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Thursday, October 30, 2008

Obama's Closing Argument

It took only 30 minutes for Presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama to neatly package the crux of his 21 month long argument as to why he should be the 44th President of the United States. Thirty minutes, 7 networks , and over 30 million dollars were the amagic mix of numbers necessary to command an audience of 33.5 million people.

Many people were weary about a 30 minute ad. Remembering the similar efforts of Ross Perot, critics and supporters alike seemed to question whether the ad would be overkill. It seems these concerns were for nought as the ad garnered significantly more positive responses than negative.

The "infomercial," as Obama calls it himself, begins with the Presidential hopeful speaking directly to the camera, inviting a feeling of casual conversation. His narrative is then expertly weaved together with the stories of several "average" Americans who are all experiencing some level of hardship in their lives - a hardship that Obama feels he can assist with if he is elected.

One of the most important benefits of the special was that it gave Obama one last opportunity to outline his platform in his own words. After several weeks of his opponents twisting and manipulating his position, political ideologies and personal associations, it was important it was important to reiterate his version of the truth to Independents and his base alike.

More importantly perhaps, were the subtle elements of the ad. The office that Obama initiates the conversation from is curiously reminiscent of the Oval Office and serves to acquaint America with the look of a melanin sufficient President. That is an aesthetic acquaintance that may prove priceless in the end. Check out an interesting piece by Leah McElrath titled Five Reasons Why the Obama Ad was Worth The Cost, for more analysis.



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