New GPS Ad Challenges Obama at His Own Game

Crossroads GPS has released a new ad today, titled “Basketball.” It takes a soft but effective shot at the Obama economy.

GPS is supporting the ad with a $10 million buy in swing states, so this ad will get a lot of air time. While the closing call to “tell Obama to support the New American Majority agenda” strikes me as a weak note, the rest is quite good.

The woman in the center of the ad is the woman whom the Obama campaign wanted to reach with its “Life of Julia” cartoon. “The Life of Julia” promised essentially a spouse state for American women. The reality is that the very economic program that Obama has implemented has harmed millions of Julia’s and their coming-of-age kids. And they know it. The woman in the ad gives them reasons to reconsider their past support for Obama and try a different path with a clear conscience.

The ad is also negative without being personal or off-putting. Obama is even complemented for his soaring speaking ability, while his policies get blamed for the country’s woes. That tack works quite well, if you put yourself in the mind of a swing voter who wanted to believe that Obama is who he said he was four years ago. He said nice things and sounded like he meant them back then. But we see what four years of him have done to the country.