Team Obama unveiled two television ads Wednesday — one aimed at getting supporters to the polls and the other to convince voters that Obama deserves another four years in office. In the final stretch of the presidential race, the ads showcase past fumbles and achievements to make the case for Obama's reelection.
One ad, titled "He’s Got it Right," features former President Clinton using his own experience to validate Obama's agenda. Clinton has become a powerful surrogate for the president, trashing GOP opponent Mitt Romney's economic policies and explaining Obama's proposals on the campaign trail.
"The stuff some folks are saying about President Obama sounds kinda familiar. The same people said my ideas would destroy jobs and they called me every name in the book. Well, we created twenty-two million new jobs and turned deficits into surpluses.
"President Obama’s got it right, " he continues. "We should invest in the middle class, education and innovation. And pay down our debt with spending restraint and asking the wealthy to pay a little more. Sound familiar?" says Clinton in the video.
The Clinton commercial will air in the battleground states of Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Ohio and Virginia. The second ad, titled "537," is set to be broadcast in New Hampshire and Wisconsin, in addition to the other six states.
"537" is the number of votes that "changed the course of American History," says the ad, which highlights the 2000 election and Florida vote count.
The 30-second spot aims to convey a sense of urgency in order to rally supporters. The Obama campaign has been touting its grassroots efforts and its push to get early votes.
537 votes is "the difference between what was and what could have been. So this year, if you’re thinking that your vote doesn’t count, that it won’t matter, well, back then, there were probably at least 537 people who felt the same way. Make your voice heard. Vote," says the narrator in the ad.
The commercials were released along with a new series of blog posts written by the Obama campaign's national field director, Jeremy Bird, that will provide campaign updates during the last days of the presidential contest.
"Overall, we’re winning early vote in the battleground states that will decide this election — a key part of our plan to get to 270 electoral votes. We’re outperforming our early vote margins in key states compared to 2008, and we’re ahead of where we were against John McCain — and most importantly, ahead of Mitt Romney.
You can’t fake a real ground game, and you can’t underestimate early vote. When more people get to vote, it’s a good thing," said Bird in the first blog post.
However, the Republican National Committee (RNC) released a memo Wednesday claiming that it has the "critical edge" in absentee and early voting.
"With less than two weeks until Election Day, the unprecedented GOP ground game is producing dramatic results in absentee balloting and early voting (AB/EV) that will give us a critical edge. We will continue to build on this momentum in the next thirteen days, meaning it will be increasingly difficult for Democrats to cobble together the necessary votes," said RNC political director Rick Wiley in the memo.
