New RNC ad

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

On Friday the Republicans unveiled an ad for the upcoming election using Bin Laden and Zarqawi and warning the viewers that "these are the stakes"...

Here's an interesting article about it in Reuters...

The video can be seen on GOP's website (www.gop.org), and will be aired next week on cable... (for those who don't want to go on GOP's website, I have also found it on a Czech website, it's at the bottom of the newsarticle: here.

I think that this ad shows that the Republicans are yet again desperate before the elections and want to use the fear factor, as they have done before...

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Please, if you want to see it go to the GOP site, and watch it as many times as you please, or download it many times.

They have to pay for that bandwidth.
 

[Sibling Chatty]

Oh, yes, the famous $12 million on one ad, which they will actually spend $20,000 to run on a few cable channels.

It served the purpose, though. Hundreds and thousands of people now know how desperate they are.

[Teripie]

Keith Olbermann likened the RNC's campaign as "terrorist" activities. He said to deliberately scare people was an act of terrorism. He promised that tomorrow night, Monday, on his program, he would have a comment on it. His stuff is good and usually nails the truth to the wall for all to se. It also hits the internet quickly. I'll post a link to the comment if and when it gets posted.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Hmm... odd ad.  I think they're preaching to the choir.

It seems like the entire message is "vote against terror"... btt I think this only translates to "vote Republican" if the viewer already sees things from this point of view.

It strikes me that it isn't likely to convince new voters to switch to the Republican party; it would likely be more effective at stopping Republicans from jumping ship.

I think that one of two factors is at play here:

- the Republican party is so out-of-touch that they think this will be effective at recruiting new votes
- the Republican party is on the defensive, and are focussing on stopping people from leaving, rather than attracting new people.

Hmm.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

Hmm... odd ad.  I think they're preaching to the choir.

It seems like the entire message is "vote against terror"... btt I think this only translates to "vote Republican" if the viewer already sees things from this point of view.

It strikes me that it isn't likely to convince new voters to switch to the Republican party; it would likely be more effective at stopping Republicans from jumping ship.

I think that one of two factors is at play here:

- the Republican party is so out-of-touch that they think this will be effective at recruiting new votes
- the Republican party is on the defensive, and are focussing on stopping people from leaving, rather than attracting new people.

Hmm.

Actually, I heard a nice analysis on the Dianne Rheme show (NPR) the other day.  Your second supposition is more on-target, according to the analysts she had.

It seems that some recent polls show that more and more republican voters are "jumping ship" or just simply not voting at all.

The recent sex-scandal coupled with the neverending mess that is Iraq is considered to be the root-cause.

In a (to me) humorous twist, there is a democrat caught up in some sort of scandal as well - and many polled did not realize he was even a democrat.  Then DID recognize the republicans are in charge, and therefore to blame.  So, even when the dems screw up, it hurts the repubs.  What fun!

[Teripie]

Here's the link to Olbermann's commentary on this and other republican ads.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15392701/
Snip:

The dictionary definition of the word "terrorize" is simple and not open to misinterpretation:

"To fill or overpower with terror; terrify. To coerce by intimidation or fear." 

Note please, that the words "violence" and "death" are missing from that definition.

The key to terror, the key to terrorism, is not the act—but the fear of the act.

That is why bin Laden and his deputies and his imitators are forever putting together videotaped statements and releasing virtual infomercials with dire threats and heart-stopping warnings.

But why is the Republican Party imitating them?

[Swatopluk]

On the other hand I still don't know, whether it was deliberate that FOX labeled Foley a Democrat on their first report (it is at least a possible typo).
GOP strategy is traditionally
a) mobilize one's own base
b) disenfranchise the opposition's base by all means (including open violence or threat of criminal persecution).

The latter is quietly at work in the usual places by voter list purge. Even if it is stopped by the courts, the time is usually insufficient to correct the "errors" before election day (and the provisional ballots are scrapped if necessary).

And all of that before the counting fraud even starts.

I will be quite surprised, if a Dem takeover of even one chamber of Congress is "allowed to happen".

Despite the stab-in-the-back scam (screw up then let the opposition take over and blame it for the failure) already being prepared, I don't think that it will be "wasted" now. As Dubya said, it will be the next president's job to deal with the mess.