Two-Minute Obama Ad Offers Direct Address on the Economy

Tough times call for straight talk; that is the underlying message of Obama's new ad, a two-minute spot in which he addresses the economy by recapping some of the main talking points from the first presidential debate. The ad also serves two other functions; to address anticipated attacks characterizing Obama as being in favor of tax increases, and to appear presidential. (In a Washington Post article, McCain campaign manager Steve Schmidt said that the campaign will press two arguments as forcefully as possible in the coming days. One is that Obama is not ready to be commander in chief and that, in a time of two wars, 'his policies will make the world more dangerous and America less secure.' Second, he said, McCain will argue that, in a time of economic crisis, Obama will raise taxes and spending and 'will make our economy worse.'")

A similar style ad from Jimmy Carter's 1976 campaign: