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| Republican ad master's verdict: 2012 campaigns lack killer punch | Republican ad master's verdict: 2012 campaigns lack killer punch |
| (4 months later) | |
| To Democrats, Sig Rogich was one of the Republican dark lords who destroyed Michael Dukakis's 1988 presidential bid. | To Democrats, Sig Rogich was one of the Republican dark lords who destroyed Michael Dukakis's 1988 presidential bid. |
| The Icelandic American advertising guru helped craft commercials which defined the campaign and delivered a landslide to George Bush Sr. | The Icelandic American advertising guru helped craft commercials which defined the campaign and delivered a landslide to George Bush Sr. |
| He shot the famous ad in grainy black and white of criminals passing through a revolving prison door to expose Dukakis's supposed weakness on crime as governor of Massachusetts. | He shot the famous ad in grainy black and white of criminals passing through a revolving prison door to expose Dukakis's supposed weakness on crime as governor of Massachusetts. |
| Rogich also conceived the commercial which mocked Dukakis for riding a tank, trying to look tough, but resembling Snoopy in a helmet. | Rogich also conceived the commercial which mocked Dukakis for riding a tank, trying to look tough, but resembling Snoopy in a helmet. |
| Six elections later, Rogich, now a Republican media consultant and crisis manager in Las Vegas, has a crumb of comfort for Democrats: Mitt Romney's television campaign is just as uninspiring as Barack Obama's. | Six elections later, Rogich, now a Republican media consultant and crisis manager in Las Vegas, has a crumb of comfort for Democrats: Mitt Romney's television campaign is just as uninspiring as Barack Obama's. |
| "I'm not seeing anything from either side that creates an emotional outburst," he said in an interview. Official campaigns and Super Pacs are spending record sums to saturate swing state airwaves – but neither side packs a killer punch, he said. | "I'm not seeing anything from either side that creates an emotional outburst," he said in an interview. Official campaigns and Super Pacs are spending record sums to saturate swing state airwaves – but neither side packs a killer punch, he said. |
| "Dukakis in a tank is still remembered. It was iconic. But now there's nothing that tugs at the heart strings, nothing that makes you laugh." | "Dukakis in a tank is still remembered. It was iconic. But now there's nothing that tugs at the heart strings, nothing that makes you laugh." |
| Earlier this month the advertising count in Las Vegas, which is key to Nevada and its six electoral college votes, passed 73,000 so far this year, a national record. Including congressional commercials Nevada is up to an estimated 10,000 ads per week, with 98 different ads in rotation, the New York Times reported on Monday. | Earlier this month the advertising count in Las Vegas, which is key to Nevada and its six electoral college votes, passed 73,000 so far this year, a national record. Including congressional commercials Nevada is up to an estimated 10,000 ads per week, with 98 different ads in rotation, the New York Times reported on Monday. |
| All, said Rogich, to negligible effect. "It's so overdone. I don't think it's impacting. None are memorable." | All, said Rogich, to negligible effect. "It's so overdone. I don't think it's impacting. None are memorable." |
| That the Obama and Romney campaigns are waging all-out fundraising efforts for last-minute advertising blitzes suggests they believe otherwise. It will be left to political historians to decide the impact. | That the Obama and Romney campaigns are waging all-out fundraising efforts for last-minute advertising blitzes suggests they believe otherwise. It will be left to political historians to decide the impact. |
| Rogich, who worked with Roger Ailes and Lee Atwater on Ronald Reagan's 1984 campaign, as well as Bush's Sr's in 1988 and 1992, said the negativity of 2012 was hardly unprecedented. Vicious insults and calumnies flew since the days of Theodore Roosevelt and earlier. "There has always been rancour; just now it's more visible." | Rogich, who worked with Roger Ailes and Lee Atwater on Ronald Reagan's 1984 campaign, as well as Bush's Sr's in 1988 and 1992, said the negativity of 2012 was hardly unprecedented. Vicious insults and calumnies flew since the days of Theodore Roosevelt and earlier. "There has always been rancour; just now it's more visible." |
| The problem, he suggested, was the accelerating cycle which compressed news and campaigns into ever faster, smaller clips. | The problem, he suggested, was the accelerating cycle which compressed news and campaigns into ever faster, smaller clips. |
| An exception to that rule was debates. Rogich's office is adorned with a handwritten note from the former boss he used to prep: "By God, I've got it: 'Eye contact – smile – don't scratch'. Sincerely with thanks, George Bush." | An exception to that rule was debates. Rogich's office is adorned with a handwritten note from the former boss he used to prep: "By God, I've got it: 'Eye contact – smile – don't scratch'. Sincerely with thanks, George Bush." |
| Rogich said Obama was talented but hamstrung. "He's eloquent and has a great ability to articulate. But there's an annoyance to his cadence. If I was advising him I'd tell him to be conversational. He needs to talk to people." | Rogich said Obama was talented but hamstrung. "He's eloquent and has a great ability to articulate. But there's an annoyance to his cadence. If I was advising him I'd tell him to be conversational. He needs to talk to people." |
| Romney, he said, had made a welcome move to the centre and would prove a pragmatic president if elected but still risked losing the vast majority of Latinos because of his party's anti-immigrant rhetoric. "It sucks. We better find a reasonable immigration policy because in 30 years we'll have north of 70 million new Hispanic (voters). If we're still viewed as anti-immigrant from a perception standpoint then there won't be a Republican party." | Romney, he said, had made a welcome move to the centre and would prove a pragmatic president if elected but still risked losing the vast majority of Latinos because of his party's anti-immigrant rhetoric. "It sucks. We better find a reasonable immigration policy because in 30 years we'll have north of 70 million new Hispanic (voters). If we're still viewed as anti-immigrant from a perception standpoint then there won't be a Republican party." |
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