Ka-Pow!
Sometimes a single event changes a political campaign.
Reagan quipped in a debate that he wouldn't hold Walter Mondale's youth and inexperience against him. Somehow, it made the Reagan age-issue disappear.
Lloyd Bentsen dripped condescension in a vice presidential debate when he told Dan Quayle, who was comparing himself to JFK, that "you're no Jack Kennedy." Quayle deflated.
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| "Daisy," the 1964 nuclear countdown ad |
Sometimes an ad does it. The nuclear countdown ad by LBJ's campaign encapsulated the Cold War fear that Goldwater was reckless and extreme enough to blow up the planet. The swarm of "swift boat" ads turned John Kerry from a hero into a fraud.
Some of my readers have imagined a knockout punch meme or ad. A knockout punch either establishes a strong brand quality for the favored candidate or undermines the brand of the disfavored candidate by turning the candidate's strength into a negative. Kamala Harris is presenting herself as a strong crime-fighting San Francisco district attorney, then California AG, then tough-questioning U.S. senator. She is showing that she wasn't just plucked out of obscurity to decorate Joe Biden's campaign.
A Trump-supporting reader of this blog, a retired Grants Pass attorney Lynn Myrick, posted a comment with a premise I expect to see again. Medford provocateur Curt Ankerberg made similar comments. Myrick alluded to Kamala Harris having dated a powerful California political leader, Willy Brown. He helped her win the San Francisco county D.A. position. Myrick posted a comment for publication that posits Harris sleeping her way into power as a young female attorney in sexual congress with her patron. After all, she worked "under Willy Brown." Snide. Some will chuckle; some will think it is disgusting misogyny.
College classmate Steven Law sent me an imagined 60-second ad. It repositions Harris from the second-banana position of a vice president. Law said, "The image I want to create is Harris as a fighter, but without mentioning her opponent." He writes that attacks on Trump no longer influence voters. Trump "loves being attacked. He gets his power from it."
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| Steven Law |
Steve Law is a retired financial analyst and counselor for domestic abuse survivors, who gave up a career as a search engine marketing analyst to serve on nonprofit boards and to rehab housing units. He lives with his Peruvian wife Nancy in Windsor, CT and Lima, Peru. His proposed ad:
Face shot of Harris: "When I’m president, it’s no more Mr. Nice Guy."
Voice-over (Harris): "When I see a prisoner dying in police detention, I’ll summon the police chief to my office."
Visual: Animation of a uniformed police chief, hanging head, entering the Oval Office.
Voice-over (Harris): "When a Supreme Court justice violates ethical norms, I’ll call them to my office and give them a piece of my mind."
Visual: Animation of a police chief crawling out of the Oval Office as a judge in robes enters.
Voice-over (Harris): "When I see a hospital CEO close the only hospital within fifty miles, I’ll call them to my office."
Visual: Animation of the judge sneaking out of the Oval Office as an executive in a dark suit enters.
Voice-over (Harris): "All those representatives who voted against immigration control? I’ll call them to my office."
Visual: Animation of the executive, suit rumpled, staggering out of the Oval Office as a gaggle of Congress members enter.
Voice-over (Harris): "When I see oil company CEOs who don’t plow their profits into renewables and manufacturers who profit from the epidemic of gun suicides, I’ll call them all into my office."
Visual: Animation of the gaggle, hair mussed up, creeping out of the Oval Office as a crowd of CEOs enter.
Ending face shot of Harris, with crowd in background: "We’re mad as hell, and we won’t take it any more."
I realize that this ad is not going to be produced and run by the Harris campaign. But in this period of political trench warfare I consider it "comic relief" to sit back and imagine the kind of message that might really make your point and change the campaign.
I welcome readers to send me their own suggested ads. If they are interesting or funny or might in fact be a knockout punch, I may publish them here.
17 comments:
I see some confusion on the Democratic side.
The frame isn't Harris vs Trump. It's Trump vs First Woman President.
That's all...Everything else is noise.
Republicans represent the patriarchy, that alone creates the contrast that shapes the contest. All the attacks are misogyny and should be called out as such. They can't tolerate a level playing field...they lose.
My favorite meme so far ? VP Harris asking a chicken with Trump's head
" What happened to anytime, anywhere?"
Rick; Misogyny, Bigotry and Fear of the "Others" is all they've got.
It's TFG vs the first Black woman president.
TFG has no respect for women, as proven by his rape and his sexual abuse comments.
And he has no respect for anyone who isn't White.
His VP pick is imploding and Project 25 is falling apart. His campaign is a disaster, just like his administration.
Myrick is a has-been attorney. I wonder what we'd find if we looked into his background.
Angerberg's issues are public knowledge.
Myrick and Angerberg will soon be on the wrong side of history.
I'd like to see Harris, at a rally, hold up a rubber chicken, Don-Old.
That would be the Kodak moment.
Mr. Anonymous is so brave using a fake name, and he alludes to my issues. What are my issues, Chief? That I'm smart, and you're an idiot? I'll bet that your criminal record is 10-times longer than mine is. You need to stop reading the trash local media prepared by drunks and pedophiles.
Curt is just our comic relief.
Lynn Myrick is a good lawyer. He's helped a lot of people. It's best to ask around before calling someone a has-been; Lynn Myrick has a good reputation. If you don't like TFG, it's probably best to stick to TFG. Anyway, Mr. Myrick's opinion on Kamala Harris dating Willie Brown isn't entitled to much weight, because Willie Brown and Kamala Harris were both single when they dated in the mid'90s, and dating is what many single people do. What's the issue here? If Kamala Harris dating Willie Brown is an issue, does anyone care to comment on Jerry Brown dating Linda Ronstadt?
If I were writing a screenplay for a summer blockbuster and I chose the presidential race to base it on, here is a sketch of what I'd write. Kamala emerges from nowhere and lands what appears to be a mortal blow. TFG slinks into the shadows, turns slightly, revealing a sinister look, and lashes out, inflicting harm on Kamala. TFG keeps beating and beating her without mercy as she crawls off, without looking; as the TFG prepares to land the fatal blow, she turns to administer the mortal blow to her attacker. Who writhes in agony and curses as TFG fades from fame. Que, the orchestra playing, rising in a triumph joyful sound.
This is the summer blockbuster I will race to the polls to deliver my vote: Kamala for President of the United States.
Don’t quit your day job, Stephan. That’s all pretty banal, except for the tagline.
I can’t make up something like that. I don’t have the talent.
But I don’t expect that we’ve seen the last unforeseen event that totally shakes things up in this election season.
Too many people have been egging themselves on, counting too many chickens that didn’t hatch. Trump was the sure winner after the Biden debate. Now Kamala is the sure winner.
Nate Silver’s election model shows a tossup. I’m going with that.
It’s at least a toss up or Trump is favored, but big mo is on Kamala’s side. At least we have a chance of avoiding Trump disaster.
Well... I'll tell you what,
You better come up with something real quick because all you have now is a twerking Megan Thee Stallion with Kamala Harris's face imposed on her body.
Kamala made sure to mention washing collared greens in the bathtub, but forgot to add that her family owned and was involved in the slave trade in Jamaica. 🤔
By the way, what the heck is TFG??
TFG is the former guy, I.e. Trump.
Except the F doesn’t really stand for “former”.
One of the very few times I can unequivocally agree with you, Mr. Trigoboff. A tossup at best.
😉 thanks
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