It's hard to admit this here, but I'm a political virgin. At 44, I've watched a few presidents come and go and I've always done my patriotic duty to vote in each election (big and small). But for me, this was the ultimate in supporting a campaign. And even in 2004, as mad as I was about what GWB was doing to our country, I never left the comfort of the voting booth to make sure that GWB was never elected again. But this time it's different.
I started getting a little fire in my belly when I began to read "Effect Measure". It's a scientific blog that sprinkles in some politics from time to time. At first, I was outraged about how GWB's polices effected the things that concerned me most--cronyism in the CDC, EPA and FDA. They were policies that effected our food supply and health policy. Every once in a while he would talk about DemFromCT and I would take a brief spin around DKos.
But more and more, the things I read on this site started to make me angry. For the first time in my life, I donated to a political campaign. I watched the drama unfold, and kept reading the diaries and stories here. I got more and more angry. I donated more money too--far more than I could afford, but it made me feel like I was really doing something to get Barack Obama elected. I felt like I was part of this movement that was going to take back this country!
Then came the hypocrisy of the Republican National Convention. The ability of the Republican party to lie so boldly, without apology, without guilt! Morality and character mean something to me. The hypocrisy of holding up signs that say "service" when you are mocking everything that that concept stands for. Or holding up signs that say "peace" when every image you present was an excuse to go to war!
And then the speeches--by both McCain and his surrogates. So breathtakingly hypocritical. So full of lies! Could people actually believe this? I thought about Romney's speech. Wouldn't it confuse the voters? Then I realized that the average American person has no idea. No idea that they are being told a bold-face lie. And, it began to scare me because I know that most of the American people will take these speeches at face value. They won't notice the dichotomy between what they see, what was said and the truth.
For the first time in my life I called a campaign. I signed up to canvass, I signed up to GOTV. I donated more money that I couldn't afford to donate. And I wrote this ad that was based on Barack Obama's speech in Terre Haute. Here is what he said:
"Now think about this coming from the party that's been in charge for 8 years, they've been running the show! Been up in the White House, John McCain brags, '90% of the time I have voted with George Bush. He and I we we're right there' and suddenly he's the change agent!
He says I'm going to tell those lobbyists that their days in Washington are over. Who's he gonna tell? Is he gonna tell his campaign chairman who's one of the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington? Is he going to tell all the folks who are running his campaign who are the biggest corporate lobbyist in Washington? Who is it that he's going to tell that change is coming?" Barack Obama
I'm not really good at making videos or copy for that matter. And, if there is some underlying reason why this would be bad for the campaign I won't make it at all (I don't mind the perspective). Better yet, if anyone has some better copy or ideas please let me know. Or, if you think you can do a bang-up job of putting this together, I'm open to that too. I just thought that Obama's reply in Terre Haute had the makings of a great ad.
What do you think?
John McCain a change we don’t believe in.
Video: McCain hugging bush
Voiceover: John McCain says “Change is coming” to Washington. The same Washington that was built by his record of voting with Bush 90% of the time.
Voiceover: But, who is he going to tell about that change?
Video of Convention speech: “I don’t work for special interests”
Voiceover: will he tell his campaign chairman--one of the biggest lobbyists in Washington?
Video of Convention Speech: “We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices”
Voiceover: Will he tell the oil companies which get $3.8 billion in tax cuts under his plan?
Video of Convention speech: “I’ve fought big spenders in both parties, who waste your money on things you neither need nor want.
Voiceover: Will he tell his running mate whose state ranks number 1 in the country in earmarks?
Still: Still of McCain’s confused look when he was being asked about the Viagra v. birth control
Voiceover: John McCain says that he's the "change we can believe in" But someone needs to tell John McCain about John McCain.