Posts Tagged ‘Barack Obama’
Villaraigosa Out? Not so fast…
Compared to the large field of the Attorney General race, the Democratic gubernatorial race is about as lively as a coma patient. Only one candidate – San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom – has entered the ring, with two others seriously considering running…or is it only one? Will it be just Gavin and Jerry Brown?
No go Antonio: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa isn’t going to run for governor – at least not in 2010.
Our sources in L.A. say Villaraigosa has come to the conclusion that the time is just not right for him to make a state run – given that he hasn’t even been sworn in yet to a second term, and that he’s facing bloody political fights at home. (Matier & Ross)
Between the cads at Los Angeles Magazine, the Solar 8, and Carmen Trutanich it seems everyone is taking a grinder to my Mayor’s sheen. That is, if you believe everything you read in the paper – always a dicey proposition. Now the Chronicle’s Matier & Ross are doing their bit, too.
But as I noted on Twitter from the launch of the Parent Revolution, there are many places where Villaraigosa is welcomed as a hero. So it seems a little early to be writing him off as a contender. And his folks are certainly not letting a couple of columnists in an opponenet’s hometown paper run him out of the race:
Is Villaraigosa in or out?
People close to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa this morning dismissed a report in the San Francisco Chronicle that he had decided not to run for governor in 2010.
Villaraigosa insiders said the mayor has still not made a decision. (LA Times)
I’ve talked about this with higher-ups in the camps of Villaraigosa’s potential opponents. Some anticipate his not entering the race. Others only allow for it, but are looking at how it reshapes the field.
I for one am dubious about these rumors, as I’ve heard of (and actually witnessed) folks close to the Mayor propositioning operatives key to President Obama’s campaign in California (and nationally). Maybe a surprising decision is on the way, but if it is someone better tell Antonio’s folks soon – so they’re not left hanging as late-comers, when everyone else has chosen sides!
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-11
- Oh, Jerry! RT @rubles01: Couldn’t even get off the pullup machine before Jerry Brown changed the weights on me. Impatient much Mr. AG? #
- Teaser for Modern Warfare 2: http://modernwarfare2.infinityward.com/ #
- Only logical that POTUS wants Trek screening at the White House http://tinyurl.com/pw47q2 #
- Back in The OC to rap with McLevin about clean tech conference. It’s hard to pass Disneyland without pulling off. #
Gavin Newsom: The Humphrey Bogart of California Politics
Twitter user @SGourley on @GavinNewsom
Twitter user @SGourley raises an interesting point about search engines, public personas, and political aspirations by offering the instructions seen to the right.
Following those instructions (running a google image search on “gavin newsom“), you’re greeted with a number of views of the honorable Mayor of San Francisco: taking the oath of office, eating a reporter’s microphone (where’s the video of that one?), lounging with his former wife, smiling with his wonderful new bride, looking goofy in a T-Shirt, looking strong behind a podium, and – shall we say – looking amused in the “3rd Result” that @SGourley is focusing on.
Making Friends and Influencing People
@SGourley assumes that Newsom would want rid of such a picture. But with Garry South – Newsom’s campaign guru (and a guru of mine) – talking up every reporter in his speed dial about Jerry Brown’s time in office (code for “the other guy’s old!”), maybe Newsom wants pictures like this out there.
Part of the allure of a candidate like Newsom (and even stick-in-the-mud Barack Obama) is that there’s a certain brash danger that comes with a handsome young leader. The swagger. The knowing smirk. It’s like Humphrey Bogart is running for office; a drink in one hand, a smoke in the other, and a remit envelop in the inside pocket of his suit.
Decades earlier, Bogart likes what he sees.
In fact, the Newsom photo actually reminded me of a famous picture of Bogart. Out on the town with Lauren Bacall, Bogie found himself face to – ahem – face with Marilyn Monroe.
Bogart’s got a few years on Newsom, and is playing it cooler…
…but there’s that look.
The handrolling of the cigarette is certainly more than any politician could ever muster, because of California’s modern smoking laws and the fact that there will only ever be one Humphrey Bogart.
Same eyeline...totally different meaning!
But, the look is the same.
Which brings me to of another famous photo from that era (and the moral of the story). Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield.
The eyeline is the same, but the meaning is completely different. I’m guessing Lauren Bacall laid the same look on Monroe just after this photo was taken.
And while a Google image search of Jennifer Siebel Newsom turned up no similar shot, take this as a word of warning.
Female Newsom supporters: you probably won’t get the Bogie look, but the Loren look is always right there in your face – or wherever.
