“Pennsylvania” by Hillary Clinton [youtube:AAXucMY7Dvk] Sometimes, a Scrooge-McDuck-style money bag falls from the sky at your feet–and when it does, you start spending. That’s pretty much Clinton’s plan with “Pennsylvania.” Most of the chatterati had counted Clinton out–until, that is, Obama went and told a closed-door crowd of limousine liberals in San Francisco (of all places) that “bitter” small-town Americans “cling to guns and religion.” Now she has a small but significant opening. So as Clinton strives to out-authentic Obama on the stump–antics include whiskey drinking and sharp shooting–her media team is set to blanket the airwaves with an ad showing five Pennsylvanians tsk-tsking the Illinois senator for his remarks.
It’s a smart strategy. For starters, the group is cartoonishly diverse–the implication being that Obama not only offended working-class whites butproud Pennsylvanians of every stripe. An African-American woman is “very insulted by Barack Obama”; a young white couple says he’s “out of touch” and that “Hillary Clinton has been fighting for people like us her whole life”; a middle-aged lady “finds [her own] faith… very uplifting”; and a burly, goateed Latino gent claims that “the good people of Pennsylvania deserve a lot better than what Obama said.” Do real human beings speak in Clinton talking points (or use phrases like “the good people of Pennsylvania”)? I hope not. Is every Keystone Stater outraged? Hardly. But by putting her edgiest anti-Obama attacks to date (which happen to mirror McCain’s) into the mouths of a few supporters, Clinton can stay positive in person (“I meet people who are resilient, who are optimistic”) while creating the impression that it’s the “the good people of Pennsylvania” who are up in arms. Clinton won’t catch Obama in the pledged-delegate race. But Pennsylvania is the first state to vote since Bittergate and Rev. Wright. Hillary’s hope, then, is if that the all-important superdelegates keep hearing “the people” say no to electing Obama–and then see some follow-through on Primary Day–they’ll start to doubt his electability themselves. Even if she has to scorch some earth in the process.
“Guide” by Barack Obama [youtube:jS2UkRSUoPo]
In 1981, a little-known Southern governor outlined his political philosophy in an interview with Time magazine. “When someone is beating you over the head with a hammer, don’t sit there and take it,” he said. “Take out a meat cleaver and cut off their hand.” The governor’s name? Bill Clinton.
Despite early worries that he would wilt under fire from Hillary or Republicans–thus following Al Gore and John Kerry to the loser’s circle–Obama has repeatedly shown a surprising eagerness to counterpunch in the (Bill) Clinton style. In South Carolina last summer, he turned what Hillary called a “naive and irresponsible” stance–his willingness to meet with hostile foreign leaders–into a centerpiece of his campaign, arguing that his rival’s foreign policy was backward-looking and Bushian. Indeed, that’s the Obama pattern: use any flare-up as an opportunity “to pivot back to the central theme of his candidacy: that politics is broken, and he knows how to change it.” Bittergate is the latest example. Without acknowledging any wrongdoing–unless his regret for “word[ing] things in a way that made people offended” counts (hint: it doesn’t)–Obama quickly seized on Clinton and McCain’s claims that he’s “out of touch” to accuse the twosome of indulging in “typical politics.” He even mocked Clinton for telling a story about how her father taught her to handle a gun. “Hillary Clinton’s out there like she’s on the duck blind every Sunday, she’s packin’ a six shooter!” he said. “Come on! She knows better. That’s some politics being played by Hillary Clinton.”
“Guide” is more of the same. Boasting a jaunty lounge-lizard soundtrack and faux film-reel effects, the ad matches the cool irony of Obama’s “Annie Oakley” attack; with no voiceover and no mention of Obama’s name, think Ginsu knife more than meat cleaver. But the slick style masks a typically aggressive Obama counterpunch: the implication that because Clinton has accepted more money from lobbyists “than any other candidate, Republican OR Democrat” (and once said “they represent real Americans”), she would, as president, put their priorities above the needs of average Americans–just like a typical Washington “player.” Will such a strategy actually shift the spotlight from Obama’s “bitter” gaffe? Not really. But at least it gives him something productive to talk about–and wards off the Kerry comparisons.
“Ignite” by John McCain [youtube:lHAAnSppMvU]
For now, McCain’s top goal is to reinforce his aging brand identity. So while the candidate’s “major” economic address in Pittsburgh this morning was packed with specific policies meant to reassure conservatives that he does, in fact, know something about the economy and show liberals that he’s not an uncaring, Hooveresque paleocapitalist, the accompanying ad, “Ignite,” only touches on the broadest generalities: “taxes–simpler, fairer”; “energy–cleaner, cheaper”; “health care–portable and affordable” and so on. The point, of course, is not to educate the populace about McCain’s plans and record. It’s to update his image as a crossover politician. For months, Democrats have been trying to paint McCain as more of the same–meaning more Bush. But with quick cuts and a high-tech “circuitry” motif, “Ignite” seeks to suggests that the old McCain–the maverick McCain–is actually something new. “As president, John McCain will take the best ideas from both parties to spur innovation,” says narrator Powers Boothe in his inimitably bombastic bass. “Initiatives that will unite us.” With little else to occupy him in the months to come, expect McCain to continue building that brand–especially in swing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, where “Ignite” will air.
The big picture: while Clinton and Obama scowl at each other on the small screen–and potentially self-destruct–McCain sits back and smiles. If that isn’t worth a thousand words, I don’t know what is.
