Bush-His Job Gone or Yours
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| Tue, 08-24-2004 - 9:06pm |
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=703&e=7&u=/ap/20040824/ap_on_el_pr/celebrities_ads
By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - Young blacks walk to a city polling place, only to be blocked by a menacing white cop. Businessmen unwillingly parachute into Iraq (news - web sites). When Americans begin disappearing from their jobs, actor Matt Damon says, "George Bush (news - web sites) — it's his job, or yours."
Each scenario is part of a new series of anti-Bush ads created for MoveOn.org, an upstart political group that uses the Internet and other media to skewer the president and his policies.
The release Tuesday of 10 ads coincides with the final 10 weeks of the presidential campaign. The spots draw on the talents of A-list directors like John Sayles, Rob Reiner and Doug Liman and stars that include Scarlett Johansson and Kevin Bacon.
Many of the spots likely will remain on the Internet, circling among activists, rather than appearing on television. MoveOn says that while it has committed to a multimillion-dollar ad campaign throughout the fall, it will test market the ads and commit to airing only those that have a discernible impact on voters.
"We let creative people be creative, then throw it at testing and see what sticks," said MoveOn political director Eli Pariser.
Benny Boom, a leading hip-hop video director, produced the first ad in the series MoveOn will release. The group has committed to airing it next week on cable channels that target urban voters.
"We've got to get George W. Bush out of office, and it's very important that kids understand what a serious condition the world is in with this madman," Boom said.
With a throbbing bass line and wailing sirens in the background, Boon's ad shows a white police officer confronting young blacks out to vote. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's the problem?" the officer asks. "No problem — we're here to vote," a young man says, and those in the group raise their voting cards.
In a playful animated spot voiced by Bacon, Johansson and longtime actor-activist Ed Asner, a flight attendant straps parachutes to businessmen chortling over war profits and then pushes them out over Iraq. Bacon asks, "What if the same men who profited from the war were asked to fight it?"
The ad featuring Damon reunites him with Liman, who directed their 2002 hit "The Bourne Identity." In that spot, various working people — doctors, firefighters, auto factory workers and teachers — disappear as they do their jobs. "Since George W. Bush has been in power, he has lost over 1 million jobs. That's more than any president has lost since the Great Depression. George Bush — it's his job, or yours," Damon says.
Jonathan Wilcox, a Republican strategist who teaches a course on politics and celebrity at the University of Southern California, said MoveOn's ads are not likely to resonate outside the group's core audience.
"These ads are artistic portrayals, cool and interesting, that play to only themselves," Wilcox said. "They don't intend to turn a single undecided voter."

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Thank you for allowing me that...just a pet peeve of mine!
I'm still thinking that there ought to be a I.Q. requirement for voting privileges.
If you truly believe that then anything I say to you will just go right on by.
tax cut only made them richer, not made them hire anyone. In fact President's policies is such that employers find it beneficial to hire few contractors which are not counted as headcounts and so their share value increases means more profit. The employees are laid off as we speak. Some lucky laidoff people are hired as contractors with less pay and no benefits. So you work twice as hard don't get a single vacation day or sick day, no holidays without pay cut. I know President cannot create jobs but his policies can improve the lives of people and that's what John Kerry is going to do.
I also don't understand how people can vote against their own interest.. like good paying jobs, healthcare to name a few....and vote a party whose platform is pro-life(not a govt issue), against gay marriage(again not govt issue) ....and so on..
Got to stop buying into the class warfare game, my friend.
Oh I know Kerry's plan to "improve" our lives...OVER burden the wealthiest in the country to give it to the middle and lower income earners. There is a name for that...Redistribution of Wealth, or SOCIALISM if you prefer. No thanks, If my job doesn't make me enough money, I'll work harder and get a better one!
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