UPDATED: I took the time and tracked down a short clip of Newsom eating a reporter’s microphone mentioned above – a still of which appears in the “gavin newsom” image search @SGourley is talking about. Oh Gavin, you cad!
Young Progressive Majority Hosts Obama In Los Angeles
Usually, I consider myself in the loop about the comings and goings of President Obama in Los Angeles. After all, I work for the campaign’s State Director for California, Mitchell Schwartz. People count on me to know this stuff.
But somehow I missed the President holding an LA Town Hall with Obama.
Oh. Wait. Never mind.
Watching it again, I figured out that they were just cutting footage from the President’s first press conference together with footage of actors faking questions to him. It’s really a GOTV piece from Young Progressive Majority for the Los Angeles elections taking place on Tuesday, March 3, 2009.
So, check out Jordan Carlos, Lauren Weedman, Christopher Redman, Marguerite Moreau, Marty Dusig, Enuka Okuma, and Cara Pifko in a piece produced by Raul Gasteazoro & Luke Frydenger and directed by Bryan Carmel.
If you feel like reliving the magic of the real East Room press conference, here it is…
Ads from the 2009 Los Angeles City elections
Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti was a vocal and early supporter of President Obama. Now he’s brining that Obama-style change to Los Angeles. Some friends of mine are actually hosting a fundraising event for Eric on the 24th. RSVP for An evening with Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti on Facebook.
Councilmember Wendy Greuel is running for City Controller. From the sound of this commercial we need some better oversight over the wacky spending going on at City Hall. Sign up for activist action on the Wendy Greuel for Los Angeles City Controller Facebook page.
In the City Attorney race, Councilman Jack Weiss talks about his push to clear a backlog of rape kits that LAPD had yet to DNA test.
Obama for America – California Primary
Supporters of Senator Barack Obama’s campaign for President rally outside the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA in preparation for the pre-Super Tuesday debate between Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton.
Supporters of Senator Barack Obama’s campaign for President set out to make 100,000 phonebanking calls in a single day before the 2008 California Presidential Primary.
Off to Washington
Tomorrow I’ll be boarding a plane to our Nation’s Capitol to join the ruckus surrounding the Inauguration of our 44th President.
Maybe you’ve heard something about it.
So, check back here between tomorrow morning and Wednesday for he sights and sounds as power in this country changes hands without bloodshed – something that is still important to honor and recognize on the 44th occurance.
Kumar Goes to Caucus…without Harold. Kal Penn and
It was a little chilly, but I drove around with the top down in L.A. this morning. Looking at this video, it doesn’t appear that actors Kal Penn, Olivia Wilde and Megalyn Echikunwoke miss the California weather as they campaign for Barack Obama in Iowa.
What’s the Hottest Ticket in Town (Hint: It’s NOT Hanna Montana)
It’s John Edwards, with Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne.
Now, I’ve seen Raitt before. It actually was quite a night, as I got to meet blues legend John Lee Hooker before the show.
But, Browne I have never seen. I’ve gone through three CD copies of Running On Empty, and would love to have attended this Edwards event.
All I got was Barack Obama with Goo Goo Dolls in L.A.
Obama and Edwards – Winning Them Over
A pair of videos this morning show Barack Obama and John Edwards drawing support from two unexpected sources.
Edwards continues the story of the two phonebanking stories he posted yesterday:
Can you believe it? A Republican supporting Edwards. How’s that for electability in the General?
Obama’s supporter comes from perhaps an even more surprising place, and potentially a more helpful one in the Democratic primaries:
Yup. She was a Clinton supporter. Now she’s with Barack. So, aside from losing their New Hampshire Chairman (who was also a National Co-Chair), who engaged in some pretty nasty dirty tricks; now Hillary’s campaign is losing boots on the ground, as well.
***UPDATE***
The Obama video above, featuring the Clinton precinct captain has been picked up by Drudge. Watch its traffic…
What was Hillary Clinton up to while Barack Obama was palling around with Oprah?
Why…
Making an ad, of course!
So, there you have it. Hillary Clinton’s mom supports her.
This ad is should put to rest all the doubters that Hillary is not human. She has a mom, and a kid. What could be more regular than that? And for those who’d call her calculating and out for herself, her mom lets us know that she was never a jealous person and has always helped others. So, there.
And that last line, “she ought to be elected…even if she weren’t my daughter.” Sounds a lot like Bill’s endorsement language, that he’d supporter her even if they weren’t married. Of course, she is Hillary’s mom. And Bill and Hillary are married. So, it makes you wonder…
For the web, the Clinton campaign followed up on the commercial with this nice piece featuring Hillary, mom, and Chelsea – all grows up.
