Salon.com > Campaign ads

Romney wins “lie of the year” award

Wed, 12 Dec 2012 18:46:00 +0000

PolitiFact awarded its “lie of the year" award this morning, and the winner is Mitt Romney, specifically his claim that Jeep is moving U.S. production to China.

Here’s is the ad that delivered the win to Romney:

Despite outrage from the media and the public, and a denial from Jeep’s parent company, the Romney campaign stood by the claim.

Bibi campaigns on Florida airwaves

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:54:00 +0000

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is getting in on campaign ad season, spreading his hawkish message on Iran across Florida. Using campaign ad format, a clip hitting airwaves Friday features only the prime minister warning of an imminent nuclear Iran.

As Politico's Maggie Haberman reported Thursday:

The spot is the work of a c4 called Secure America Now - which, thanks to its tax status, doesn't have to disclose its donors.

A Republican involved with the project said its airing in Miami, West Palm Beach and Ft. Myers. The flight is ultimately going to be $1 million, the official said - a media-tracking source said about $400,000 has been placed so far. Those markets house some of the state's largest Jewish communities.

The ad, setting Bibi's apocalyptic predictions against ominous music, makes no reference to Mitt Romney, for whom the Israeli P.M. showed support earlier this year but "distanced himself a bit from" during U.S. television appearances last weekend, noted Haberman.

Super PACs in sheep’s clothing

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:06:00 +0000

One of the oldest dirty tricks in politics is running candidates in your opponent's primary to distract them from the general or even potentially knock them out entirely. The FBI is reportedly investigating Rep. David Rivera for backing a fake Democrat with envelopes stuffed with cash, and Republicans in Wisconsin openly supported “fake Democrats” there in order to give Gov. Scott Walker an edge in the election's timing.

But the rise of super PACs has opened up a new venue for this tactic, allowing operatives to anonymously deploy hundreds of thousands of dollars of ads while deceitfully pretending to be partisans of the other side. In Maine, where liberal-leaning independent former Gov. Angus King is the clear front-runner for an open U.S. Senate seat, a Republican-tied group with the innocuous name Maine Freedom has spent $250,000. But instead of promoting Republican Charlie Summers or using all the money to attack King, the group is boosting Democrat Cynthia Dill. The ads portray Dill positively, calling her “a Democrat you can feel good about.”

Claire McCaskill’s savvy ads

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:14:00 +0000

Last month, Claire McCaskill released three ads subtly supporting Rep. Todd Akin in the Missouri GOP senate primary. Aware of his credentials and extreme views, McCaskill dubbed him as "too conservative" and an Obama-hater, hoping that conservative voters would choose Akin over his two rivals. Her strategy, embodied by the videos below, might pay off thanks to Akin's recent comments regarding "legitimate rape."