The Biden/Harris campaign released their first TV spot today. It’s a 90-second ad that will run in battle-ground states—and everywhere on YouTube.
I love that it declares war against the culture war, putting three strong issues front and center: abortion rights, gun safety, democracy.
Biden is fond of quoting his dad, "Joey, don't compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative.” And that’s what this spot sets out to do—frame the election as a choice, not a referendum.
In tone—and in its opening imagery—the spot reminds me of the famed Reagan re-elect spot, “It’s Morning Again in America,” written and voiced by Hal Riney. That spot ends with a montage of flag images. This spot opens with one, wrapping Biden in the American flag and values. But the Biden spot quickly shifts tone, comparing Biden to “the alternative”—as symbolized by a different flag. That flag bears Trump’s name and it’s brandished by the January 6th mob at the Capitol. Over those images, the narrator reminds us that the American values Biden embraces are “under attack by an extreme movement that seeks to overturn elections, ban books and eliminate a woman's right to choose.” Wherever the campaign goes from here, that’s the core message: American values vs an extreme movement.
The recently employed Tucker Carlson had a team of producers comb tens of thousands of hours of footage for anything that might redeem the events of January 6th for the Republican Party. They came up with nothing. All that endures in that footage are the images we see in this spot—a mob of extremists invading the Capitol in Trump’s name, seeking to overturn an election. There’s your alternative. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of it.
The spot is a brilliantly-crafted attack ad wrapped in a stirring pro-democracy flag-waver.
NARRATOR: As the sun rises, we raise the flag—a symbol of all that we hold most dear as Americans. Courage. Opportunity. Democracy. Freedom. They're the values and beliefs that built this country and still beat in our hearts. But they're under attack by an extreme movement that seeks to overturn elections… ban books… and eliminate a woman's right to choose.
Joe Biden has made defending our basic freedoms, the cause of his presidency.
The freedom for women to make their own health care decisions. The freedom for our Children to be safe from gun violence. The freedom to vote and have your vote counted. For seniors to live with dignity. And to give every American the freedom that comes with a fair shot at building a good life—in small towns and big cities.
We raise our heads, our eyes, our hearts for America—for the idea of this great country.
Joe Biden is running for re-election to make certain that the sun will not set on this flag. The promise of American democracy will not break.
JOE BIDEN: Democracy must not be a partisan issue. It’s an American issue. As your president, I will defend our democracy with every fiber of my being. And I'm asking every American to join me.
NARRATOR: For freedom. For democracy. For America. Joe Biden.
JOE BIDEN: I'm Joe Biden and I approve this message.
If this ad marks the caliber of Biden’s ad team, he’s in good hands.
Title: Flag
Tag: For Freedom. For Democracy. For America. Joe Biden