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Why faking your campaign ads is a bad idea

The Fact Checker points to a Chris Dodd ad, now causing a stir in America. Both barbers are played by actors, despite a campaign press release suggesting the contrary.

Almost more interesting though is the terrible acting. Faking your ads is one thing. But paying someone good money for this level of work must really rankle.   

Alice Fishburn

The start of spin....Eisenhower style

The Colbert Report presents some hilarious political ads. Bear in mind these were concocted long before the birth of the slick advertising agency and omnipresent spin doctor.

(The 'I love the Gov' ad is particularly deserving of a spot on our top campaign anthems list.)

To see more campaign videos, click here

Alice Fishburn

Top Ten Political Campaign Songs

There are no end of campaign songs. Rousing and fun (the Jamaican People's National Party), mildly ridiculous (Sarko oh oh) or even kind of cool (Chavez regrettably).

Here's my top ten list with links to the music.

1) John F. Kennedy (United States):

2) Jamaican Labour Party (Jamaica)

3) Jamaican People's National Party (Jamaica)

4) Timothy Leary (United States): Come Together by The Beatles (commissioned for his run as Governor of California)

5) Michael Dukakis (United States): America by Neil Diamond

6) Hugo Chavez (Venezuela): UHH AHH Chavez no se va! by Grupo Madera

7) Nicolas Sarkozy (France): Allez Sarko (Sarko ohoh!)

8) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Iran): Yare Dabestani

9) Nationalist People's Coalition of the Philippines... (The Philippines)

10) Australian Labour Party (Australia): The 1972 Gough Whitlam campaign - It's Time.

Read Matthew Parris's Week...

Take your pick

a. This is a brilliant idea, providing an unknown candidate with a cut-through gimmick that helps him be remembered. The campaign strategist is a genius.

b. This is a lamentable idea, making a no-hope candidate look ridiculous, diminish his effectiveness as a Senator and reduce the chances of the only hope he has - that he might make VP on someone's else's ticket. The campaign strategist is a buffoon.

It's b for me.

Government campaigns and the Chelsea urinals

They are gone now, so I wish I'd mentioned this before.

In the gents toilets at Stamford Bridge, the Government thought it a good idea to put up posters with the following ridiculous slogan:

44 per cent of all violent crime is alcohol related

This was paid for by the Home Office and the NHS. What did it hope to achieve? Do they think that the subsection of people you encounter in the Chelsea loo who have a penchant for violent crime, routinely use percentages before deciding whether to order another pint? And doesn't this rather high figure in any case simply encourage violence among those who understand it?

Who signed off on this nonsense?

Last night I noticed the posters had been replaced by ads for porno channels. These, I hazard, are far more likely to succeed in their objective.

The best campaigners start young

Dizzy links to this great YouTube video

The worst campaign advert of all time

26,106 people actually voted for this woman.

A president, not a playboy

Time for another American campaign ad, I think. Jimmy Carter gave an interview to Playboy magazine. This is Gerald Ford's response.

Ike, Bob and Adlai

If anyone wants to know why Adlai Stevenson ran for President twice and lost, this campaign advert from his 1952 election campaign may provide an explanation.

Crass and Kinky

I'm sure that you are an avid follower of Tennessee politics; aren't we all? Slate is doing a brilliant and witty job of deconstructing Congressional campaign ads and now it has turned its attention on Tennessee. If you can't handle politicians looking syrupy in church, or parading their big-haired wives and daughters, then don't have a look at this.

But politics doesn't have to be so drearily partisan. Kinky Friedman, mystery-thriller writer and founder of the Texas Jew Boys, a socially conscious country & western group, is running as an independent to be governor of Texas (You can buy the Kinky Talking Action Figure for only $29.95). How can you disagree with a man who said this of gay marriage?

I believe love is bigger than government. And besides, they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us.

Go here to see his Kinkytoon campaign ad. It should shame those boys from Tennesse.

Robbie Millen

Making a splash

This is for real. This man is a candidate in the Democratic primary for Maryland's Senate seat. The election is today. The advert is very brief, and once you've watched it, you might want to make your own suggestions on British and American politicians who should emulate Lichtman.

Slating attack ads

Slate.com is finding interesting ways to utilise the web. This video blog allows their chief political correspondent – the witty John Dickerson - to comment on campaign ads in real time. And I promise that you won’t have to know anything about the Rhode Island senate seat race to find it funny.

"It's Morning Again in America"

The Lyndon Johnson ad uses fear better than any other. This famous Reagan 1984 ad uses optimism better than any other.

A classic to be getting on with

From time to time I will be linking to American campaign ads.

My cover story is that they provide the most succinct expression of political opinion available on the web. The truth is different. The truth is that I am a political obsessive, the sort of person who knows the name of Adlai Stevenson's running mate in his unsuccessful 1952 Presidential election campaign*. So I just like them.

And if I am going to give you campaign videos, you may as well have a classic to start with.

*John Sparkman. The picture is of him, in the unlikely event that you didn't realise.