Democrats and Republicans ape Apple and Google in dueling Web spots

Democrats and Republicans have tapped into the Google-Apple fight to debate whether the $787B stimulus is a success or flop.

The parties released Web ads on Wednesday parodying commercials that have become staples of the two competing tech giants' marketing.

Apple and Google have warred aggressively for months over the smartphone market, touting the iPhone and Android, respectively.

Meanwhile, the political parties are fighting for their share of the electorate, as the 2010 midterms heat up.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) launched its attack Wednesday morning with an ad called "Boondoggle." The name is a play on the ad Google ran during the Super Bowl to promote its "Suggest" technology.

Off screen, a Republican begins by Googling — that is, Boondoggling — "Valentine's Day ideas for an unpopular Democrat," but instead comes up with links that criticize vulnerable Senate Democrats and depict the stimulus package as a waste.

But Democrats on the House Education and Labor Committee also released an ad on Wednesday, and it is a counterpoint of sorts to the GOP's Boondoggle spot.

It's called "There's an act for that," which plays on iPhone's marketing line, "There's an app for that."

The 30-second spot emphasizes the education reforms that were part of the federal stimulus Democrats passed last year.

"Yup, there's an act for cleaning up the last eight years," the advertisement's narrator concludes, and the words are followed by a photo of the Recovery Act's signature logo.

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