Bombs Away: What’s so bad about those negative ads?
You’ve probably already witnessed some the verbal hand-wringing in the news media about the toxicity of the political attack ads invading America’s living rooms. Never mind that these journalists and...
View ArticleThe Mud in the Message: The Sad State of Political Advertising
My column in Friday’s edition of Politico, co-written with the legendary ad man, Sid Myers, co-creator of the most famous political commercial in American history — the 1964 Daisy Girl spot: “If you...
View ArticleDaisy Girl: The TV spot that changed American politics
Forty-eight years ago tonight — September 7, 1964 — an innocent little girl transformed political advertising in a sixty-second television spot that exploded, literally and figuratively, the way that...
View ArticleGoldwater and Romney each had a “47 percent” moment
Mitt Romney‘s unfortunate comments about writing off the 47 percent of Americans he considers moochers reminds me of similar comments made by another hapless Republican presidential candidate, this one...
View ArticleCampaign spots: Nothing new under the sun
What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. –Ecclesiastes 1:9 The more you watch and study politics, the more you realize that it’s not often...
View ArticleHe said what??!! Obama’s spots and why they’re missing Gingrich and Santorum
Edward Kennedy (Photo credit: olebrat) In his losing bid for the 1980 Democratic presidential nomination, Edward Kennedy didn’t mince words about his opponent, President Jimmy Carter. He blamed the...
View ArticleTwilight for the campaign pros? The rise of the political quants
By Robert Mann After laboring in obscurity for years, it’s time for the political quants to bask in the spotlight of public and media acclaim. According to just about every political observer, a...
View ArticleSen. Mary Landrieu has the seniority, but will voters care?
Bollinger Shipyards CEO Boysie Bollinger in a new TV spot for Sen. Mary Landrieu By Robert Mann It’s said that when someone once asked then-House Speaker Sam Rayburn why the Texas congressional...
View ArticleLBJ’s Mad Men and the Ad that Changed American Politics
By Robert Mann Fifty years ago – on the night of Monday, Sept. 7, 1964 – an innocent little girl plucking flower petals in a sun-splashed field helped usher in a revolution in American political...
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