New Political Campaign Ad: “American Comeback”
[guest post by Dana]
As you know, I have been posting current political ads from various campaigns and political groups. I don’t know to what degree they actually influence voters, but the good ones tap into the mood of America, whether righteous anger, providing a needed dose of hope, or attacking the president . Today’s ad is from the Trump re-election campaign:
In response to the ad, CNN is claiming that it misrepresents their coverage:
A lawyer for CNN’s parent company WarnerMedia has written a cease-and-desist letter to President Trump’s re-election campaign over the misleading contents of a new campaign ad.
WarnerMedia says the Trump ad is misusing CNN news coverage in a way that’s “false, misleading and deceptive.”
In response to a request for comment from CNN Business, the campaign claimed that the ad is accurate and attacked the network’s editorial decisions.
…
Rick D. McMurtry, associate general counsel for WarnerMedia, wrote in a letter to Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign’s communications director, that “the advertisement purposely and deceptively edits the clip to imply that Mr. Blitzer and Dr. Gupta were crediting the President’s travel ban policy issued in January for saving millions of American lives, when in fact Mr. Blitzer and Dr. Gupta were discussing recently implemented social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders issued by state and local governments.”
…
Murtaugh responded: “No discussion of efforts to prevent American deaths from the coronavirus can be had without the understanding that President Trump restricted travel from China in January. Based on that alone, the ad is accurate.”
(h/t Paul Montagu)
On the surface, it’s a compelling ad, and Trump supporters will love it, as will viewers less concerned about accuracy and more emotionally tuned-in. But as I’ve said before, I am not sure if these curated mini-stories actually change anyone’s mind. When leading Democratic women say that they support Joe Biden, in spite of Tara Reade’s allegations of sexual misconduct, and when a majority of Republicans have already voted for Donald Trump, in spite of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, it seems that nothing short of a nominee being caught on video committing a horrendous act will change anyone’s mind. My sense of the political climate right now is that voters, including Independents, are already solidly planted in their respective positions: Anyone but Trump. Anyone but a Democrat. And no political ad is going to move the needle to any noticeable degree.
[Ed. Not ignoring Justin Amash here, but he’s just getting started, and it’s too soon to say if he’ll pull in any significant number of voters.]
–Dana
Good morning.
Dana (0feb77) — 5/6/2020 @ 9:54 amDecent get out the base add. Might help with voters who leaned towards Trump but have been turned away based on his CV19 failures. Seems like the kind of add Trump will enjoy watching.
Time123 (66d88c) — 5/6/2020 @ 10:11 amThey sure seem to hate Cuomo a lot. I’m not sure if it’s because he is largely regarded as effective in this crisis or because Trump thinks he might wind up running against him. PJMedia has all kinds of exaggerated scandals about Cuomo and this ad’s passive aggressive thing with CNN and Cuomo comes across as something I’m sure Trump enjoyed watching.
The fighter jets were cool. I agree with the ad’s point that the economy will come back. We do need confidence. I wonder if Republicans are prepared to accept that changing presidents would probably improve confidence.
Dustin (e5f6c3) — 5/6/2020 @ 10:43 amWhat’s the horrendous act that would change the minds of people who applauded — or at least were totally unfazed — when Trump said “I could shoot someone of 5th Avenue and not lose any voters”?
Radegunda (354236) — 5/6/2020 @ 11:14 amIt’s a well-produced ad, and chock full of lies.
Paul Montagu (b3f51b) — 5/6/2020 @ 11:50 amTrump has long claimed that CNN’s reporting is “false, misleading and deceptive.”
CNN has responded: “First Amendment!”
Now the shoe is on the other foot, and CNN is upset.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 11:51 am“I could shoot someone of 5th Avenue and not lose any voters”?
I’m gonna bet that this would shake some GOP votes loose in the Senate after the obligatory impeachment.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 11:53 am@6 “false, misleading and deceptive.” is just how trump pronounces “makes me feel sad”
Time123 (66d88c) — 5/6/2020 @ 11:55 amPaging Bill Gates. Cleanup on aisle 1600.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 11:56 amHey, free speech!
Did you think he wouldn’t lie?
Do you think that Joe won’t either?
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 11:59 amOh, and thanks, Dana, for the h/t.
Paul Montagu (b3f51b) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:03 pmDoes it count as a lie if you’re so confused you think it’s true?
Time123 (441f53) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:03 pmDoes it count as a lie if you’re so confused you think it’s true?
