The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is going on the offensive against Freedom's Watch, alleging that the conservative group is illegally coordinating with the National Republican Congressional Committee and violating its tax-exempt status.

With Republicans facing a dire situation -- a slew of open congressional seats combined with lackluster fundraising for the NRCC -- Freedom's Watch has stepped in to fill a hole, running negative ads against Democratic candidates Don Cazayoux in Louisiana and Travis Childers in Mississippi.

Ads run against Cazayoux in Louisiana's 6th District special election campaign attempted to tie the candidate to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, and to portray Cazayoux as a tax-and-spend liberal. (Despite these efforts, Cazayoux won the election last week.)

Continue reading "DCCC vs. Freedom's Watch" »

Click here to watch "Johnny's Mom."

The winter holiday season brought with it a wave of questionable holiday-themed campaign spots (subscription), and now at least one candidate is doing the same for Mother's Day. John McCain's camp announced today it would run a new spot this Sunday featuring the candidate's mother, Roberta, reminiscing about his birth and upbringing.

Over an unusually cheery soundtrack for a political advertisement, Roberta trades playful banter with her son and says "he'll make a wonderful president." By spotlighting McCain's 96-year-old mother, the campaign hopes to appeal to female voters, who polls show currently favor Barack Obama, while also reminding viewers concerned about his age that his mother is still sharp as she nears her centennial. The buy will be limited to cable channels that cater primarily to female audiences, such as Lifetime, Oxygen and the Hallmark Channel.

In a larger sense, the ad is of a piece with the campaign's strategy of using earned media to blunt the Democrats' fundraising advantage. Assuming the cutesy spot gets picked up on the Internet and cable news channels, the campaign could greatly amplify the reach of what is really a limited buy on a handful of niche channels.

Click here to watch "Say No To Lunsford."

Businessman Greg Fischer fired the first salvo against health care executive Bruce Lunsford late last month, in what has become an increasingly tense race for the Kentucky Democratic Senate nomination.

Fischer's attack ad features actress Dale Carter Cooper making accusations about Lunsford's tenure at a nursing home business, Vencor. "He's the last person in the world I'd want in the Senate," Cooper says of Lunsford, charging that "his business practices are totally unethical." She accuses Lunsford of "evicting elderly people from nursing homes," leaving them "out in the cold" with "no place to go, no person to appeal to." The ad ends with this definitive message appearing on screen: "Say no to Bruce Lunsford."

Continue reading "Kentucky Ad Derby" »

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" »

Members of Hezbollah are borrowing tricks from U.S. advertising for an upcoming campaign commemorating the eighth anniversary of the Israeli military withdrawal from Southern Lebanon after a 17-year occupation.

Artists and writers designing the slick billboards, leaflets and television spots used U.S. advertising yearbooks as source material, the International Herald Tribune reports. The group's brightly colored promotional materials, which are reminiscent of promotions for energy drinks and MP3 players, are just one part of a sophisticated program of public relations and branding that takes its cues from Madison Avenue.

"The dominant style is American," graphic-design professor Zeina Maasri told the Herald Tribune. "It's a kind of communication you can't escape. [Americans] sell politics as a commodity."

In other advertising news:

Continue reading "Outside The Spotlight: 'Politics As A Commodity'" »

Click here to watch "Consistent Conservative."

After both faced negative advertising from a third-party group, the two Republican members of Congress vying to replace Sen. Pete Domenici (R) have each released negative ads of their own -- against each other.

Two weeks ago, Rep. Steve Pearce released a TV ad, "Consistent Conservative," claiming the conservative mantle for himself and implying that his primary opponent, Rep. Heather Wilson, is too liberal for New Mexico. "There's only one: only one conservative in the race for Senate," the ad says, crediting Pearce for being "the only New Mexico congressman to oppose a disastrous government-run socialized-medicine scheme" (a reference to the State Children's Health Insurance program, which Wilson supported).

The attacks became more explicit a week later, when Pearce's campaign released a second ad alleging that Wilson missed important votes in order to film negative campaign commercials. "Wilson missed doing the people's work, because she put her political ambition first," an announcer claims. For good measure, the ad's tagline -- "liberal values, liberal votes" -- adds the charge of liberalism to its accusations of congressional truancy.

Continue reading "When New Mexico Reps Attack" »

Just days after expanding her paid media effort into Oregon, Hillary Rodham Clinton is on the air in West Virginia with a slightly tweaked version of a populist economic spot (subscription) that first aired in South Carolina. In "Falling Through," Clinton speaks to voters' sense of economic anxiety, comparing the Bush economy to a trapdoor and promising "to be a president who stands up for all of you."

"Falling Through" joins advertising from Barack Obama already on air in West Virginia, where Democratic voters will head to the polls on May 13. What limited statewide polling is available shows signs that Clinton already enjoys a sizable lead in the Mountain State, but given the proportional allotment of delegates under Democratic Party rules -- not to mention the volatility of the race so far -- it's been in both candidates' interests to invest even in states they could be assumed to safely carry.

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 "Determined."

Though her media team is already looking ahead to the upcoming Oregon primary, Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn't forgotten Indiana or North Carolina just yet. Since Thursday, her campaign has debuted four TV ads in those two states: an attack ad targeting Barack Obama, a new endorsement spot, an ad on kitchen-table issues in Indiana and a reworked version of an older ad contrasting Clinton's economic plans with those of President Bush.

The campaign's new attack ad running in both states takes issue with Obama's opposition to the proposed suspension of the gas tax, which Clinton says she would fund by diverting subsidies away from oil companies. "What has happened to Barack Obama?" an announcer asks. "He is attacking Hillary's plan to give you a break on gas prices because he doesn't have one." Reinforcing one of the key elements of Clinton's campaign, the announcer portrays her as more in touch with working people, claiming, "Hillary's the one who gets it."

Continue reading "Endgame In North Carolina & Indiana" »

Click here to watch "Turn."

After being beaten to the airwaves by Barack Obama in Texas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Indiana, Hillary Rodham Clinton has once again followed closely behind her opponent with a new ad buy in Oregon -- her first advertising in the state.

The move has symbolic importance given the ongoing calls for Clinton to concede the nomination to Obama; by investing in Oregon before Indiana or North Carolina have voted, she signals her commitment to fight on in the Beaver State's May 20 primary regardless of the outcome in those two states tomorrow.

"Turn" represents something of a scrapbook of past Clinton advertising, mixing together footage and policy proposals from several previous ads. It's clearly tailored for Oregon Democrats, however, opening with Clinton addressing the state's voters directly and going on to tout her pledges to withdraw troops from Iraq within 60 days and create more green jobs. "It's going to take a fighter to meet these challenges," Clinton concludes, reminding voters once again of the talking point that has become her candidacy's raison d'etre.