the posts i've been reading about the new bush ad "wolves" are really fascinating. the ad can be seen here (scroll down to find it. watch it first, if you haven't seen it yet). when it was unveiled the media initially declared it to be "democrats' worst nightmare". and i think that was the bush campaign's intention, a last-minute hard-hitting spot to scare any remaining wobbly voters to run into the bush column.
but a funny thing happened after the unveiling. it's not surprising that liberal bloggers attacked the ad as over the top and ineffective. but even beyond that, when the ad was shown on crossfire, the audience apparently laughed at it and paul begala referred to the allegedly scary wolves in the ad as "puppies." then, of course, came the online parodies: boobies vs. wolves, wolf packs for truth and the poor man's storyboard of the ad.
thus the hard-hitting advertisement is transformed into a joke.
it's really remarkable to watch this thing develop. when does hard-hitting turn into over-the-top and even funny? it must be infuriating to the people who devise these ads, the line is invisible until you cross it. at least it's nice to know that there is an upper limit to shock politics, even in a campaign unusually saturated with fear tactics.
