RNC "Wolves" ad: "Powerful"??? Please weigh in.

[chimpymustgo]

Just heard Judy tell us that Howie Kurtz is going to discus the ad later on Inside Politics - and it's "powerful" images.

I have seen the ad several times today, and it just doesn't touch me. At all. Maybe because I'm not the kind of person the ad is supposedly targeting.

Am I missing something? What's your reaction?

[irancontra]

1. trust your gut... not Judy WoofBitch

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

2. maybe to the rethugs it is

but to me it smells of desperation and makes bush look weak

[trotsky]

3. I haven't seen it yet - can you give a description?

Thanks.

[chimpymustgo]

8. It starts in a dark forest, with shafts of light.

Voice over says, in these troubled times, when people are out to harm you, you have to protect yourself. If they see you as weak, they'll attack, but not if they see you as strong.

The picture shows one wolf, then a few more wolves, then a pack of wolves rising after lying down.

It just didn't do anything for me.

[janx]

24. I LIKE wolves. So it probably wouldn't do much for me either--

at least not in the way intended.

[southpaw]

4. Not that powerful to me...

I don't get all the hype.

[Crunchy Frog]

64. Hey, nice frog avatar! eom.

[AIJ Alom]

5. No duh Judy. A Bush advisor. How friggin lame.

[prodigal_green]

6. My reaction

posted a thread earlier, but in addition to thinking that the wolves were really quite beautiful (might have wanted to go for mangy dump dogs instead), I just thought, "oh, so that's why he wants to cut down all the forests, so we can see the wolves..."

Puhleeze, if they are saying there is an internal threat, then they are just calling attention to their failure.

[petersjo]

7. Josh Marshall comments about it

He wasn't impressed. Thought the forest imagery wasn't "scary" and that the wolves didn't look scary either. Says his 7 lb dog could handle them.

[chimpymustgo]

11. That's it. It wasn't SCARY.

The animals are beautiful, the forest is beautiful.

Okay. It's not just me.

[Lorien]

47. Wolves are timid animals. A guy at our dog park has one

as a pet. The little Jack Russels are more aggressive than the beautiful Nakoma (the pet Timber wolf). She looks no different than the wolves in that ad, and she's a sweet, loyal, and well behaved companion. People are more savvy about wildlife these days. I think the ad will just be seen as a desperate bid to scare people into the voting booth for *. It could very well backfire.

[SW FL Dem]

9. I think it's dumb

Best line I've heard today was that the Pugs are "crying wolf".

[ChipTheShrub]

38. I have a pug!

Please don't compare my beloved to *!

[NewYorkerfromMass]

10. Wow. I love how they're talking about it so much

People's expectations will be so built-up that when they finally see it they'll be like.... "WHO GIVES A SHIT!"
Nothing like great expectations.

[ollie3]

15. We should make "crying wolf" a battle cry!

Then, every time people see this ad, they are reminded of "crying wolf"....Got to act fast tho!

[chimpymustgo]

20. Pass it on: CRYING WOLF!!

Someone posted a flyer with that theme.

[H2O Man]

37. you should send your idea

to the Kerry campaign! It's a great response, and hits very hard at the administration.

[blondeatlast]

54. PM bigpathpaul and/or Rosebud57. Both are very savvy

with Photoshop.

Might be BigPathPaul, not sure how he spells it.

[iwantmycountryback]

12. If they're pissed at those congressional liberals

They must be REALLY pissed at congressional conservatives like Porter Goss when he called for many many more intelligence cuts.

[democrat_patriot]

13. Watch the DNC ad: Repugs are Ostriches with heads in sand,

Democrats are the ever watchful Eagle. Shouldn't we be Eagles again?

[qanda]

14. I saw it and thought it was the dumbest ad ever!

I think an appropriate response would be to say that wolves hunt sheep and that's what Bush* thinks the American people are by trying to mislead them the way he has.

[madmax]

16. I don't know... maybe it's me

I didn't "get it." :shrug:

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

17. Bush to run ad about prowling pods of whales and other endangered species

Karen Hughes will have a major starring role in the whale ad.

[July]

36. That was mean! And FUNNY!

Sorry, I really hate her, too.

[Name removed]

53. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[blondeatlast]

55. Congratulations on remembering that it's "Democratic."

Adieu, mon soeur!

[blondeatlast]

57. ONE. JUST ONE. THAT'S IT???

RimJob's minions are really getting lame nowadays.

