hillary Rodham Clinton has jumped on the Straight Talk Express for this particular issue, Barack Obama is the only candidate to reject the proposal, calling it a "Washington gimmick."

Today the Obama camp is out with a new TV ad, a response to Clinton's "Trouble" ad that launched yesterday, in which she jabs Obama for his opposition to her foreclosure freeze and the gas tax plan. Showing footage of a stump speech given by Obama in North Carolina this week, "Truth" suggests that the McCain/Clinton proposal is "typical of how Washington works" and a "short-term quick fix," while he is the candidate who will bring long-term change to the country's oil addiction.

"I'm here to tell you the truth," Obama declares in the ad, airing in Indiana and North Carolina. "We could suspend the gas tax for six months," but individuals would only save about $25, "or half a tank of gas." He proposes "going after oil companies" for "price gouging," while focusing on the larger problem of the nation's overall oil consumption. "That's the real honest answer to how we're going to solve this problem," not political posturing, he says.

Continue reading "Fact Check On Fuel" »

Click here to watch "America First."

With just six days before voters head to the polls in Indiana and North Carolina, Barack Obama seems to have refocused his campaign efforts within the last 24 hours. From his strong repudiation of Rev. Jeremiah Wright on Tuesday to multiple endorsements Wednesday and the release of four TV spots in the upcoming primary states, the Obama campaign has been busy trying to change the media narrative and get back to his message of change.

Obama is up with two new ads in Indiana today. "Next Door" reminds voters that the senator is from the adjacent state of Illinois and thus, the ad suggests, understands Hoosiers.

"All across Indiana and my home state next door, folks know we desperately need change," Obama says, listing a series of economic challenges facing the country. "But the truth is, to fix these things, we've got to do more than change parties in the White House," he says, suggesting that a vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton would not be a vote for change. Addressing the cynics, Obama acknowledges, "Some people say we can't change Washington." But he ends on an empowering note: "I approve this message to say: On Tuesday, Indiana, you can."

The campaign also launched "Inspiring" (subscription) in the Hoosier State today. The spot, which ran nationally in January, features testimony from one of Obama's professors at Harvard law, a Republican colleague from the Illinois state senate and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and it opens and closes with clips from Obama's address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Continue reading "Red, White And Blue-Collar" »

Click here to watch "Jobs"

Barack Obama is the target of yet another negative ad today, but this one is not coming from Republicans. The American Leadership Project, a 527 group financed almost exclusively by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a union which has endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton, announced today that it is spending $700,000 over the next week to run a TV spot in Indiana calling Obama's economic policy into question.

"Jobs" features ominous music and newspaper headlines that criticize the Illinois senator's economic platform. "The Associated Press reported that Obama's plan to clean up financial markets had 'no specifics,' " an announcer says. "And the Washington Post wrote that what Obama would actually do remains 'a mystery in too many areas.' " In fact, the Post article cited in the ad is an op-ed piece by columnist David Ignatius.

The ad attacks a soft spot for the Obama campaign, as he's struggled to win over working-class white voters. To address that, Obama has retooled his stump speech to focus on the economy while campaigning in Indiana, and he has significantly increased his advertising in the state ahead of the May 6 primary.

Continue reading "A Fiscal Focus In Indiana" »

Click here to watch "Health Care."

Barack Obama is becoming a more familiar face for TV viewers in Mississippi and Louisiana, but not by choice; instead, the Illinois senator is the focal point of several new commercials being run by Republican groups ahead of special elections to be held in both states in early May.

Whereas Hillary Rodham Clinton was once considered the Democrat that Republicans would most like to see at the top of the ticket in November, Obama's "bitter" comments and his association with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright have helped make him more vulnerable to attack from the right. Now Republicans are using Obama's missteps to target downballot candidates.

In Mississippi's First District, Southaven Mayor Greg Davis (R) is facing off against Democratic businessman Travis Childers in a runoff to replace Rep. Roger Wicker (R), who moved to the Senate after Trent Lott's resignation. While the seat had been considered safe for the GOP, Childers shocked pundits by coming within 400 votes of capturing it in the first round of voting on April 22. Now, the National Republican Congressional Committee and Davis are going on the offense, launching negative ads that link Childers to Obama, John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi.

