Obama's 30 minute message of hope and change

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around Barack Obama's 30-minute televised message during his campaign, focusing on its effectiveness, presentation style, and public reception. Participants express their opinions on the nature of the message, comparisons to other political communications, and the broader implications for the election. The conversation includes elements of political analysis, personal impressions, and reactions to media coverage.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants believe Obama's message was effective and well-presented, contrasting it with McCain's campaign style.
  • Others argue that the message, while inspiring, could be seen as propaganda, raising concerns about the implications of such messaging in politics.
  • A few participants express disappointment with the focus of Obama's message, suggesting it targeted less educated voters while neglecting more informed audiences.
  • There are references to historical comparisons, such as the use of televised messages by past politicians like Ross Perot and Eisenhower.
  • Some participants discuss the media's reaction, particularly from Fox News, and the implications of campaign finance in relation to Obama's advertising strategy.
  • Several comments reflect a sense of hope for change with Obama's potential presidency, while also cautioning against overly high expectations.
  • Participants share logistical details about the broadcast, including which networks aired the message and the timing of the World Series game.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of admiration and skepticism regarding Obama's message. While some find it impressive and a positive change, others critique its content and the potential for unrealistic expectations. There is no clear consensus on the overall effectiveness or implications of the message.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note the focus on different voter demographics and the potential impact of educational background on the reception of the message. There are also references to the historical context of televised political messages, which may influence interpretations of Obama's approach.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in political communication, campaign strategies, and public reception of political messages may find this discussion relevant.

LowlyPion
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So far it looks like Obama is out "Joe"ing McCain.

This looks very real. I suspect that it will be seen as quite effective.
 
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No fair! I have to wait almost three more hours.

Also, it is an inspired political message of hope and change, not an informercial. :biggrin:
 


Ivan Seeking said:
No fair! I have to wait almost three more hours.

Also, it is an inspired political message of hope and change, not an informercial. :biggrin:

It was exactly that.

Sorry I didn't know you couldn't see it yet.

I think it was an outstanding job. Propaganda to be sure but not the ham-handed McCain/Far Right bludgeoning that has characterized their efforts this cycle.

Smooth and real.

This won't hurt him at all. Quite the opposite I should think.

I was impressed.
 


Wow, just wow. That was awesome. Not an infomercial at all. I was very impressed.
 
Evo said:
Wow, just wow. That was awesome. Not an infomercial at all. I was very impressed.

Thanks for making the change
 
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Where was this televised?
 
LightbulbSun said:
Where was this televised?

All major networks except ABC.
 
LowlyPion said:
All major networks except ABC.

Does anyone have a video link?
 
Don't suppose we could get a link to the video? Or is it not up yet?
 
  • #10
LightbulbSun said:
Does anyone have a video link?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtREqAmLsoA
 
  • #11
FoxNews is left sputtering about those "sob-sister" stories and all the money Obama has to get his message out.

Greta Van Susteren is whining about Obama not answering questions that she has? Oy.

Looks like Fox has a case of extreme Campaign Finance Envy.
 
  • #12


LowlyPion said:
I think it was an outstanding job. Propaganda to be sure but not the ham-handed McCain/Far Right bludgeoning that has characterized their efforts this cycle.

Because politicians that are expert at propaganda have always turned out well .
At least Leni Riefenstahl did good camera work!
 
  • #13


mgb_phys said:
Because politicians that are expert at propaganda have always turned out well .
At least Leni Riefenstahl did good camera work!

George Washington had Thomas Paine and Sam Adams. He worked out ok.

I think references to Hitler are a little inappropriate and over the top however.
 
  • #14
Ok - but everbody is getting a little over the top about this guy, if he turns out not to be able to walk on water people are going to be very dissapointed.
 
  • #15


Evo said:
Wow, just wow. That was awesome. Not an infomercial at all. I was very impressed.
Yeah! :approve: :cool:
 
  • #16
mgb_phys said:
Ok - but everbody is getting a little over the top about this guy, if he turns out not to be able to walk on water people are going to be very disappointed.
I think he will try - very hard, and that's all we can expect.

We also have a role in this - to work hard and together to build a better nation and a better world - with liberty and justice for all.
 
  • #17
Obama is a true [itex]\mu \epsilon \gamma \alpha \lambda o \psi \xi o \sigma[/itex], and if he is elected I will rejoice with all of my heart, and in the unlikely event that he is not elected it will be the darkest day in my lifetime.
 
  • #18
mgb_phys said:
Ok - but everbody is getting a little over the top about this guy, if he turns out not to be able to walk on water people are going to be very dissapointed.

I don't think he walks on water, but considering the alternatives it will be a pleasant change to not feel so poorly led as the current 8 year reign of incompetence or the prospect of 4 more from the snarky John McCain.

We have seen real problems go unattended while trillions have been squandered clinging to power and we have been engaging in dubious wars, refighting the Crusades.

Personally I think having an executive that can think his way out of a paper bag will only seem like walking on water. It's my hope that as a Nation, that maybe being exposed to what a real President might feel like that maybe we will develop higher standards than the cream of the Republican Party that has been plated up this year.
 
  • #19
Fox keeps comparing it to the Ross Perot spots. Historically Ike did the same thing in 1952.

When the recorded presentation ended in my time zone on CBS, it went directly to a live Obama rally in a packed stadium in Florida. Very impessive.
 
  • #20
edward said:
Fox keeps comparing it to the Ross Perot spots. Historically Ike did the same thing in 1952.

When the recorded presentation ended in my time zone on CBS, it went directly to a live Obama rally in a packed stadium in Florida. Very impessive.

The Bill Clinton-Barack Obama Rally is truly impressive.
 