[Pig_Latin_Lover]

18. They NEED people to tell us how powerful the ad is?

If the ad was truly powerful, it would be able to stand on its own. Like the DNC ad with the ostrich.

[MileHiStealth]

19. Cut funding by 6 billion?

I guess the real question is did "John Kerry and
Liberals in Congress" really vote to cut funding
by 6 billion or did they just vote to raise funding
by 6 billion less than what was being asked for.
Repugs are constantly twisting the numbers to
suit their purposes ...

[demzilla]

21. Chimpy's ad department might as well have used kittens

The ad is not very good at all. They botched it like they have everything else in their administration. Pretty forest scenes. Wolves sitting around looking rather cute. Ad will not sway wolf hybrid or German shepherd owners.

Reagan's bear ad was skillfully done and the bear was the symbol of the USSR. Wolves are an endangered species that a lot of people regard with some respect and interest.

The voice-over actually takes away from the ad. Given the "cry wolf" and "fearmongering" opportunities this presents to our side, methinks this will actually backfire.

[aeschylus]

22. Powerful yes, but nicely neutralized!

I showed both ads to friends at work today. First I showed the wolf ad.
Silence. Then I showed the ostrich ad. Uproarious laughter!

I am extraordinarily impressed by the fighting spirit and quick response of our party.

Go Kerry/Edwards!

[Nederland]

23. Link?

Can you post the link? I'd love to see then both...

[aeschylus]

27. The ostrich ad is already up on the dnc website.

[txindy]

83. Links here:

http://www.democrats.org/index2.html

'Wolves' can be viewed at the official b/c website. There's a link here if, like me, you can't bear to type it in! ;) http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/extra/archives/001101.html

[chimpymustgo]

25. Has the DNC ad started airing?

I haven't seen it, and of course CNN et al, have not shown it, as far as I can tell.

[MallRat]

26. I've only seen the stills from the ad. Those are some handsome wolves.

Maybe if I was actually in that field with them, mano a mano, I'd be afraid.

But from the comfort of my own living room, they're not scary at all- they're actually quite majestic. Who hasn't seen wolves on PBS, Discovery Channel, movies, etc.?

Am I missing something? Maybe I need the audio to get the full effect.

:shrug:

-MR

[Bridget Burke]

28. I haven't seen the ad either, but wolves don't scare me....

If I were lost in the North Woods, perhaps. Even there, I'd be more worried about the grizzlies.

Wolves are noble animals. Of course, can we trust Canada?

[lukasahero]

29. I thought it was pretty

Made an excellent point about shrub trashing our wilderness... :)

[marlakay]

30. they say they tested it 9 months ago and was powerful

I think a lot of stuff has happened in those 9 months. More Bush lies have been exposed. Great speech from Kerry at convention, he won all 3 debates and one on war so the people seeing it now will view it differently. This will fall flat in their faces!

[swag]

32. Oh, sorry to step on your line with my post below

I'm with you on this entirely, obviously.

Great mind you got there, mar.

[Texas_Dem]

33. Good analysis. Knowing what we know now, it seems hollow.

[LSK]

49. of course they tested it to themselves and freepers probably

The same crowd that Bush speaks to on the campaign.

[swag]

31. The pukes said it tested strong "months ago"

That was before the debates, before Kerry showed the world (those who didn't already know) what a dumb, quivering wimp Bush is, before so many people (who didn't already know) discovered that the war in Iraq was a strange detour from hunting the real "wolves," before people woke up to the fact that Bush said he wasn't really worried about one of the top "wolves," etc.

Pukes tested this ad months ago. Like their administration, their campaign (one in the same?) is incapable of changing course once mistakes are made, indeed the campaign is incapable of admitting mistakes, just like the president is.

The ad is a terrible miscalculation and will be laughed at, as it so richly deserves.

[marlakay]

34. smart minds think alike!

I can tell they are desparate and trying anything. Actually I am very surprised and pleased that Rove is being so quiet. I expected more evil from him but we still have what 11 days now? And Bush taking the weekend off to go to his ranch? Something is either up or he is falling more apart than we all think.

[NewJeffCT]

35. So, if wolves strike when America shows weakness...

Who was president when 9/11 happened?

Who was president when members of the media & Senate got anthrax letters?

Who was president when the DC sniper terrorized DC, Maryland and Virginia?

Who was president during 2003, which his own State Dept said was the worst year for terrorism ever?

[Chiyo-chichi]

41. and who ignored the anti-terrorism plan that Bill Clinton put together

and handed him?

Who ignored Richard Clarke?

