Mark Penn's Earlier Version Of 3 A.M. Ad Was Negative Direct Hit On Obama

[RamboLiberal]

Here's an interesting postscript to the saga of Mark Penn, who stepped down from his role as Hillary's chief strategist yesterday:

Penn had an earlier version of the infamous 3 A.M. ad that was much more of a negative spot attacking Barack Obama, and the attack prompted objections from other senior Hillary advisers, a Hillaryland source familiar with internal discussions over the ad tells me.

Among those senior advisers who objected to the ad's negative content was senior ad guru Mandy Grunwald, who's clashed with Penn in the past, the source says.

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"This was the way it was originally conceived," the adviser says. "It did not say the words `Barack Obama.' But there was a contrast part. It had a clear hit on Obama and it also had a much more negative feeling with the music."

The adviser continues: "The original ad asked, Who would you prefer answering the call -- someone with strength and experience, or someone who's untested?"

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/04/mark_penns_original_version_of.php

[NJSecularist]

1. That was a brilliant ad, I must say, even as an Obama supporter.

[gateley]

2. She/they were wise to tone it down a bit.

They still made the point very clearly.

[Azathoth]

6. It's not a brilliant ad...it's a more toned-down version of Bush's "wolf" ad

which was itself an evolution of LBJ's daisy ad. "Vote for me, cause your children are gonna suffer/die with the other guy." Not brilliant, not profound, just plain old fear-mongering.

[Arkansas Granny]

3. I would assume that most, if not all, ads go through a process where different ideas are

tried out and discarded before the final script is chosen. I'm sure that several statements are rejected before they come up with the finished product and that there would be disagreement between staff members as to which would be the most effective.

[earthlover]

4. Quite frankly, the harsher ad was probably rejected because of fear of a backlash

If they thought it would be more effective, does ANYONE think they would hesitate a millisecond to trash Obama?

[Azathoth]

5. self-delete