DNC Debuts First Ad Against McCain: "Are You Better Off?"

While the Democratic presidential candidates remain otherwise engaged until mid June, the Democratic National Committee launches an aggressive multimillion dollar advertising campaign that targets the  Bush Administration, Republican Party and heir apparent Sen. John McCain. The "McSame" brand is introduced is introduced in this first commercial "Are You Better Off?" which debuted in the past several days on CNN, MSNBC, FOX (!) and various channels. It's a great ad.. The video is from a CNN presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Library. (Discussed here at HuffPo) The spot also has the distinction of featuring the voice of cable news hunk (and our former coworker) Anderson Cooper.

Republican strategists are already crying foul, so, that's the first indication the spot is effective. They'll get over it. So, after eight years of Bush, are you better off? Can't say we are ...

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Comments

[Luther]

I would love to have the so called Reagan Democrats and that 15% in Ohio and Pennsylvania who said they are Democrats but would never vote for a black candidate even if he or she is more qualified, no matter how bad the economy is or how high gas prices are or the winless war in Iraq asked this question.

[malik m.l. williams]

i'm glad to see the dems aren't waiting for their own primary to be decided. still, how many people vote based on political realities vs. voting on their hopes/fears. even some people who know they are not better off will never vote for a black man. others will never vote for a woman.

i wonder how many people will vote for mccain just because they'll "feel better" knowing white male is in charge...

[Dean]

Anderson Cooper is supposed to be a newsman? Why did he participate in a partisan advertisement? What of journalistic ethics? Is that really the voice of Anderson Cooper? He served as host of "The Mole", a reality/game show on ABC a few years back, but a voice over on a partisian commercial?

[Rod Mc]

DEAN: AC was not paid to provide the voice over. The file footage was taken from the Republican Presidential Debate at the Reagan Library that was broadcast on CNN. (You can see the 707 in the background.) As a news anchor, he is certainly prohibited from making endorsements or commercials, but, it's quite common for political parties and campaigns to use news footage in attacks ads.

BTW, I used to work with Coop at ABC News, that was before he went to "The Mole."