A positive negative add (How to do video campaigning #5)

With the Iowa Caucuses less than a month away I've started to tune back into the Presidential race. After a year of rhetoric, bluster and frantic money raising it could potentially all be over on the Democratic side a week tomorrow when the people of New Hampshire vote in their primary. If Clinton comes into the 8th with a win in the Iowa caucuses I suspect that a win in the Granite state would give her an unbeatable momentum, even though Obama has the money in the bank to keep going until the first round of big states vote on 5 February.

Therefore its not surprising that Obama has been stoking up the rhetoric in his attacks on Clinton in the last few weeks (with some effect, especially in Iowa). Part of this barrage is this new TV spot.



On the surface it merely plays up Obama's core theme, that as a relative newcomer to Washington he can act as a change agent, and plays on his campaigns main strength, the charisma of its candidate. But, although her name is never mentioned this a clear attack on one Hilary Rodham Clinton, who both Obama and John Edwards have been at pains to paint as the business as usual candidate. I particularly love how the negative lines in the speech, are counterpointed by the positive statements in the visuals. Although you hear Obama's voice making the negative statements, you are also attaching it to the positive statements on screen.

Hat Tip: The Fix