This well-made video is in the style of Hillary’s other road pieces. Peppy (though canned) music, a mix of fawning interviews and retail politics b-roll, a few carefully chosen lines from her rap.
Don’t get me wrong. The Clinton campaigns videos have all been very well done. My only complaint is that they just feel like longer versions of the same, old campaign commercials. Take a chance. Break down the walls. Let us see Hillary.
I’ve met her a few times and found her very pleasant. Surprisingly so, after the decades of Right-Wing smearing directed at her. Though not the charmer her husband is, she was a real pleasure to talk to for the few minutes at a time when our paths crossed. Yet, in the extremely personal medium that is web video, the Clinton campaign’s pieces are still just incredibly guarded.
Instead of making Sopranos spoofs to try and show that she has a sense of humor. Let the cameras follow her, and keep rolling, and actually capture her sense of humor.
YouTube – Hillary at the Iowa JJ Dinner
Playing catch up a bit here, but there were a number of great videos revolving around the Iowa J-J Dinner.
Barack Obama put out amazing video work around the J-J. Not to be left behind, the Clinton video put out a nice piece after the event in their usual speech/testimonial style.
John Edwards, Barack Obama and Bill Richardson are Making Sense
Last week videos from the Edwards, Obama and Richardson campaigns showed some of the different looks you can turn to when making a video for the same purpose – in this case, seeking an endorsement.
John Edwards’ take on sensible priorities:
Barack Obama’s take on sensible priorities:
Bill Richardson’s take on sensible priorities:
All three of these videos had the same purpose: winning the endorsement of Iowans for Sensible Priorities. What interests me are the differences between the three.
Edwards obviously sat down for a few minutes to record a greeting just for this purpose. His team also worked in footage from the road and went to graphics to make his take on sensible priorities perfectly clear. The Edwards video also wisely ends with a web link that takes you to a page on his site dedicated to this effort. There’s text of his remarks, an embedded video player, and even a snapshot of Edwards with someone wearing the group’s t-shirt.
The BarackTV team wins on picture quality. Like most everything they put up, the video is beautiful. Of course, that could be my aesthetic prejudice in favor of the Panasonic 24P cameras they (and I) shoot on! Because the Edwards videos went out to B-Roll and graphics, you can’t tell if there are cuts in his remarks. With Obama, there is no question. The entire minute and a half clip is in one continuous take – with fairly dense material in there. The uninterrupted roll makes for a very strong performance.
Richardson goes grassroots in his clip, grabbing his remarks on the fly while at the Harkin Steakfry. He starts off informal, with a “tell me when” (always a favorite of mine) and surrounds himself with cheering members of the group whose endorsement he seeks – including their Executive Director. Nice move. The last few seconds of the clip have him turning back to the activists for some good old fashioned hand shakin’.
There are useful elements in all three videos.
If I were putting this clip together, the hard part would be the decision between the Richardson-style piece or the Edwards/Obama-style piece. Given the opportunity to surround yourself with a group’s members when making an endorsement ask video can’t be underestimated.
Either way, I’d reinforce my priorities with graphics. I wouldn’t have them over black like Edwards, but would superimpose them along with the candidate giving the remarks. Edwards was also right to give a call to action link at the end. Every video should have one. If the candidate can get it in one like Obama, use as much of that as possible. But, mix in some B-Roll if you’re not standing with the members.
And for God’s sake, if you’re sitting down and making this clip for a few minutes: USE A TRIPOD. Loose, handheld footage is fine grabbing things off the cuff, but if you’re going to the trouble of lights, flags, or signs to make the shot nice, take the extra minute to stabilize your shot.
Clips like these are what campaign videos should be all about. They’re easy enough to crank out, and talk directly to an interested group of people. Twist your scheduler’s arm, grab a few hours of the candidates time one day and pound out one after the other for the many groups whose support you seek. Press them to DVD and drop them in the mail, or – if you can – get their email addresses and send them that way. This is a much better use of production resources than shooting the stump speech for the umpteenth time.
If This Race Were About Hair, We’d Elect Jonathan Antin President
The 2008 Democratic Primaries have often seemed as devoted to the hair on top of candidates’ heads as the ideas inside. In the Chris Dodd ad above, he re-enlists his white mane for humor – citing it as evidence of decades of fighting the good fight in the Senate. He also works in a poke at John Edwards in the process.
Opponents and critics have been going upside John Edwards well-coiffed head with these follicly-charged strikes for month – but I figured it’d end after the excellent (if late) rebuttal he brought along to the CNN/YouTube debate:
In a media-obsessed society like America has become, it drives me nuts that the biggest criticism many can hurl at Edwards is that he didn’t want messy hair on television. Lord only knows what people would say, had he gone on with a cowlick – God forbid!