Who ignored the August 6, 2001 PDB?

[LSK]

50. August 6 memo....

[Redleg]

39. It's powerfully misleading.

Tries to make people think Dems wanted to cut intel budget after 9-11. It's typical Rovian bullshit designed to appeal to the uninformed out there.

[DesEtoiles]

40. respond with "Crying Wolf" flyer - NEW TODAY - www.bigpath.net

www.bigpath.net

[hiphopnation]

42. great site

I hadn't seen that. Thanks. :thumbsup:

[stray cat]

43. The puppies are coming, the puppies are coming!

Or Kerry could just pull out a gun and shoot the wolf.

[Bullshot]

44. A guy at work was raving about it.

But then again, he's so Republican, if they had a Bush ad showing Dick Cheney fornicating, he'd call it a powerful ad.

[The Wielding Truth]

77. That would be powerful. Oh,my.

[jacksonian]

45. my impression: October surprise setup

get us to say "crying wolf" before something real happens. Timing would be perfect, having us say "cry wolf" all weekend before the serious shit starts.

I know, but otherwise the comeback is just too obvious.

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

61. You have a good point

That sounds sneaky enough to come out of the evil mind of Rove. A trap to set right before a staged terror event. (And we already know they have no qualms about sacrificing a few American lives to ensure the reselection of *).

[LibInternationalist]

66. wouldn't this backfire?

because, at that point, their own ad will have called them weak

[Lilli]

46. If you turn off the sound

its beautiful.

With the sound...Scary? Nope. Lame? Yep.

[Terran]

48. Just watched it

The voice is a bit spooky, but the wolves really aren't scary at all, if that was the intention. When they get up at the end, they look like a bunch of friendly dogs, not ravening predators. I guess people will see what they want to see, but I really did not think it was effective.

[Bluebear]

51. Powerfully ridiculous.

German shepherds set to ATTACK!

[Thrill]

52. This ad is meant for the people

who are easily scared. It won't touch people who don't scare easily.

[molly]

56. LMAO - this is indicative of their desperation.

[Touchdown]

58. Any GenXers remember a-ha?

They had a rather insipid synth-pop dance song in the 80s.

"Cry Wolf. Whooohoooo
Time to worry.
Cry wolf, Whooohooo
Time to worry now.

Ooooooh, sunken in eyes,
and the pain in his cry,
shape of the night. NOW CRY!
Cry wolf. Whooohooo...continues ad nauseum."

It intantly popped in my head the only time I saw this laughingstock of an "ad".

At least I could dance to the song.:eyes:

[PerfectSage]

59. Dubya's Wolf ad reaction:

"Uh, gosh, I don't think I ever said the wolves ad was emotionally powerful, that's kinda one of those uh, eggs-aggerayshuns."

My reaction: That's supposed to be scary? LOL

B/C No Mo’ Years :party::toast:

[slackmaster]

60. It's a weak imitation of Reagan's "bear" ad

I remember the first time I saw that one. It was in a bar, and I couldn't hear the sound. I was waiting for the bear to take a dump.

:dunce:

[Crunchy Frog]

62. I just watched it, and found it powerful in a different

sort of way.

What I saw was images of beautiful pristine wilderness, and of noble wild animals, all of whom are endangered by Bush's disastrous environmental policies.

In fact, I think that Kerry could take the exact same footage and use it as an attack on Bush concerning environmental issues.

I have always had a soft spot for wolves myself, having read Never Cry Wolf at an early age, and I kind of have the feeling that wolves are not the menacing archetype in our own culture that they are in many others.

In the end, I think the ad will either look just plain silly, or serve to inadvertantly remind voters of Bush's anti environmental policies.

[Philostopher]

68. Now that would be funny!

If they took the same footage and put a different soundtrack over it, I mean. Where's Symbolman -- he could do that! Stuff about them allowing roads to be built in national forests ... selling off public lands to their forestry buddies ... yeah, that's pretty good.

[Crunchy Frog]

73. They could add voiceovers by Farley Mowat

talking about what wolves are actually like and how misunderstood they are, and their endangered status. End up making them look about as threatening as koalas.

[Philostopher]

79. Heck, coyotes are more aggressive than wolves, from what I understand.

And even they won't generally approach a human. It sounds like this ad was a lose-lose situation for them, especially after the debates. It's one thing when only true believers have seen 'your guy' -- it's entirely another when sixty million members of the U.S. public saw him drool on himself, and now you're trying to compare him to a wolf.