Sounds like something you might want to ask Joe Biden. 😉
Bored Lawyer (56c962) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:17 pm@13, I meant Biden. Just because Trump is a terrible and weak leader doesn’t mean Joe isn’t senile.
Time123 (441f53) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:20 pmThe music, fighter jets, and editing are GREAT. Trump’s voice sounds like constipated Andrew Dice clay on helium. This will rally the base for sure.
JRH (52aed3) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:28 pmJust because Trump is a terrible and weak leader doesn’t mean Joe isn’t senile.
That could be the U.S.A.’s epitaph. What an awful choice we have.
Bored Lawyer (56c962) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:30 pm9… is this the same Bill Gates who praises the Chinese Communist Party’s response to the Wuhancoronavirus?
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:31 pmGood on them!
https://twitter.com/JasonWhitely/status/1258085703348559874
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:37 pmStrong visuals other than the Newsom one (which looks weirdly like an endorsement of Newsom). The background music wasn’t a great choice though.
Nic (896fdf) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:44 pmAndrew Yang sued to restore the New York presidential primary and won in district court.
Previously, Joe Biden had agreed to give Bernie Sanders some delegates. He had been declared the winner since all cdndidates withdrew)
Sammy Finkelman (375edc) — 5/6/2020 @ 12:48 pmHere’s an podcast interview with Amash, including a transcript.
https://reason.com/2020/05/06/justin-amash-im-promising-to-be-a-president-who-will-reduce-my-power/
Dana is right, he’s just getting started, and he has a uphill battle. Low name recognition, no real party affiliation, it is questionable how many votes he can gather.
The Republicans hate him, because he (rightfully) voted to impeach their beloved leader. The Democrats don’t like him very much either, because he was founding member of the Freedom Caucus. He has since left that group and the Republican party, became an Independent for a short while, now he’s running as a Libertarian. Most mainstream Libertarians don’t like him very much, because they look upon him as an opportunist.
But I, for one, like what I’m hearing from him. I especially like that he’s a student of Hayek. Amash understands that the problem with government is one of top-down control. When it should be bottom-up control. Let the people decide.
The people may not always decide what’s in their best interests, hence Trump. But they must remain a sovereign people. That is what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are all about. It was all fleshed out in the Federalist Papers.
I’d vote for Amash without a second thought. I will not be voting for Trump or Biden.
Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:02 pmOff-topic: If government forced a single business to close, so that the city could use the building for another public purpose (or any other public reason) would that not be a taking under the 4th Amendment? Why then can government force ALL businesses to close to fight this pandemic and not be held to the same requirements for compensation?
Just curious.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:10 pm9… is this the same Bill Gates who praises the Chinese Communist Party’s response to the Wuhancoronavirus?
Was that before or after President Trump did the same thing?
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:11 pmTry making the same argument in the case of a house fire. “Why, you can’t come on my property and tear it up! In fact, you need a court order, you fascists! It’s a ‘taking’, bi-gawd!!!”
See? Silly.
Ragspierre (d9bec9) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:17 pmIt probably symbolizes the uselessness of the duopoly when I say that I originally took only a quick glance at thr video thumbnail and thought the person shown was Donald Trump Jr.
Kishnevi (1cc50f) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:27 pmTry making the same argument in the case of a house fire.
Thank you for that EXCELLENT example of the strawman argument. You create something I never said our of whole cloth, smack it down and call it silly.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:31 pmRagspierre, wouldn’t the homeowner be allowed a claim after the emergency? I think Kevin has a point.
But the practical problem would be proving how much loss of business the store suffered, in an environment where there might be few or no customers because people were afraid of either catching the virus or losing their own job.
Kishnevi (1cc50f) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:32 pmOf course, if the fire was a half-block away and the fire department chose my house for a “firebreak”, I think I’d have a takings case.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:33 pman environment where there might be few or no customers because people were afraid of either catching the virus or losing their own job.
Perhaps, but they seem to have no problem packing themselves into Walmart.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:35 pmYes, but other than clothes and home decor, any store that sells the sort of stuff Walmart sells is probably open because it qualifies asvan essential business.
Kishnevi (1cc50f) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:40 pm@28 — yes, that is what I was thinking. The better analogy is that the city razes YOUR house to keep the fire that is half a block away from spreading to the whole city. Have not researched it, but would not be surprised that such would be considered a taking.
