August 8, 2012

Johnson hits homerun with new Campaign Commercial

August 8, 2012. The Gary Johnson campaign released a one-minute-plus commercial yesterday. Unlike past videos, this one is obviously meant to be seen on televisions across the country. It’s extremely professional, impactful and best of all, it’s a positive ad. While Barack Obama and Mitt Romney cover each other with mud and criminal accusations, the Libertarian Presidential candidate is looking mighty good. Watch the commercial and see for yourself.

Since the start of his campaign for President, Gary Johnson has found himself in the enviable position of standing for all the most popular parts of the Democrat and Republican platforms. Being in tune with the American people however, has never been the former two-term New Mexico Governor’s problem. As the campaign’s website touts, “Gary Johnson has been an outspoken advocate for efficient government, balanced budgets, rational drug policy reform, protection of civil liberties, comprehensive tax reform, and personal freedom.” And that’s just the short list.

If there’s one major obstacle standing in the Libertarian candidate’s way, it’s being afforded the opportunity to get that message to the millions of voters who’ve never heard of him. And that’s where Johnson’s newest commercial comes into play.

Media black-out

It’s no secret that the national news media has gone far out of its way to ignore Gary Johnson’s run for the White House. When former Minnesota Governor and Independence Party member Jesse Ventura endorsed Gary Johnson live on CNN, the footage mysteriously vanished by the time it made it to the network’s website. When the same network showed polling data from the battleground state of Virginia yesterday, the TV screen showed 3 faces and 1 nameless, faceless silhouette. Obama, Romney and even Constitution Party nominee Virgil Goode were shown in full color. Guess who the graphically blacked-out fourth candidate was?

The most outrageous and undemocratic dirty trick the national media has played on Gary Johnson so far, has been purposely leaving him off of the many Presidential voter polls. Major news outlets had no problem including in their polls people that weren’t candidates, weren’t politicians and weren’t even running. But all along, they’ve refused to include the popular former Republican Governor Gary Johnson. And as nobody knows better than the candidate himself, it’s impossible to poll high enough to be invited to the nationally televised debates if you’re name is never one of the choices.

Independent observers can debate the reasons, but the fact that it happened, and continues to happen, is undeniable. That, more than anything, is the main reason the popular Libertarian Presidential candidate finds himself with a name recognition problem. But on the bright side, he’s been forced into the position of the righteous underdog – America’s favorite.

Libertarian Party Presidential nominee Gary Johnson reveals his latest ad spot. Video courtesy of GaryJohnson2012.com.

You Are Libertarian

The commercial begins with an up-tempo, acoustic guitar being played by a distant, attractive, jeans-wearing young woman who looks like she just jumped out of a Gilmore Girls episode, where Paul Simon, Colbie Caillat or the Indigo Girls wrote a foot-tapping jingle just for the Johnson campaign. The all-grass and blue sky setting, without a building in site, gives a distinct western, wide open spaces feel to the scene.

“My name is Gary Johnson,” the Libertarian candidate starts the commercial, “61 percent of Americans believe America is on the wrong track. 75 percent of Americans want a full audit of the Federal Reserve. 50 percent of Americans say marijuana should be dealt with like alcohol. 65 percent do not believe that keeping troops in Afghanistan will make the US any safer. 62 percent favor marriage equality. 91 percent oppose the renewal of the Patriot Act. Less than 10 percent of America trusts the federal government. And over 80 percent wishes there were a third choice for President in 2012.”

As the statistics change, so does the scene. Like the Libertarian Party Johnson is representing, it showcases all ages, all races, and all walks of life. It’s a beautiful cross-section of America that Gary Johnson’s two major opponents sorely lack in their TV spots, many of which are saturated with purposely ugly, grayed-out images and frightening background music

Johnson continues the commercial’s voice-over by telling viewers, “Of the three men whose names will appear on the ballot come November, I’m the only one who agrees with you 100 percent.” Paying tribute to his passion for freedom and liberty, the ad then shows the words, ‘We The People’ in front of the blue skies and green grass. Catching the viewer by surprise, two more phrases also appear, ‘Agree’…’Stop electing the people who don’t’.

Be Libertarian with me for ONE election

Possibly one of the more brilliant campaign slogans this negative election season has seen so far, Johnson personally appears on-screen to appeal directly to viewers. After such a strong and confident tone in his voice throughout the commercial, the Libertarian Presidential candidate mixes a request with a challenge. With a sincerity in his voice that cries for sympathy, Gary Johnson looks right into the camera and asks, “Be Libertarian With Me For ONE Election.”

As the screen fades to black, Johnson proudly says his campaign’s official theme – “LIVE FREE”. For the final few seconds, the catchy acoustic guitar continues to play while the screen slowly shows a few more campaign messages – ‘Participate in your freedom’, ‘Fight for it’, ‘Donate to it’, ‘Try it’.

The Johnson camp should commend itself on a wonderfully produced Presidential campaign commercial. While every television and cable channel is submerged in either negative ads from the Obama and Romney campaigns, or news shows repeatedly rebroadcasting those same abrasive ads, Gary Johnson has come up with a refreshing, informative and inspiring spot.

Now all the Johnson campaign needs are the contributions to get the commercial on TV sets and in front of voters. And that may be their biggest hurdle of all. If the Johnson team can find a way to get the ad in front of voters however, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama may find themselves too negative, too late, and too out of touch.

For more information on Libertarian Party Presidential candidate Gary Johnson, visit GaryJohnson2012.com.