What is your favorite presidential campaign commercial in 2004?

[MaC]

Even though I dislike Bush, my favorite is the one he runs with the old 1920s cinematography saying "John Kerry just doesn't understand taxes", about the heavy gas inflation early in the year.  Badnarik's "Send a Message" comes in a close second, because of the camp value

[J. J.]

The wolves. 

[Alcon]

If it wasn't for the fact that wolves don't attack humans, it would have been the most affecting to me - even though it didn't really mean much of anything.

I didn't like any because they were on so often. Any I liked I got sick of the 39th time I saw them on the first day of their airing.

[J. J.]

If it wasn't for the fact that wolves don't attack humans, it would have been the most affecting to me - even though it didn't really mean much of anything.

I didn't like any because they were on so often. Any I liked I got sick of the 39th time I saw them on the first day of their airing.

As I've pointed out, my grandfather was attacked by a wolf.  Now, maybe wolves in the south of France are more aggressive than American wolves, but it happened.

[they don't love you like i love you]

I think it's called "We Keep Our Promises", that Kerry ad where he shows all the clips of Bush promising to do certain things and then it scrolls over the screen what Bush actually did. Then at the end it shows a list of all of Bush's unkept promises and Kerry appears and says "We need a president who's on your side. I'm John Kerry and I approve this message."

[J. J.]

I think it's called "We Keep Our Promises", that Kerry ad where he shows all the clips of Bush promising to do certain things and then it scrolls over the screen what Bush actually did. Then at the end it shows a list of all of Bush's unkept promises and Kerry appears and says "We need a president who's on your side. I'm John Kerry and I approve this message."

An attack ad, but one that illustrates one of the problems with the Kerry campaign.  It never said, in effect, "Vote for me because I'll do this," and then state what "this" is.

[Moooooo]

I didnt see many campaign commercials here in Maryland.  I guess they didnt want to waste money on a state that had already made up its mind.

[they don't love you like i love you]

Bush wasted a lot of money here. I know from day one to the election that Kerry would win Minnesota, I never swayed from that prediction. I also believed it wouldn't be as close as most were predicting, and I was right on that too.

[J. J.]

Bush wasted a lot of money here. I know from day one to the election that Kerry would win Minnesota, I never swayed from that prediction. I also believed it wouldn't be as close as most were predicting, and I was right on that too.

How much does the Minneapolis media penetrate into WI, radio and TV especially?  How dense in the population accross the state line?

[they don't love you like i love you]

that's basically St. Croix and Pierce counties, which have a combined population of about 100k. Pierce voted for Kerry actually which I find kind of suprising since it was the only suburban Twin Cities county to do so, and areas that far away from the city proper are usually extremely Republican.

[J. J.]

that's basically St. Croix and Pierce counties, which have a combined population of about 100k. Pierce voted for Kerry actually which I find kind of suprising since it was the only suburban Twin Cities county to do so, and areas that far away from the city proper are usually extremely Republican.

It will depent on the TV stations' demographics, but a lot of those ads might have aimed at WI.  In 1980, for example, I knew a lot more about Jay Rockefeller than Arlen Spector, because Rockefeller had run for Governor of W VA.  To run a TV campaign in norther WV he had to run the spots on Pittsburgh based TV stations.  I see ads here for NJ and DE governors' races, because most voters in South Jersey and north DE watch Phila stations.

[Ben.]

Bush's ad campaign systimatically beat Kerry at nearly every turn... Attack Ads, Optimistic "mood ads", issue ads... the works

[ilikeverin]

Polk county, too.  I have a cabin there, I should know

[Defarge]

The DNC ad that came out right after the convention.  It has clips of Kerry's acceptance speech, "we need a strong military, and we need strong alliances, and then we can tell the terrorists 'you will lose, and we will win.  the future doesen't belong to fear, it belongs to freedom.'"
Then the camera slowly wheels around the convention when all the balloons were coming (or failing to come) down, with text on screen saying "John Kerry for President."

[Bandit3 the Worker]

The Kerry ad where it kept showing a still photo of Bush with a crazy look on his face and the voiceover guy said, "But no one can tell him he's wrong."

[Beet]

The taking care of business ad. It had a lot of cool facts.

[Inverted Things]

that's basically St. Croix and Pierce counties, which have a combined population of about 100k. Pierce voted for Kerry actually which I find kind of suprising since it was the only suburban Twin Cities county to do so, and areas that far away from the city proper are usually extremely Republican.

Pirece County is the home of The University of Wisconsin, River Falls, which is where I recently graduated from college. The students there were probably about 60/40 in favor of Kerry, and the faculty moreso. I'd wager that if you took away the college, Pierce County would've gone Bush. The University has 6,000 students and about 700 non-student employees. Pierce County as a whole has 38,123, which probably translates to about 30,000 possible voters.

Additionally, Pierce County is a poor county by Twin Cities standards. Saint Croix county is richer by a significant amount.
Pierce County results: http://www.co.pierce.wi.us/county_clerk/Election_Results_2004.htm

[The Vorlon]

There were no "great" ads in 2004, nothing on the same level as say "Mornng in America" from 1984, or "Daisy" from 1964.

There we not even any "killer" attack ads like Willie Horton 1988 or "Tutus" (1994 Pennsylvania Senate Race)

Taken individually I thought Kerry's ads were slighly better than Bush's, but that Bush's adds taken collectively were better than the sum total of Kerry's ads, in the sense that all the Bush ads had the same message (Kerry is a tax raising, flip flopping soft on Terror Taxachusetts Liberal) while Kerry's ads were a little less focused.

Kerry also, ironically (at least in my opinion), was actually hurt by the sheer vast volumn of anti-bush 527 ads.  MoveOn, MediaFund, ACT, CBS News Goergo Soros, Hollywood and assorted other Democratic front groups spent +/- $250 million proclaiming the Bush was the anti-christ, kicked his dog, bit off the heads of small children, was in kahoots with the 9/11 terrorists as a ploy to brainwash the population, was a closet neo-nazi, etc...  So much of the anti-Bush stuff was sooooo over the top that the reasonable anti-bush stuff got lost in the backwash as it were.

Overall grade :

Bush ads C,
Kerry Ads D+

[Silent Hunter]

'Wacky' was pretty good.