Obama Goes Infomercial at 8 p.m.

Tonight, Barack Obama will get 30 minutes of prime time on CBS, NBC, Fox , Univision, MSNBC, BET and TV One to deliver his campaign message. It's a rare, but not unprecedented, move (Ross Perot bought 30-minute informercials during the 1992 presidential campaign). The campaign's chief strategist David Axelrod explained why they went with a 30-minute option, "The airways are glutted with 30-second ads and it's hard to break through."

The NY Times saw a one-minute preview of the infomercial: "The trailer is heavy in strings, flags, presidential imagery and some Americana," and Obama is seen at a kitchen table with white, "apparently working-class voters" in one part and is in front of a "stately desk and an American flag" in another. There will also be a live segment from Florida.

Politico wonders if the infomercial is "smart or overkill"? One Republican strategist said, “It’s like football. People may complain that a team is running up the score, but that team is still the one that wins," while another pundit said, “Campaigns tend not to worry about overkill. Campaigns, by definition, are overkill.” NY Magazine had some amusing suggestions from notable people for what should be in the informercial--Chuck Klosterman said, "Reunite the Smiths."

CNN, which is not airing the infomercial, will have John McCain on Larry King Live. And CNN personality, Campbell Brown, is upset that Obama broke his promise to use public financing, opting inside to tap into his donations which now total over $600 million. And why no ABC? ABC initially offered to air the infomercial on another night, in order to keep its Wednesday night shows (Pushing Daisies! Private Practice!) on air. By the time the network changed its mind and offered its 8 p.m. slot--only to find itself out, since the Obama campaign had finalized its ad buy.

Update: The informercial is after the jump. The McCain campaign's response: "As anyone who has bought anything from an infomercial knows, the sales-job is always better than the product. Buyer beware."

The NY Times' Jim Rutenberg described, "the infomercial was part slickly produced reality program; part Lifetime biography; and part wonkish policy lecture with music that could have come from 'The West Wing,'" and analyzed that it risked being "manipulative" but "it was largely in keeping with Mr. Obama’s strategic imperative this year: Make voters comfortable with the idea of him in the Oval Office while at the same time presenting him as a candidate who can connect with everyday, middle-class voters struggling through the toughest economic times in generations."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on October 29, 2008 8:56 PM

Comments [rss]

Future Taliban

Jesus Christ he's not hawking that portable little grill again is he?.

bornbrednewyorker

I'm an Obama supporter but man that was overkill 101.

PBRK

Campbell Brown is a douche. She was saying the campaigns should give all their donations to soup kitchens earlier.

kearnj

Infomercial, seriously?

This guy has a serious cash flow.

Amanda Harletsch

Vote Obama!, Go and VOTE!!

The creepublicans are counting in the ones that don't vote to keep their sacking!

tingo

Obama raised the cash from supporters. Nobody really cares to donate to the GOP. Probably because they're evil, but that's just my guess.

NannyState

Obama makes some damn fine Kool-Aid. McCain just serves his rat poison straight up.

FranklinBluth

#41 - The love for Palin is just as disturbing...Idolizing any political figure or leader is a scary thing. It's fine to admire a candidate, but the problem with a lot of people is that they throw out their brains and critical analysis of the person.

Nobody talks about Obama's support of the bailout, FISA, off-shore drilling, death penalty, and unilateral military action into Pakistan, do they?

So, ya, dismiss this as proving Godwin's Law but the mass, blind following of a charismatic leader is a tendency of any population.

Toby von Meistersinger

@nicemarmot:

Exactly they are basically the same - politicians. The only real difference between McCain and Obama is that Obama has a slick marketing campaign to disguise the fact that he is a politician, and a Chicago politician at that. There isn't much difference between the two political parties either since the American politician spectrum is so narrow compared to other democratic countries.

Regarless if McCain or Obama wins there isn't going to be any change just more of the same crap. If Obama wins, people are going to be pissed off since they voted for change and they just got more of the same crap. If McCain wins, people at least will know they are just getting more of the same crap upfront.

nicemarmot

I swear to God everyone on this website has gone retarded. Obama is okay, but he's just another politician. There's not really that huge of a difference between him and McCain. The difference is that McCain now supports the same people who anally raped him in favor of Bush in 2000 and tried their very best to destroy the country. He hired the same people who smeared him 8 years ago!!! At the very least, it shows that his judgement sucks - that and Palin. I'm voting for Obama not because I think he's anything special, but because the Evangelical Republican party needs to die as quickly as possible.

ntasv

That last sentence before the "update" has grammatical errors. Edit before you publish. jeesh.

spiritross

Brilliantly done

Presidential all the way

Dont be scared please dont be scared people

plus

always know

That even if you hate him

Obama will still be working for you if he is elected

(as opposed to any GOP candidate who only works for themselves and the rich good ole boys)

Don't be stupid

Don't be scared

This is the chance America needs

Dont throw it away

remember

this is the 21st century

Not 1950

REAL america is a melting pot of all religions and races

That is the fact

Change is life accept that and embrace it

JRod5417

I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is going to be a very tight race. As much money as Obama raised, he needed every penny to go against the GOP machine. Not to mention the possibility of massive voter disenfranchisement on Election day. I'm holding breath til next Tuesday.

GOBAMA!

Guest

BXBRIAN, what's wrong with Bob Barr? Everybody and their mother is talking about how they want change, but they are afraid to vote for REAL change, instead electing to vote for the same two political parties that led America up to the mess we're in now. Unless you have some really strong evidence as to why I shouldn't vote for Mr. Barr, then I'm going to 'waste my vote' as most of you would put it and vote for the candidate who most represents me instead of what most of you are doing, which is voting against a candidate that you believe to be the lesser of two evils.

As for the infomercial, it was patronizing and I expected Lee Greenwood to start singing behind it at any minute, but thankfully he never did.

jonathan

Cult of personality? I didn't realize it was a bad thing having a charismatic president? I guess the cult of shit-talking and cynicism via the McCain camp is much much better.

Way to prove Godwin's Law with the Nazi/Mao references btw.

Fritzdecat

good point #30

Hes hard wired that way, can't blame him its

genetic.

BTW

That's my guy 100% but this was overkill plain and simple. They were laying it on THICK!!! And I don't even think he needed it. Seems like a bad move but I did like the quote in the article as all campaigns being overkill. Let's hope he's right.

Rocknrope

History has shown that it's not always the person who spends the most on their campaign who wins. In fact, many of the jillionaires who spend fortunes for political campaigns end up losing, a recent example being Mitt Romney.

I'm glad to hear the political analysts from both sides say that it was not overkill. I was concerned that this 30-minute co-opting of so much airtime would turn people off and look somewhat desperate (even given his lead) and over-the-top, but it seems not.

zodak

i'm just glad pushing daisies was recorded to my dvr last night. (mmmm, kristin chenoweth)

lanciano

@edEx

ditto. if obama doesn't win, in addition to rigged polls (i wouldn't put it past the republicans to fix it) and more probably - racism.

I'm holding my breath til Wednesday AM.

OH PLEASE let us have a smart, thinking president.

GO-BAMA!!