And the winner of moveon.org’s “Bush in 30 Seconds” contest is “Child’s Pay” by Charlie Fisher. Not a word is
spoken, yet the ad tells the truth in simple, powerful terms. It conveys the message that the
Maximum Leader is willing to saddle America with a trillion-dollar debt. You’ll be seeing it on
national television soon.
Made by a 38-year-old ad executive from Denver, according to a moveon.org press release, the 30-second spot “features young
children working in difficult service and manufacturing jobs — washing dishes, hauling trash,
repairing tires, cleaning offices, assembly-line processing and grocery checking, followed by the
[printed] line: ‘Guess who’s going to pay off President Bush’s $1 trillion deficit?'” Side note:
Fisher used to be a registered Republican.
The other winners were all consolation
prizes. The Funniest Ad (“If Parents Acted Like Bush”), though cute, is not
really funny; the Best Animation Ad (“What I Been Up To …”) is not very
imaginative, though it’s marginally better than its rivals, which isn’t saying much; and Best Youth
Ad (“Bring It On”), though it’s superbly done,
matches the Maximum Leader’s own stridency and is unlikely to persuade anyone not
already convinced of its argument.
Finally, since I made such a big deal about it yesterday, I feel obligated to report that last
night’s live Webcast from the Hammerstein Ballroom was pretty boring unless you liked the
noise that passed for music. I didn’t. The only part of the show I did enjoy were Al Franken’s
remarks about what the Maximum Leader knew, if he knew it, and whether he understood what
he knew or didn’t know.
Postscript: Here’s a thoroughly reported and far more sympathetic review of the evening than mine.
