By Mike Dorning
NORFOLK, Va.--At the culmination of a campaign that styles itself a popular movement but which often has been caricatured by opponents as a cult of celebrity, Barack Obama will share the costly 30 minutes of network prime time he has purchased for tonight with a few everyday Americans.
A handful of ordinary Americans speaking about their individual families' struggles will be a highlight of the half-hour closing argument Obama will make to a national television audience, a senior campaign strategist said.
The star turn for a few individual Obama supporters reflects a long-standing tactic of the campaign, which regularly tries to deliver its message by focusing attention on the stories of individual supporters.
At rallies, Obama often eschews the tradition of an introduction by a prominent local politician in favor a warm-up from unknown supporter who is encouraged to recount details of their lives and what led them to support Obama. Likewise, the campaign's web coverage of events often devotes as much time to commentary from supporters in the audience as it does to the candidate.
The infomercial will rely heavily on documentary-style of tape of Obama and the campaign, an Obama aide said. But Obama also will speak directly to the nation, live from a rally in Sunrise, Fla.
The 30-minute message will air at 8 pm EDT, 7 Central, on three of the four major broadcast networks: CBS, NBC and FOX, but not ABC. The commercial also will air on the cable news channel MSNBC, the Spanish-language channel Univision and two African-American-oriented networks: BET and TV One.
Comments
Hmmm...Decisions, decisions...What do I watch tonight...Ugly Betty or Obama
Posted by: lochnessmonster | October 29, 2008 7:36 AM
Senator Obama started his campaign and maintained his campaign, on the high road of politicking. Now, his last statement to the nation, prior to our voting for him, will not be made of sound bytes and the character-assassinations of Senator McCain or Governor Palin, that is their specialty !! He will inform our nation, again, of his hopes and ambitions for our good country. He will make that appeal to our entire nation, that we must unite, in order to survive and to prosper. We must agree that money shouldn't be the primary reason for our loving America. That it is her promise of our freedoms that we must embrace, not our wallets or our selfish desire to prevent our government from helping those who need help, to those who need an education, to those who need a good, honest, respectable job. I hope those are some of the topics he addresses. I also hope, he finally points out that the phony charges, by Senator McCain and Governor Palin, that they are attacking the wrong person, when it comes to redistributing America's wealth !! It wasn't Senator Obama who, upon his first months in Office, as President, George Bush gave BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of our taxpayer dollars to the rich !! Who picked up the slack, in our tax revenues, the average taxpayer, just as we are now doing in the Banking Scandal of 2008 !! Those are a few topics I hope Senator Obama covers, because I know Senator McCain, nor Governor Palin, will not address them, other than to smear Senator Obama !! Don't you think America is tired of the Bush-McCain Republican assault on our electoral process ?? I now a majority of Americans are !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, Chicago | October 29, 2008 8:56 AM
Watch obama and get another dose of SOCIALISM-
Posted by: George | October 29, 2008 9:36 AM
George...Your posts regularly include charges of socialism. I don't think you understand what socialism is.
Posted by: GK | October 29, 2008 10:24 AM
As a proud African American, I am watching very closely to see if America has grown up. It will be nearly impossible to find another AMERICAN, let alone African American with credentials and intangibles as good as Barack Obama. He is the Cassious Clay (Muhamad Ali) of his time. I am watching to see if America rejects him like the Pharisees did Christ 2000 years ago. I am watching to see if America is a country still ruled by Republican FEAR and personal GREED. Its INCONCEIVABLE to imagine someone voting for any ticket that included Sarah Palin. She can't even get through an interview and has been reduced to essentially a cheerleader at clan rallies. A hockeymom in very very expensive lipstick, stirring up racial strife. America has currently the WORST President to ever hold the title. The country is in financial dire. In debt to China, and the media is telling me that Barack is in a virtual tie. I am insulted at the notion. And I am watching America. I am watching.
Posted by: SouthSideChicago | October 29, 2008 11:05 AM
I hope Obama is humble in tonight's infomercial. It would be good, too, if he talks about national unity during hard times, and the fact that for the past eight years, Bush has been doing his own reverse income redistribution. (What's the reverse of socialism--when a president's new policies put an inordinate amount of money into the hands of so few?)
Posted by: Vivian | October 29, 2008 11:39 AM
Obama and his supporters are hypocrites. Obama is buying votes instead of earning them. A year ago he promised to use public financing but turned his back on it. He has racked in $600 MILLION. A mere $100 million less than the TARP. He has spent more on this election than any candidate one in history.
Just last week his supporters were all over Palin about the $150,000.00 wardrobe. Making statements such as the money could have been spent helping someone who is in foreclosure. Believe me, more than $150,000 is being spent on EACH broadcast.
Obama supporters look at this as payback for the 2000 election they believe was 'stolen' from them. I guess the Democratic position is it's ok to buy an election instead.
Posted by: Sue | October 29, 2008 12:22 PM
Ref-
Hmmm...Decisions, decisions...What do I watch tonight...Ugly Betty or Obama
Posted by: lochnessmonster | October 29, 2008 7:36 AM
Ugly Betty will be much easier to understand-
Posted by: George | October 29, 2008 12:26 PM
Obama supporters look at this as payback for the 2000 election they believe was 'stolen' from them. I guess the Democratic position is it's ok to buy an election instead.
Posted by: Sue | October 29, 2008 12:22 PM
Don't stop there Sue....it's also for impeaching a well liked president for BS reasons. It's for Terry Shiavo. It's for 8 years of divisivness and calling Americans traitors. It's for running our economy into the ground. It's for turning our world appeal into garbage. It's for Abramoff. It's for cheney outing a CIA operative. It's for letting the hypocritical religious right attack America. It's for replacing the Justice Dept. with graduates of a religious college. I could go on....but I need to go give another $100 to Obamas campaign just thinking about all of this again.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | October 29, 2008 1:06 PM
Ref-
Hmmm...Decisions, decisions...What do I watch tonight...Ugly Betty or Obama
Posted by: lochnessmonster | October 29, 2008 7:36 AM
Ugly Betty will be much easier to understand-
Posted by: George | October 29, 2008 12:26 PM
But which one will affect your pocketbook more in the next 4 years?
Posted by: BC | October 29, 2008 1:15 PM
My choices, in descending order...
1) Obama
2) Ugly Betty
3) Ugly John
Posted by: tried and true American | October 29, 2008 6:36 PM
hey southsidechicago, obama's just as much white as he is black. as a white american, i am hoping people will see obama as a candidate and not his race.
Posted by: Ben Trind | October 29, 2008 9:27 PM