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Why are the presidential candidates spending so much time to raise so much money? To buy TV ads. Which ones succeed? Which fail? In Ad Watch, we review them as they come out. Today: Karl Rove's American Crossroads translates President Obama's speech, and Sen. Scott Brown tries to soften the hearts of the ladies.
The Ad: American Crossroads, "Wah Wahhh"
The Issues: Obama's big campaign speech in Ohio Thursday.
The Message: Obama just makes excuses for the weak economy instead of fixing it. The ad takes a clip of Obama's speech and then offers a "translation," so like, when Obama says "From 2001 to 2008," the translation is "Blame Bush." Or when Obama says, "the wealthiest Americans… contribute their fair share…" the translation is "class warfare."
Who'll See It: This is a web-only video, but it seems likely to get around, because it's way more interesting than your usual ad.
Who It's For: The youth.
What Everyone Else Thinks: The financial crisis really did start in 2008, when Bush was in office.
The Effect: The argument isn't original, but the presentation is great. In January, Slate's John Dickerson wondered why political people didn't tell more jokes these days. Well, here they are. A