Obama pounced on McCain's "fundamentals are strong" remarks for an ad put out this morning. That's good stuff and helps paint the picture of John McCain as someone who is out of touch. But it's just scratching the surface.
But what about the deeper implications of what just happened on Wall Street and hitting a note that really moves votes? How about tying in the attacks on McCain to a larger, policy implication? Something that can, frankly, scare the crap out of voters and do so in an imaginative way that captures the consciousness of the public?
Well, I think we have found that ad. The idea, created by my friend Greg (and inspired by this post), is to go back in time to 2005 and create an alternate reality...one that will make any senior who sees this vote for Obama:
Note: this is just a concept, any tightening of the execution is more than welcome, so comment away with your ideas:
Montage of images summarizing past few months: Headlines about Bear Sterns' implosion, Lehman's bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch's sale; footage of employees leaving their offices with boxes.
REPORTER: And the news out of Wall Street just keeps getting worse. Major investment banks have failed and the stock market has gone south, as millions of people have seen their stock portfolios dwindle to nothing.
Cut to images of senior citizens outside soup kitchens, moving back in with their adult children.
REPORTER: But none have been hit harder than those who invested their Social Security payments in the stock market after George Bush privatized the system back in 2005. Republicans promised that retirees would earn better returns in the market, but instead, by sacrificing guaranteed retirement benefits and gambling on the whims of the stock market, poverty rates among the elderly are now on a scale not seen since the Great Depression.
Abrupt cut to shot of Bush and McCain embracing.
VOICEOVER: Fortunately, this never happened. George Bush's plan to privatize Social Security never passed. But if John McCain -- who has called the current system for financing Social Security "a disgrace" -- has his way, the Republicans will finish Bush's job and gamble your Social Security benefits in the stock market.
Cut to black.
VOICEOVER: That's a reality we can't afford to face. This fall the only choice to ensure a secure future is Barack Obama.
Fear-mongering? Absolutely.
Totally legitimate? Absolutely.
More importantly, it will do something that McCain's ads (Britney/Paris) HAVE been able to do but Obama's very literal and straightforward ads haven't: give a hook that is imaginative and captures the attention of the public and the media.
In doing so, this ad would get wide play and reach audience of millions.
It will start turning seniors over to us in big numbers and change the whole conversation back to putting McCain on the defensive.
Timing it when everyone is scared about Wall Street may seem opportunistic, but it will work. And it just might win the election.
Kudos to Greg for this idea, and if you agree, let's raise the visibility of this ad concept so that someone from the team sees it.
UPDATE: READ THE COMMENTS - lots of good ideas on how to improve/amend the ad.
Great idea for improving it here:
This concept is excellent, but it starts off like any other "economy in turmoil ad," so risks losing the main message. How about beginning with the same headline montage/newscast, but then
VOICEOVER: In 2005, George Bush and John McCain tried to privatize Social Security. If they had succeeded, think how "secure" your retirement would be today?
cut back to chaotic images of declining DOW, and human repercussions.
VOICEOVER: John McCain wants to finish Bush's job and gamble your Social Security benefits in the stock market. That's a future we can't afford to face. This fall the only choice to ensure a secure future is Barack Obama.
Another commenter points out that we should state:
Democrats and seniors working together that stopped that privatization.
Another take on it:
Instead of an "alternate reality" scenario I think it would be better to say "Imagine if George Bush had managed to privatize Social Security? That is what McCain wants to do - put YOUR future on the stock market. Can you afford to gamble with your retirement in today's stock market?" (Video footage of the market ticking down yesterday would be good for this.)
It's a notch less apocalyptic and still gets the point across.