September 25, 2007

Reed vs. Romney: The Pun-less Ad War

Sick of the controversy over MoveOn.org's "General Betray Us" ad? (And no, it hasn't died yet). For a distraction, check out the new ad war between the Mitt Romney campaign and Slate's Bruce Reed.

Reed, a former Clinton administration adviser and head of the Democratic Leadership Council, is miffed that "Team Mitt" has rebuffed his entry into the campaign's Create Your Own Ad! contest. In August, the Boston Globe characterized the contest as "the latest example of how the 2008 presidential candidates are using the Internet to engage supporters in unprecedented ways." But it looks like it's also turning out to be the latest example of campaigns not recognizing how little control they have over their own Web efforts.

By Reed's account, his entry into the race, a video called "Way!" that pokes fun at Romney's vision of "family values," is the most beloved according to viewers, who are supposed to be determining the outcome of the contest. But when the finalists were announced, "Way!" was nowhere to be found, prompting Reed to cry foul: "Our fearless leader promised us online democracy, not a Soviet-style election run by totalitarian Mittistas."

"Way!" isn't the only entry from Slate, which seems to have it in for Romney. A longer, better-produced parody from the online magazine is available here. Meanwhile, there's still time to weigh in on the real finalists here. The winner will have his or her entry aired on TV as part of Romney's prolific ad campaign.

Posted at 3:10 PM
Posted to: Campaigns, Mitt Romney, Republicans, WH 2008
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