Not On Our Side

By Laurie Spivak, AlterNet. Posted September 20, 2004.

"What if the same men who profited from the war had to fight it?" That's the question viewers are asked to imagine as a pudgy corporate executive parachutes from a jet into Iraq, hiding behind his briefcase in the middle of the war zone. A voiceover by Kevin Bacon informs viewers, "Since declaring war in Iraq, companies with close ties to the Bush government have made billions. They're getting rich, our soldiers are putting their lives on the line."

The edgy animated ad, "Who Profits," directed by Wildbrain Animation, appeared on week 8 of MoveOn PAC's 10 Weeks: Don't Get Mad Get Even campaign.

While the GOP is digging deep into its trusty, old bag of dirty tricks this year, progressive organizations are tapping into the artistic community to chart new territory. The ten-week countdown to the election, which started at the end of August, offers a new 30-second ad each week, giving creative license to well-known filmmakers, writers, actors, comedians and artists. The challenge: to reinvent the political commercial.

"There needed to be something fresh in the political ad world," said director and screenwriter Clay Tarver, who along with Jesse Peretz directed a series of "Jimmy the Cab Driver" spots for the MoveOn PAC campaign. The ads, featuring actor Donal Logue as Jimmy, are being unveiled each week alongside the ten 30-second spots in the countdown. "We were very careful about not making them preachy," Tarver said. "There's an art to making a 30-second ad that says something. To be effective, you have to be smart about your comedy."

One of the sharp-witted spots has Jimmy, best known for his musings on pop culture on MTV, saying to his captive taxi passenger, "Hey. September 11. You know, 15 of these characters are from Saudi Arabia. You know, Saudi Arabia. You know a lot of people are saying 'Hey look, al Qaeda, they're in Indonesia. They're in Pakistan. They're in Yemen.' And George Bush is like, 'That's exactly what the enemy is expecting us to do. We're going to Iraq!' You know, they're using their noodle. I would never have anticipated that."

As with other 10 Weeks participants, Tarver and his crew volunteered their time. "I think it was pretty easy for Jesse to crew this project up," says Tarver. "Everyone was willing to volunteer; people are really motivated this year. The choice seems like, for anyone who has access to any of these [media] portals, do you just take what Karl Rove has to say, or do you do something about it?"

Among those in the creative community who like Tarver, Peretz and Logue enthusiastically joined the MoveOn campaign were Matt Damon, Scarlett Johanssen, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Romijn, Margaret Cho, Woody Harelson, Illeana Douglas and Ione Skye. Directors included Rob Reiner, Benny Boom, John Sayles, Allison Anders, Doug Limon and Richard Linklater. Effectively using their wits and their wit for political advocacy, they wrote, directed, acted in, or did voiceovers for the 10 Weeks spots.

The commercials run the gamut: some speak to issues while others appeal to principles; some use humor and irony to get their message across while others play it straight; some highlight everyday folks while others feature well-known celebrities. The topics range from the war in Iraq to tax cuts to the environment to voter registration. Most of the ads end with the simple message: "George Bush. He's not on our side."

"We chose that tagline because this administration is not on the side of the American people," explained Laura Dawn, MoveOn's Event and Cultural Director. "The idea behind the campaign was that creative commercials could cut through the bad information that people were getting."

The 10 Weeks campaign was announced at the Sundance Film Festival after MoveOn's Voter Fund screened the winning ads from its Bush in 30 Seconds contest. This initial competition, held last fall, invited the general public to develop 30-second spots on President Bush's policies, with the MoveOn Voter Fund airing the best ad on national television to coincide with the President's State of the Union Address. The winner of the nationwide search was Charlie Fisher, an advertising executive from Denver, whose memorable and emotive commercial "Child's Pay" taps into American values by questioning the legacy of debt that we are leaving our children.

Laurie Spivak is a fellow with the Commonweal Institute.

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