With millions of dollars in the bank from record fundraising efforts, the Obama campaign spent $1 million per major network on the ad, almost completely monopolizing the 8-8:30 p.m. prime time slot on TV. CBS, FOX, NBC, MSNBC, Univision, BET, and TV One all aired the special.
Speaking directly to Americans and hoping to sway the decisions of undecided voters, Sen. Obama said that he sees “optimism and hope and strength” in light of economic woes. Spliced between clips of Sen. Obama talking about his plans should he win the Oval Office were stories of the struggles of American families, most of whom were living in the battleground states of Missouri, Ohio, and New Mexico.
Coming from all walks of life, the families and individuals faced with economic plights included a tire resale vendor who tore a knee ligament but put off surgery, a retired worker who had to go back to work after losing medical insurance, and a third-generation Ford Motor employee who had his work outsourced and cut back to every other week.
Sen. Obama outlined his plans to jump-start the economy and to help these workers, promising to give tax breaks for those earning less than $250,000, give tax credits for businesses hiring American workers, and to freeze foreclosures for 90 days. Emphasizing his allegiance to taxpayers, he called the $700 billion bailout Congress passed weeks ago a “step in the right direction” but promised that “you, the taxpayers, are paid back first” and that the government still needs a “rescue plan for the middle class.”
“Nothing is ever done to solve” the problems America has been talking about for “decades,” Sen. Obama said. He said now is the time to “stop talking about” energy independence, among other solutions for America and instead to “finally do something about it.”
By tying energy policy directly to economic success, Sen. Obama assured that he would invest $15 billion in energy efficiency and renewable energies and also said he would tap natural gas reserves and push for clean coal and fuel-efficient automobile technologies. He also cited the McKinstry Company in Seattle, which was building “energy efficient schools and office buildings,” as a “model for the nation.”
The infomercial also featured notable Obama supporters, including Governors Ted Strickland of Ohio, Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Bill Richardson of New Mexico, and Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, who lauded Sen. Obama’s “once-in-a-generation type of leadership.” Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, and Sen. Obama’s running mate Delaware Senator Joe Biden also spoke highly of Sen. Obama in the broadcast.
While pushing the idea that government could do much more to solve America’s problems, Sen. Obama pointed out that “government can’t do it all” on much of the issues facing America’s future. “Decisions by the president can have a profound effect on the course of history and on American lives,” he said, but he also pointed out that citizens weren’t looking for a “handout” and for “government to solve all their problems.” He called on Americans to do their part in energy conservation and being responsible to their family, stating on the matter of education that “responsibility for our children’s success doesn’t start in Washington, it starts in our home.”
Sen. Obama ended his broadcast with humility, stressing that he is not “perfect” and he will not be a “perfect president,” but promised, “I will always tell you what I think and where I stand.”
“I will always be honest to you about the challenges we face,” he said. “I will listen to you when we disagree, and most importantly, I will open the doors of government and ask you to be involved in your own democracy again.”