Continue reading "Obama Targeted In Special Elections" »

Click here to watch "Turn It Off."

The national spotlight continues to shine on North Carolina today over a state Republican Party ad highlighting Barack Obama's relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. But voters in the Tar Heel State haven't been getting just one side of the story; the Obama camp has released several TV ads there ahead of the state's May 6 primary.

"Turn It Off" places Obama in an elementary school classroom, where he talks about the importance of education and parental involvement. "For me the American dream began in a room like this," Obama says, playing up his humble beginnings. "My family didn’t have much money, but education made everything possible."

He goes on to outline "The Obama Plan" for improving education but then moves beyond the typical political message to offer something of a lecture to parents. "The truth is government can’t do it all. As parents we need to turn off the TV, read to our kids, give them that thirst to learn."

Continue reading "Obama Teaches Good Parenting" »

Click here to watch "Extreme."

Perhaps it was only a matter of time before inflammatory video clips of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright found their way into ads attacking Barack Obama. But the North Carolina Republican Party is using the controversial pastor's remarks to hit two unexpected targets -- Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue and state Treasurer Richard Moore -- in addition to Obama.

In an ad set to debut on Monday, one week before North Carolina's primary, the state GOP highlights Obama's relationship with Wright and criticizes Democratic gubernatorial candidates Perdue and Moore for endorsing the Illinois senator. "Extreme" begins with an announcer saying, "For 20 years, Barack Obama sat in his pew listening to his pastor," followed by footage of Wright saying "God damn America" during a sermon. The announcer adds that Perdue and Moore "should know better. [Obama's] just too extreme for North Carolina."

Continue reading "State Parties Seize On Obama's Missteps" »

Click here to watch "He Has What It Takes."

Not willing to let Hillary Rodham Clinton have the final word in Pennsylvania with Monday's "Kitchen" spot, Barack Obama released another ad late in the afternoon of the final day before voting began.

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton accused the Clinton campaign of fear-mongering in its ad, which includes shots of Osama bin Laden and the attack on Pearl Harbor. "We already have a president who plays the politics of fear, and we don't need another," Burton said in a statement Monday. Obama's final Pennsylvania ad takes a similarly pugnacious tone.

"He Has What It Takes" hits implicitly on themes which the Obama campaign has already raised repeatedly in six weeks of increasingly negative campaigning -- Clinton's ties to lobbyists and her vote authorizing the Iraq war -- and an announcer asks, "Who in times of challenge will unite us -- not use fear and calculation to divide us?" The ad ends on a positive note, however, with footage of Obama delivering patriotic lines from his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Click here to watch "Exactly."

Pennsylvania residents witnessed perhaps the most vitriolic days of the Democratic primary race over the weekend, with Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton slapping back and forth at one another in campaign stops across the state.

The Obama campaign has largely steered clear of negative advertising over the course of the primary contest. But, as CBS News reported, over the last several days "Obama has begun to fight fire with fire. In ads, campaign mailings and rhetoric, Obama is getting much tougher as this campaign (perhaps) nears some sort of finish line."

Four new TV ads released since late last week demonstrate the fierce tone that the Obama team has adopted in Pennsylvania, with the Illinois senator hitting Clinton on health care, ties to lobbyists and what he characterizes as her negative tactics.

Continue reading "Obama On Offense" »

Click here to watch "Represent"

Seeking to put "Bittergate" behind him, Barack Obama released a new TV ad in Pennsylvania on Tuesday suggesting that rival Hillary Rodham Clinton's response to his recent gaffe has been excessive, and that it is part of an old style of politics that voters are rejecting this primary season.

Clinton has indeed mentioned the "bitter" comment on the trail every day this week, and she released what many consider to be the first true attack ad of the Democratic race on Tuesday, featuring Pennsylvanians reacting negatively to the Illinois senator's remarks. Obama said Tuesday that the New York senator's reaction is one of desperation: "This is what we do politically, when we start getting behind in races. We start going on the attack." But with his response ad, Obama hopes to turn the tables on Clinton.

"Represent" (subscription) shows footage of a crowd booing Clinton when she said at an event in Pittsburgh on Monday that she was "disappointed" by Obama's remarks. "There's a reason people are rejecting Hillary Clinton's attacks -- because the same old Washington politics won't lower the price of gas or help our struggling economy," an announcer declares.