They should have used wasps. It would have appealed to their base, and wasps actually are aggressive toward humans. Or squirrels -- they can be pretty aggressive if you're a kid eating a peanut-butter sandwich, or so I hear.

[omnithrope]

63. It's just comical.

nt

[okasha]

67. Beatiful forest,

beautiful wolves. I've seen my Sammy look more menacing. (And looking menacing just doesn't come easily to a Samoyed.)

Okasha

[Robbie67]

65. no, it's not that powerful

It will work on people stupid enough to believe it, though.

[sofa king]

69. The bear done already shat in those woods.

[npincus]

70. the Crossfire audience LAUGHED when the ad was shown

it reminded me of that BOMB, "The Haunting" that was the most over-done ghost story of all time... parts that were supposed to be scarey were FUNNY, and the theatre filled with laughter.

This is so blatant, and over-the-top it may backfire. I would love the Dems to do a parody... use the original ad but paste Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Condi, Ashcroft, and WOLFowitz heads on the animals.

[The Wielding Truth]

76. Perfect. lol

[JPJones]

71. Doggies! Look at the cute doggies! n/t

[SoCalDemocrat]

72. Email them and tell them what you really think

Tell them the ad is weak and off message and you think they wasted a lot of money for nothing.

[Crunchy Frog]

75. No, don't let them know.

Let them go on thinking the ads are effective and waste money, time and resources running them.

[DrBB]

74. "Scary puppies" Ad: Bush = boy who cried "wolf"

Seems to me the thing is chock FULL of opportunities for Dems.

Response to the showing on Crossfire? LAUGHTER.

Cute puppies at the end. Well, doggies anyway. Look like they're running to trainer for their treat, which is exactly what they're doing. Nice forest followed by nice doggies. If you watch it with the sound off, it looks like an ad for a nature special.

And of course the overwhelmingly idiotic trap for them to have stepped in with this ad:

Bush cries wolf!

What's not to like?

[texasmom]

78. Can you imagine Judy

saying there were powerful images in a Kerry ad?

She's laughable....as is the ad.

[sendero]

80. It probably is powerful.....

.... but only for the wrong people.

Republicans who are afraid of their own shadow, who were so scared of Saddam they were willing to kill 15,000 Iraqis and 1,100 of our men to get him, these sorts of giant quivering pussies probably find it powerful.

It just sounds like the boy who cried wolf to me. The boy who was playing the day terrorists actually attacked, and who has since predicted 10 of the zero subsequent attacks.

Folks, this game is over. Unless Kerry makes a huge mis-step, which I consider highly unlikely, he is going to win this race. And there is nothing more amusingly pathetic that to watch the Bush* campaign in their panic mode. It's entertainment at its finest, and its free!

[txindy]

81. When I first heard it described, I thought it sounded as it might

be somewhat effective. I even posted on it earlier. But, since then, though, I've actually seen it and.....

It is so LAME!!!!!! The so-called big, scary wolves look like fluffy dogs! Some are lying down in the grass, basking in the sun in the meadow!! That is the STUPIDEST, WEAKEST attempt at scare-tactics I've ever witnessed!! ROFL!!!!!!!!

Edited to add: The wolves are beautiful, not scary.

[carpetbagger]

82. Boy will they whore when Bush goes to Kabul.

It's good I'm getting out of TV range for the weekend.

[rullery]

84. "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"

Remember that old tune, from a Disney film I think. Maybe Kerry or the DNC could do a rebuttal ad along with this tune. But isn't it telling, that the Bush folks are reduced to running ads that say in essence, "Be afwaid! Be vewy, vewy afwaid!" (Dick Cheney as Elmer Fudd).

[hansolsen]

85. Not scary at all. And I know the lead wolf. See below.

I live in NE Minnesota where we have about 2500 wolves in the local forests. Wolves never attack people, and the Bush ad plays into an old stereotype that "real" environmentalists are trying to overturn. Wolves are protected and, in fact, are great neighbors.

Furthermore, the wolves shot in the ad are not wild, adult wolves. They are quite obviously adolescent pups just reaching maturity, and were probably shot in captivity somewhere. In fact, I believe I recognize one of the wolves, the black one in the early scenes -- is a dead ringer for one at our local "wolf Center", safely behind a fence. so called "nature photographers" are forever showing up to take pictures of the tame wolf pack. Viewers beware.

In fact this ad reminds me of what Bush did with Saddam Hussein -- paint him as a big bad wolf, dripping venom and blood. It turned out Saddam was no threat to America. The wolf ad is bogus and so is George Bush.