Hillary Clinton, dispelling any doubt that she might go gently from her race against Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination, goes nuclear in her latest campaign ad:
“It’s 3:00am and your children are asleep,” a voice over says in the ad. “There’s a phone in the White House, and it’s ringing. Something is happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call.”
“Whether someone knows the world’s leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead. It’s 3am and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?” the ad concludes.
***
The tone of the ad — which echoes the infamous Daisy Ad from the 1964 Johnson-Goldwater presidential race and the red phone ad former Vice President Walter Mondale ran against Gary Hart in their ’84 race for the Democratic nomination — indicates that the Clinton campaign is pulling out the all the stops leading into the Ohio and Texas primaries.
ABC News links to the ad while Ben Smith links to the “red phone” ad at the Politico. Both ads are the work of Roy Spence, who took a higher profile with the Clinton campaign after campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle was demoted in favor of former HRC chief of staff Maggie Williams.
The ad has a certain logic. Clinton has been seen as better qualified to be commander-in-chief, and has tended to attract a modified version of the Mondale coalition. However, it is likely too late to stop the bleeding. Moreover, it is all scare and no contrast. Clinton should have been selling specific ways in which her experience, including her tenure on the Senate Armed Services Committee, makes her a better candidate than Obama. Now she looks desperate (as she is) and Obama can probably dismiss it by throwing her vote for the Iraq AUMF back in her face.
Also, given the Clinton camp’s effort to lower the expectations bar to claiming victory in Texas if she can win the primary vote, not the caucus or delegate count, it is no surprise that the Clinton camp is threatening a lawsuit over the party’s complicated delegate selection process. After all, it is classic left-liberalism to try to get from a judge what cannot be achieved at the ballot box.
(h/t Memeorandum.)
Call me, Hillary! Barry O spoke with RTO last night, but it was too late. but I’m planing on waiting til Tuesday to vote. so, it’s not too late. (not sure I can get up the courage to try the evening convention thing, though)
Agree.
The Clintons sat back and watched the left reduce the terrorism threat to “pants wetting” and “fear mongering” on behalf of Bush. Hillary renounced her vote on the AUMF rather than reiterate what her own husband’s administration believed about Saddam’s capabilities. Hillary sat back and watched the left demonize intelligence capabilities as domestic spying.
She was in a unique position to defend any of it, but she didn’t and the demonization became conventional wisdom.
Well, now she’s reaping what she sowed. She can’t get the left to believe her– she’s become the little girl that cried “sheep!”.
That is a good start, Hill. Prolly too late. If you are going to get vilified in the press no matter what you do, might as well earn it.
Cool. You mean if I get a DUI, Hillary will pick me up at the station?
Well my answer to that question is “neither of the Democrats.” That approach helps McCain, not Clinton.
I guess that answers my question from a few days ago. Sen. Clinton is going for the Samson option.
How is asking people who they want responding to world events as CIC “fear mongering”? Honestly I would consider that a valid question especially with the rise of Islamic terrorism in the world. But hey WTF do I know I am not a Democrat voter.
Fort Living Room, there is no Islamic terrorism, don’t you know that? It is merely the bed-wetting of the right whose racist, bigoted fears about the brown ‘other’ are being manipulated by the Bushitler Gang in order to mong perpetual war so they can enrich their friends in industry and steal our rights so that a theo-fascist dictatorship can be installed on the ruins of this once great land.
Oh, and the terrorists are kicking our rears in Iraq so we gotta pull out immediately to Afghanistan, which we’ve ignored and is now being overrun by a resurgent Taliban.
Someone on JOM pointed out how long she lets the phone ring.
“It’s 3:00am and your children are asleepâ€Â
I’ve got a sick 4 year old and a teething 1-year old. Trust me, they aren’t sleeping at 3am right now. And if by chance they were, just nuke whoever is the reason for the call ’cause I’d be pissed that someone woke them up with a phone call at 3am.
“Whether someone knows the world’s leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead. It’s 3am and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?†the ad concludes.
Billary is running ads for John McCain now? Well now…
Maybe. I think there is even less ‘there’ there in regards to Hillary than Obama. As she gets further behind we see more clearly that she is after power for its own sake. The dems aren’t running anybody.
Fear Mongering Anyone?
Did somebody from the Bush politcal team dream up the Red Phone ad?
“One of Clinton’s laws of politics is, if one candidate is trying to scare you, and the other one is trying to make you think, if one candidate’s appealing to your fears, and the other one’s appealing to your hopes. You better vote for the person who wants you to think and hope.”
Bill Clinton October 25, 2004
Personally I’m going to follow Bill’s advice!
Obama 08
If Obama loses there could be riots.
[…] going nuclear in their last ad, Slate’s John Dickerson asked the following question in a Clinton […]
so far today, a call asking if Obama can count on my support. not so much. but they’re really tempting me to caucus for Hillary. I fear voting won’t be enough. I CAN VOTE TWICE!!!! BWAH HA HA HA haaaaaaa.
[…] than her Democratic rival, Barack Obama — combined with her going nuclear with the “3 a.m. phone call” ad as her ‘08 odds sink– has strange bedfellows like Kathryn Jean Lopez at NRO and […]
[…] experience than her Democratic rival, Barack Obama  combined with her going nuclear with the “3 a.m. phone call†ad as her ‘08 odds sink– has strange bedfellows like Kathryn Jean Lopez at NRO and left-liberals […]