Continue reading "Obama Battles Back Against "Bittergate"" »

Click here to view "Dignity And Respect" [PDF].

Both Democratic presidential campaigns have been eyeing ad space in Pennsylvania's gay print media, which serve a small constituency but one that could play an outsized role in the close-fought contest.

Should either candidate run ads targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community during this last week of the primary race, the move would not be unprecedented. According to a Barack Obama campaign official interviewed by Editor & Publisher, Obama earlier this year became the first presidential candidate ever to take out ads in local gay newspapers when he placed a spot [PDF] in four papers leading up to the Ohio and Texas primaries.

Continue reading "Attracting A Rainbow Coalition" »

Click here to watch "It Won't."

If tensions between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama were on the rise in Pennsylvania last week, this weekend saw the pot boil over, as the two exchanged some of the most heated rhetoric of the campaign thus far over controversial comments made by Obama at a San Francisco fundraiser.

As Obama publicly scolded Clinton for her attacks on Sunday, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey appeared on CNN to defend Obama, whom he has endorsed, against charges of elitism. Casey hits that same message in a new TV spot (subscription) released today, reaching out to blue-collar Keystone State voters by portraying Obama as a compassionate person who understands the challenges facing Pennsylvania.

Continue reading "Casey Goes To Bat For Obama" »

Click here to listen to "Fill."

Stepping up its response to attacks from Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama's campaign released a radio ad defending his independence from lobbyists and commitment to alternative energy.

The new spot (subscription), which began airing Thursday afternoon, accuses Clinton of playing "political games" while Pennsylvanians face real problems. "An economy in shambles, families struggling, gas prices close to four dollars a gallon," the ad says. "What's Hillary Clinton's answer? Misleading negative ads."

Continue reading "Obama's Second Rebuttal" »

Click here to watch "Billy."

Refusing to cede any ground in an increasingly tense exchange in Pennsylvania, Barack Obama's campaign released a statement on Wednesday responding to Hillary Rodham Clinton's radio ad, which suggests Obama is being dishonest about taking money from oil companies.

"Just like her last tall tale about dodging sniper fire in Bosnia, Senator Clinton has misfired with her latest negative ad," Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan said. "The fact is, Barack Obama takes no money from Washington lobbyists or PACs, while Senator Clinton has taken more than any Democrat or Republican in this race, and that includes oil companies."

Meanwhile, Obama released yet another TV spot in Pennsylvania, his 10th in the run-up to the April 22 primary. "Billy" addresses the entwined relationship between legislators and big industry in Washington and presents the Illinois senator as an outsider who would change the broken system.

Continue reading "Obama Won't Back Down" »

Click here to watch "Maya."

If Hillary Rodham Clinton was hoping to gain equal footing with Barack Obama on Pennsylvania's airwaves, the Obama camp seems intent on denying her that opportunity. The same day that Clinton's campaign released five spots in the Keystone State, Obama launched four ads of his own.

Two new spots seek to portray the personal side of the candidate and suggest that he possesses a unique ability to inspire others.

Continue reading "Obama One-Ups Clinton In The Keystone State" »

Barack Obama continues to expand his ad buys in Pennsylvania, releasing several TV spots that ran previously in other states. Taking advantage of his ability to outspend his opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton, his camp is now running at least six different spots in the Keystone State. Here are the latest additions:

"Como Padre": a Spanish-language ad that emphasizes Obama's role as a father and his plans to help America's next generation. (Translated Script)

"For Decades": Placing the candidate in front of a run-down mill, the ad focuses on jobs and other blue-collar issues.

With calls for Hillary Rodham Clinton to drop out of the Democratic primary race multiplying, Barack Obama refused to join the chorus this weekend. Instead, the Illinois senator focused on his plan for economic recovery during his campaign's "Road to Change" tour through Pennsylvania.

Indicating that he expects the campaign to continue at least into May, Obama has released new TV ads in the next three states to weigh in on the Democratic race -- Pennsylvania, Indiana and North Carolina -- all focused on the failing economy and what Obama would do to help middle- and working-class Americans.

Continue reading "Obama In It For The Long Haul" »