BURNET, Texas (Feb. 1) – The Lee Wrights for President campaign has produced their first TV ad, a 30-second spot called “War Breeds War.” The campaign plans to offer a customizable version of this, and other spots they hope to produce, to Libertarian candidates, state Libertarian parties and local affiliates.
“We have also produced a generic version of this ad which we’ll offer to the Libertarian National Committee for placement in major mainstream media,” said Thomas Hill, Wrights 2012 campaign manager.
The campaign’s goal is to produce several spots and make each one available free of charge to candidates, as well as state and local organizations, to help them spread the libertarian message in the 2012 election cycle. Each spot will include a 10-second segment where local candidates and affiliates can include their own name and message. The commercials will focus on a single topic and emphasize a principled libertarian position, Hill said.
“Estimated production cost for each spot is about $1,000, so the more money we receive for this project the more commercials we can produce,” Hill explains. “So, if you want to help us spread the principled libertarian message of peace and prosperity in 2012, we welcome your donation.”
Candidates and local or state organizations interested in obtaining these spots should contact Thomas Hill at [email protected]. To make a contribution to support this project go to http://Wrights2012.com/donate.
“we can’t count on the audience to distinguish between what an alternative-party says it stands for and what it will actually do.”
How about:
“we can’t count on the audience to distinguish between their assholes and a hole in the ground.”
Assuming the audience is made up of rube voters, you can tell them just about anything. Just look at what they’ve been voting for. Tell ’em that all their dreams will come true if they vote Libertarian. Keep it simple.
There are no other parties who most viewers will have heard of that have a strong antiwar stand.
A strong antiwar stand?
Tell that to all of the LP candidates that run for Congress that are “true conservatives” and believe in a “strong national defense”.
Tell it to the LPHQ that decided it was best not to say much about the Iraq War until public opinion was against it and then advocated taking troops out of Iraq and redistributing them in other nations.
There’s far too many LP members that reject even a tepid antiwar stance in fear of alienating their Republican friends (who they feel would join the LP if only the LP would become the Republican Party). This bunch may be worse than the Netanyahu-Libertarians.
Compare and contrast
“we can’t count on the audience to distinguish between what an alternative-party says it stands for and what it will actually do.”
“I would hope that the Libertarian standard for accuracy would not depend on “what most viewers will have heard of”.”
I would hope that the Libertarian standard for accuracy would not depend on “what most viewers will have heard of”. The other parties in question will be next to the Libertarian choice on most ballots, whether voters have heard of them or not. Assuming most voters have never heard of the LP, we would still (rightly) complain about a party that made a misleading “only” claim that ignored us.
The portion where Wrights is talking could benefit from some better lighting and audio. If this ad was made for $1000, I would imagine that $3000 could produce a really great ad.
I very much appreciate that the campaign will make these available to other candidates. I hope they are able to produce a few more.
SUPERB FINALIZED PRESENTATION.
There are no other parties who most viewers will have heard of that have a strong antiwar stand.
TK@2, for a TV campaign commercial, we can’t count on the audience to distinguish between what an alternative-party says it stands for and what it will actually do. I worry that this commercial would be easily dismissed by an antiwar voter shopping for an alternative party to support. E.g. “How can I trust them to try to stop the wars, if I can’t even trust them to tell me who’s against the wars?”
Where Did the Anti-War Movement Go? :
http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/stossel/index.html#/v/4619917/where-did-the-anti-war-movement-go/?playlist_id=87530
The Cato Institute’s David Boaz argues that a draft would lead to a greater anti-war movement.
POWER KILLS – http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/20TH.HTM
According to professor R.J. Rummel of the University of Hawaii, tyrannical governments murdered at least 262 million (262,000,000) civilian men, women and children in the 20th Century. With the approximately 40 million murdered during war that brings the total government kill to over 300 million men, women and children in the 20th Century alone.
That is, governments murdered about six times as many of their own citizens as the approximately 40 million who died in war. This means that of the approximately 300 million men, women and children dead by the hand of government, about 86% were murdered by their own government.
Those 262 million dead citizens are a lot more civilians than the most ambitious non-government terrorist can ever hope to murder. And currently … in Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Somalia, etc. we are, unfortunately, still counting.
Thumbs up on this ad!
BH@1,
1) “Only Libertarians will stop war” and “The Libertarian Party is the only party using antiwar rhetoric” are two completely different claims.
2) World-wide battled deaths per 100,000 people is far from the only measure of the costs and problems of war.
Bravo to Wrights for producing campaign collateral that can be re-used by other Libertarian candidates in other races and even in other years. Every Libertarian campaign should try to move the ball forward, as Wrights is doing.
I have a minor quibble about the claim (guest-voiced by Mary Ruwart): “Only Libertarians will stop war.” In every recent presidential election cycle there have been at least 3 other candidates/parties whose rhetoric is as anti-war as this, and 2012 will continue the trend. There is a lot more competition for the anti-war vote than there is for the more-personal-and-economic-freedom vote.
And speaking of trends…
