MoveOn spending $1.9 million on anti-Bush ads
 

Dec. 3, 2003 | WASHINGTON (AP) --

Talk about a slew of early issue advertising.

An online liberal group is spending a hefty $1.9 million on a two-week television commercial blitz to blast President Bush's Iraq policies in five states that will be battlegrounds in next year's presidential race.

MoveOn.org will begin broadcasting the 30-second ad Thursday in major media markets in Florida, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio and West Virginia. The TV industry estimates that average viewers will see the ad about 10 times over the course of its run.

Typically, interest groups air such high volumes of issue ads in the months leading up to an election. MoveOn is starting its ad campaign much earlier to engage people now, its founder said.

??There's learning that has to be done early," said Wes Boyd, founder of MoveOn, which has 1.7 million members. ??There's momentum that has to be built. That's not something you do by hoarding funds in a war chest and dropping it on advertising in October."

In the ad, an announcer suggests that Bush misled the country and describes ways the $87 billion Bush wanted for Iraq and Afghanistan could be spent domestically.

??We could have built 10,000 new schools. Or hired almost 2 million new teachers. We could have rebuilt our electric grid. We could have insured more of our children," the announcer says. Images of children, teachers and a woman reading by a flickering light illustrate the point. ??If there's money for Iraq, why isn't there money for America?" the announcer asks.

The ad aired briefly in New York and Washington in October as Congress debated the supplemental spending bill.

Analysts who monitor political advertisements expect MoveOn.org to spend more than most issue groups on ads during the presidential campaign.

The Washington-based group, formed in the late 1990s to oppose the impeachment of President Clinton, has more than $6 million in its ad fund so far to air commercials in battleground states about Bush's policies.

Very cool stuff, good to see that FreeSpeach is still alive and kicking.. But something tells me you aren't going to see these Ads on Fox or CNN :)

Unfortunately, we won't see these nationally even though that would be great. With this next presidential election being so close and the country so evenly split, someone needs to start rallying the Democratic base now. I'd like to see the Dem pack whittled down to no more than 3 by early next year. Most of them have no chance at winning the nomination, they know it yet they take money from Dem donors that could go towards a candidate who might actually have a shot. Spoilers, they are.

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."
President Dwight D. Eisenhower
April 16, 1953
http://www.costofwar.com/