Bored Lawyer (56c962) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:42 pm@31, BL i’ll bet you that’s happened for fire breaks out west.
Time123 (66d88c) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:47 pmbut would not be surprised that such would be considered a taking.
Failing that, I might try a claim against the fire insurance of the houses it saved. That might be trickier though.
Kevin M (ab1c11) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:49 pmWas that before or after President Trump did the same thing?
Much later…Gates did his thing a few days ago.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:54 pmIIRC, whole city blocks have been dynamited in American history to quell a fire. Don’t know the “takings” issue outcome.
But that is not analogous to Kevin’s proposition. My house-fire example is, since both a pandemic closure and a fire department response to a burning home are both transitory AND emergencies. (Despite Kevin huffing and puffing, as usual.)
Kevin can always look for an attorney to explore his hypothetical. GLWT
Ragspierre (d9bec9) — 5/6/2020 @ 1:57 pmIt must be difficult for the global entertainment conglomerates and Biz Titans to justly criticize the CCP, when they’ve made -and continue to make – so much money off them.
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 5/6/2020 @ 2:03 pmIIRC, whole city blocks have been dynamited in American history to quell a fire. Don’t know the “takings” issue outcome
The original precedent would probably be the Great Fire of London, where it was done under the direct supervision of Charles II.
Kishnevi (1cc50f) — 5/6/2020 @ 2:06 pmunder the direct supervision of Charles II
The Merry Monarch.
Bored Lawyer (56c962) — 5/6/2020 @ 2:07 pmA quick excursion with Google brings this as the most instructive link (it’s a PDF of a law review article)
Kishnevi (1cc50f) — 5/6/2020 @ 2:18 pmhttps://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi%3Farticle%3D1233%26context%3Dmlr&ved=2ahUKEwiciO-1kqDpAhXMnuAKHeurD7EQFjAKegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw216ZC5i-UZwsD1iUF2U9Oi
For the umpteenth time, everyone should educate themselves about what a straw man fallacy IS and is not.
First, it has to BE a fallacy. An apt analogy cannot be a fallacy.
Second, there is actually a formula for the straw man fallacy. Look it up.
Ragspierre (d9bec9) — 5/6/2020 @ 6:10 pmIANAL, so am wandering a bit in the dark, but if this is what the takings question was asking, then lawsuits have already been filed.
https://www.inversecondemnation.com/inversecondemnation/2020/05/two-more-takings-complaints-challenging-shut-down-orders.html
The link takes you to but one of a series of posts at that blog.
ColoComment (2429fb) — 5/6/2020 @ 6:13 pmThis would make an outstanding ad for our brave, truth-seeking media…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc7xhIUIL3o&ebc=ANyPxKp7ElZOt6NlZEZ7zWRukaz7Fz3F5zh4MmAPZcC5Y1bjiJCl3737yVaxJGqu4u4Mif_1GsUi6g4kMEzhSTlhZcnRri-XaA
Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 5/6/2020 @ 6:15 pmThe Republicans hate him [Amash], because he (rightfully) voted to impeach their beloved leader. The Democrats don’t like him very much either, because he was founding member of the Freedom Caucus. He has since left that group and the Republican party, became an Independent for a short while, now he’s running as a Libertarian. Most mainstream Libertarians don’t like him very much, because they look upon him as an opportunist.
“Treadmill To Oblivion.” – Fred Allen
DCSCA (797bc0) — 5/6/2020 @ 6:34 pmI expect a LOT of litigation coming out of CV19 issues. There will be insurance disputes, and already are.
I expect some takings claims. As we say, anybody can sue anybody over anything. I don’t expect much to come from these, however.
We will see…
Ragspierre (d9bec9) — 5/6/2020 @ 6:57 pmJust a follow-up on the takings thingie…
Nobody has ever collected a takings judgment for a restaurant closed for a health code violation (to my knowledge). Such closings are common.
Ragspierre (d9bec9) — 5/6/2020 @ 7:20 pmHe knew what he was doing. Convince the conservative base that all of the media are liars, then who is left to provide a reality check? Of course we know that many in the media are liberal. It’s been that way for decades but Republicans could win despite that challenge and, importantly, the truth still mattered.
Republicans rejected liberal bias, replacing it with conservative lies.
Example…. again… just yesterday. A nurse is telling how sporadic PPE has been and Trump immediately refutes her story and the reality that we all know exists right there on television. Gaslighting works.
noel (4d3313) — 5/7/2020 @ 6:26 am