Recycling

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is apparently showing his commitment to recycling by re-airing his 2010 "Vote For Me Because I Got Beat Up At the State Fair" ads in the 2012 recall election.  That got me to thinking about some other political ads of the past--and who would be able to run them again.

Lyndon Johnson's 1964 "Daisy Ad" (Nuclear Blast)--This ad was actually shown just once on TV before everyone got up in arms about the "negative message" (ah, the good old days)--but it was so effective that it made Barry Goldwater look like a nuclear-crazed madman and sank his campaign.  I think Mitt Romney could run this one--but instead of a girl with a flower you could show Kim Jong Un of North Korea or Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran firing pushing the button on their nuclear weapons.  Or better yet, run that clip of President Obama telling Russian President Medvedev that he will have "more flexability" to scrap missile defense after this election.

Ronald Reagan's 1984 "It's Morning Again In America"--Let's just take a minute to think back to the optimism of 1984.  Taxes were coming down, people were going back to work in US factories to build things for Americans to buy in stores other than Walmart and the federal deficit was only about 45% of gross domestic product.  NOBODY in this year's Presidential race is allowed to run anything remotely close to the message of this ad because we sure as hell aren't at morning in America.  More like total eclipse.

George HW Bush's 1988 "Willie Horton Ad"--This could have been a possibility for President Obama, but as Massacussetts Governor, Mitt Romney was smart enough to not furlough any convicted killers.

George W Bush's 2004 "John Kerrey's Flip-Flop (I voted for the bill before I voted against it)"--I can flat out guarantee we will see this ad in a new form this year.  President Obama should make hay til the sun sets and the cows come home with Mitt Romney's own budget-busting state-run health care plan that is the basis for Obamacare.

Barack Obama's 2008 "Hope and Change"--Both candidates should be able to re-run this ad this year.  For President Obama empty talking points and lack of details on how to fix anything worked well with his supporters last time around--and since we're facing the same problems four years later--it should be just as effective this time as well.  And as for Mitt Romney, he can runs the ad saying "We can only HOPE that he will CHANGE into Paul Ryan if elected."