President Barack Obama’s campaign launched a new television commercial today in nine swing states, including Iowa. The 60-second spot and annotated transcript are after the jump. This commercial focuses on how the president dealt with the challenges facing him when he took office. Unlike the Obama campaign’s last tv ad, this one does not mention his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney.
According to an Obama campaign press release, “Go” is being aired in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nevada, New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Florida, and Colorado. The previous Obama campaign ad, which was mostly a negative message about “Big Oil” and Mitt Romney, aired only in Virginia, Ohio, and Iowa.
Annotated transcript:
Male voice-over: 2008. An economic meltdown. [“2008” appears on black screen, then a photo briefly shows people standing in line.]
Newscaster voice: Worst financial collapse since the Great Depression. [screen shot from unidentified 2008 newscast; words MORTGAGE MELTDOWN on screen]
Male voice-over: 4.4 million jobs lost. [footage of people standing outside, apparently during 2008]
Different newscaster voice: American workers were laid off in numbers not seen in over three decades. [footage of factory floor and newspaper want-ads from unidentified 2008 newscast; words JOB LOSSES on screen]
Voice-over: America’s economy, spiraling down. [aerial view of unidentified city neighborhood from 2008, with homes in foreclosure marked with red squares; close-up view of home with FORECLOSURE sign in front, sad-looking couple sitting in their home]
Different newscaster voice: The biggest point drop that there’s ever been seen in a day. [footage from an undated CNN report in 2008]
Voice-over: All before this President took the oath. [footage from Obama’s inauguration, JANUARY 2009 on screen]
Obama speaking at inauguration: So help me God.
Voice-over: Some said our best days were behind us. [footage of tea party protesters]
But not him. [footage of Obama emerging from what looks like the presidential helicopter]
Obama speaking from podium to live audience: Don’t bet against the American worker.
Voice-over: He believed in us. Fought for us. [still photo of Obama shaking worker’s hand, footage of Obama speaking with people around a kitchen table]
And today our auto industry is back…firing on all cylinders. [clips from unidentified automobile manufacturer’s factory floor]
Our greatest enemy brought to justice by our greatest heroes. [grainy footage of Osama bin Laden, clips that look like they were taken at night of some special forces mission]
Our troops are home from Iraq. [girl runs up and jumps into her father’s arms as he apparently returns from a tour of duty in Iraq]
Instead of losing jobs, we’re creating them. Over 4.2 million so far. [chart shows jobs created each month from March 2010 through April 2012, using Bureau of Labor Statistics data]
We’re not there yet…it’s still too hard for too many. [footage of residential neighborhood, ordinary-looking people]
But we’re coming back. [footage of woman ringing up retail purchase at cash register, teacher teaching in a classroom]
Because America’s greatness comes from a strong middle class. Because you don’t quit. [clips of various ordinary-looking people doing different kinds of jobs]
And neither does he. [Footage of Obama just outside the White House doors, walking toward the camera, with hands in pockets. Words on screen: FORWARD BARACKOBAMA.COM/FORWARD ]
Obama’s voice: I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.
Nothing grabs your attention in this commercial. I tend to believe that Americans have already made up their minds about when the recession started and whether Obama has done enough to deal with the weak economy, but I suppose this ad couldn’t hurt. I think it is smart for them to put money behind a positive narrative explaining why Obama deserves to be re-elected. They’ve already run two television ads in Iowa bashing Romney, and I’m sure they’ll do plenty more of that later.
Any comments about the presidential election are welcome in this thread. Public Policy Polling plans to release its latest Iowa poll tomorrow and tweeted today that the numbers look good for Obama here. I’ll put up a separate thread on that poll when it’s out.