  • #21
There's so much potential with this guy. Who wants to vote for McCain at this point?
 
  • #22


mgb_phys said:
Because politicians that are expert at propaganda have always turned out well .
At least Leni Riefenstahl did good camera work!

Uh, McCains good buddy and convicted criminal, G Gordon Liddy, is the one who idolized Hitler. And McCain credits him with being a great American.
 
  • #23
mgb_phys said:
Ok - but everbody is getting a little over the top about this guy, if he turns out not to be able to walk on water people are going to be very dissapointed.

Compared to what Bush and the Republicans have done to this country, and after the zero-quality leadership we've seen over for eight years, Obama could be made out of lead and he would still walk on water.
 
  • #24
I thought he did well.

Certainly, as Mathwork noted in another thread, he focused on "less educated" people:
mathwonk said:
to be quite honest, i was very disappointed by obama's message tonight. it seems he feels he has sewn up the votes of intelligent people and was going now after the votes of idiots. it leaves me feeling bad, but nowhere near as bad as the unrelentingly offensive campaign of mccain palin.

... but (as I also noted there) I'm okay with that focus. Education of Americans 18 and over (via 2007 US census data for the US census website): ~15% don't have a HS education. 50% are HS graduates, and may have had some college but no degree. That leaves about ~35% with degrees... including associates degrees! (for curiosity, 8% have associates degrees (occupational or academic), 17% have bachelors, 6% have masters, 1% have professional and 1% have doctoral).

Being in the upper echelons, I'm just glad Sen. Obama is running an almost impeccable "national campaign": focusing on on the issues important in battleground states and all the groups, but not neglecting this nation-wide opportunity to give shout-outs to people he could have in his pocket regardless (like Massachusetts)... or has perhaps no chance of (Kansas). He needs to keep showing the nation he can be presidential... even fire-side chatty.
 
  • #25
Obama floods the airwaves with prime-time TV sales pitch
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/54962.html

Yesterday, Obama bought time on major networks for the 30 minute spot. Obama was on the Daily Show too.

McCain errantly criticized Obama for holding up the world series.

Out of bounds! McCain's wrong on World Series delay
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/310/story/54952.html
Throw the flag against: John McCain.

Call: Unsportsmanlike conduct.

What happened: "No one will delay the World Series game with an infomercial when I'm president," the Republican presidential nominee told a crowd Tuesday in Hershey, Pa.

Democratic rival Barack Obama bought the 8-8:30 p.m. slot on Fox and other major networks Wednesday night to air a campaign pitch. The first pitch of the World Series game, the resumption of rain-delayed Game 5, was set for approximately 8:37 p.m. EDT, about nine minutes later than usual.

Why that's wrong: It's not unusual for World Series games to start after 8:30 p.m., and according to the Web site Politico, the Fox executive who's responsible for the Obama ad purchase said the infomercial was replacing only the pre-game show.

"Our first pitch for the World Series is usually around 8:30 anyway, so we didn't push back the game. It was really just about suspending the pre-game, you know, Joe Buck," said the account executive, Joe Coppola. "That's all we did."
. . . .
The contrast is profound. Obama is positive, McCain is negative.

The US needs to go in the positive direction.
 
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  • #26
I don't think I've heard a better speech.
 
  • #27
Astronuc said:
Yesterday, Obama bought time on major networks for the 30 minute spot. Obama was on the Daily Show too.

McCain errantly criticized Obama for holding up the world series.

It was a bit of channel hopping, because I thought the Clinton-Obama rally in Kissimee was a very interesting event I thought, as Clinton urged people to vote for Obama and Obama was so gracious in lionizing Clinton and the Clinton years. The Daily Show appearance wasn't breaking any new ground really, except of course that Obama seemed as usual engaged and with a sense of humor.

The World Series was over in 2 innings anyway. What was all the whining about? Phillies fans hardly had time for 1 beer.
 
  • #28
Astronuc said:
Obama floods the airwaves with prime-time TV sales pitch
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/54962.html

Yesterday, Obama bought time on major networks for the 30 minute spot. Obama was on the Daily Show too.

McCain errantly criticized Obama for holding up the world series.

Out of bounds! McCain's wrong on World Series delay
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/310/story/54952.html
The contrast is profound. Obama is positive, McCain is negative.

The US needs to go in the positive direction.
McCain is getting desperate. He knows his campaign is done. He has no credibility. He has no way to bring in the undecided voters. He offers nothing significantly different from George Bush's failed policies. The voters won't make the same mistake three times.
 
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  • #29
SticksandStones said:
The voters won't make the same mistake three times.

I wouldn't have thought they'd make it twice, but here we are.
 
  • #30
Boston_Globe said:
Obama infomercial ratings
Joanna Weiss October 30, 2008 10:28 AM

This just in from a Nielsen Co. press release about Barack Obama's infomercial:

* Overall, for the six networks that aired the program simultaneously, the spot had a household rating of 21.7% (meaning that 21.7 percent of all households watching television were tuned to the spot) in the top 56 local markets. In Boston, the rating was 25.7 -- meaning that just over a quarter of local households tuned in.
* In comparison, the final debate between the two presidential candidates received a 38.3 household rating in the top 56 local TV markets. The candidates’ first debate on September 26 received a 34.7 household rating in the top 55 markets; their second debate, on October 7, received a 42.0 household rating in those markets.
* The last presidential candidate to air a paid simulcast was Ross Perot in 1996, which received a national household rating of 16.8.
* Last night, the Baltimore market had the largest TV audience, with a household rating of 31.3, while the Portland (Oregon, not Maine) market had the lowest household rating: 14.2.
http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/2008/10/obama_infomerci.html
 

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