The super PAC supporting a possible third presidential run by Vice President Joe Biden has launched television ad with a simple message: “Run, Joe.”
The ad is called “Joe Biden: ‘My Redemption’ ” and used audio from the Yale commencement speech Biden gave in May. Biden reflected on the 1972 car crash that killed his wife and daughter and how it shaped his political and personal life.
The ad, which is almost 2 minutes long, first aired on Wednesday morning during NBC’s “Today” show, according to the New York Times, and will also be shown on CNN in the hours before the first Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday. (Debate criteria would allow Biden to participate if he makes his public declaration by the morning of the debate.)
The initial buy was for $250,000, the Times reported.
The ad’s creator Mark Putnam has not spoken to Biden, but told the Times that the crash was “a hinge point” for Biden. “That’s when he gained so much empathy for what other people are going through, for their own tragedies,” Putnam said.
Here’s the ad:
Nothing against Joe Biden in particular, because they all do it (“Look at that face” ad by Carly), but I detest that modern political campaign ads are aimed at the emotions rather than the intellect. The enhanced voice, the tug-at-heartstrings speech, the mood-inducing music in the background, the photos, all they tell me is that Joe Biden is first and foremost a family man. That doesn’t convince me to support him. I strongly suspect that with or without the tragedy, Biden would have eventually become VP anyway, based on his political acumen.
I for one hopes that Joe doesn’t run, but damnit if that ad doesn’t have me misty over here.
Hate to say this, but why do supporters of VP Biden keep using his family tragedies to promote VP Biden? Every time there is a family tragedy this means that VP Biden should use politics to get over it? The sympathy thing is starting to get old, at least to me. VP Biden has reasons to run, but the death of his son urging him to run is not one of them. VP Biden has many other reasons to run for POTUS, and an ad to showcase that would have been much better than using his personal tragedy to urge him to run for POTUS. Just my opinion.
The speech he gave here was before Beau died. But you’re right that supporters shouldn’t constantly lead with his tragedies. It shapes who he is, sure, but there are a lot of other traits to highlight.
Yeah, I have to avoid it sometimes so I don’t get all misty too. I love me some Joe.