Wolves vs. Bears: Glenn Reynolds is pointing to the Daily Recycler where a new Bush campaign TV spot using wolves as a metaphor is compared to the famous 1984 Reagan ad known as “the bear” (same year that’s famous for the “morning in America” spot). No comparison in my opinion. Hal Riney’s voice (and I’m guessing he also wrote the copy) in the Reagan ad is so powerful, it not only makes me want to vote for Reagan, it makes me want to run out and rent an Alamo car and buy some wine from Ernst & Julio Gallo. (Sorry, 1980s ad joke.) What’s more, the comparison shows that no contemporary television spot will ever match earlier ones due to that goofy “I’m the candidate and I approve this message” disclaimer requirement. It may be helpful for some reason, but unlike, say, the Intel audio logo that gently punctuates ads, the political disclaimer is as intrusive (creatively speaking) as the legal spiel at the end of a car dealership radio ad. (There are some funny comments on Roger Simon’s blog about the wolves ad, however, including one that suggests one of the wolves favors Bush’s opponent.)
