Whether or not the McCain campaign’s “Is He Ready to Lead” video will help or hurt his campaign is hard to say, but it is surely a hit. Uploaded yesterday, the video has garnered about 1.1 million views as of 10 p.m. Eastern time on 7/31.
Earlier today I asked Joan Walsh, media pundit and editor-in-chief of Salon.com about the ad. She told me:
“I think its basic premise is sleazy and unfair. Still, the
pop culture references are definitely getting the added attention. We
don’t know yet whether viewers will decide it’s a sleazy, unfair hit
piece, or a clever take on Obama’s meteoric rise.”
Last Tuesday at Stanford, I caught up with Joan for this interview
about the election and the campaigns’ use of online video. She said
that the McCain campaign had made significant improvements.
Joan was a participant in the Beet.TV online video roundtable.
— Andy Plesser, Executive Producer
Update: 8.1: Here’s an analysis of the McCain ad by Howie Kurtz of the Washington Post.