But it doesn’t stop with Dodd and Edwards. In the two videos below, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama spend a little time with the striped-pole brigade.
There was a stretch in 2005 when I was looking for my next project. From time to time, I found myself watching a reality series on Bravo featuring uber-stylist-to-the-stars Jonathan Antin. If we’re going to spend this much time talking about hair, why not just run him? Or at least a cabinet position? Anything?
ALSO: On a more serious note, look at the video below. It’s a teaser that the Obama put out ahead of their barbershop clip. This is a great technique. The rumbling belly of the web video beast is soothed by appetizers such as these. One thing I’d add: a push at the end of the clip telling people to tune back in for the longer piece. An eye-catching glimpse of a compelling story (like the Army Ranger’s meeting with Obama) can be the hook that brings viewers with only a little time (in this case :45 seconds) back for something more substantial, if they see that it’s something with human appeal.
Get To The Ask
With Hillary Clinton gaining a slight cash-on-hand advantage over his own campaign, Senator Barack Obama made an usually direct fundraising ask in an email and video that went out yesterday.
To everything (even hard-ask grassroots fundraising) there is a season, I guess. For Barack Obama, That season is here.
Now is when you see how deep the “permission asset” they’ve built runs.
Thinking on it…
His surprising lead in fundraising has been double-sided. It has allowed him to avoid hard asks like these that – while effective – also burn out your list.. So, his list has grown tremendously. It has also built trust with the Obama community. That’s a good thing.
But…
The success has also prohibited him from making hard asks like these, because the stakes aren’t there. It’s cost him urgency. So, in that way his lead has held him back. Hard asks – while burning your list a bit – do get results.
Now…
He has months of trust and permission and high stakes to make a real test of his list. This is where the rubber meets the road on if the grassroots and netroots can do it. If they fold on this ask, he’s in trouble. If they step up, look out.
John Edwards and Hillary Clinton have been very successful in turning attacks against them by the Right into urgent fundraising appeals. Hell, Ann Coulter is practically John Edwards’ best fundraiser. She should be getting a commission. Now, Obama has something other than an end-of-quarter deadline or promise of dinner to motivate his supporters. Last I checked, the effort was coming up on $1 million of the $2.1 million they are seeking to raise in this Close the Gap campaign.
Which begs the question, “If they were looking for $2.1 million, why didn’t they just hire Larry H. Parker?” From what I understand, he’s able to get people that kind of money.
Watch This: Barack Obama “Trailer” for Harkin Steak Fry
God bless the mid-west, land of my birth, for their lasting love of red meat.
Barack Obama Impersonates Phil Hartman Impersonating Bill Clinton
While the mainstream press reports that Hillary Clinton is attempting to horn in on Barack Obama’s narrative of change, this Obama visit to Caesario’s Pizza in Manchester, NH shows that the Senator from Illinois is stealing a few Clintonian moves himself…
Stealing Bubba’s moves, and those nice young ladies’ fries. It must be after Labor Day, ’cause this campaign is on!
Obama & Edwards: Fathers and Sons
I work campaigns.
I have two sons – and a third on the way.
These two things are sometimes hard to reconcile. As I’m currently talking to various campaigns about what ship to set sail on next, I can hardly imagine what it’s like to be a candidate with two young children.
Off the top of my head, three Democratic contenders (Barack Obama, John Edwards and Chris Dodd) all have young children as they pursue the presidency.
In the following two videos, Senators Obama and Edwards talk about campaigning with children:
In the first episode of the new Barack Obama podcast, he discusses his children and his father in honor of the now-past Father’s Day weekend. Somehow, I can’t imagine another candidate discussing their family in the way that Senator Obama does in this clip. It’s the type of openness that made his books successful and acclaimed…and made me subscribe to the podcast through iTunes.
In this Edwards clip, Senator Edwards is a little lighter in his treatment of bringing kids on the campaign trail. A friend who worked advance for Senator Edwards four years ago had nothing but good things to say about the Senator’s plucky son, Jack. Jack and his sister, Emma Claire, appear in this piece but flee the room when it’s time for daddy to give yet another speech. His attention turns to his own father in the next clip – as he revisits the familiar setting of the textile mill where his father worked.
All Star Weekend II: Barack Obama in Las Vegas
As I posted before, NBA All Star Weekend also featured appearances by Senators John Edwards and Barack Obama. Here is the second of the pieces I shot of those events, featuring Senator Barack Obama.
All Star Weekend I: John Edwards talks health care in Las Vegas
It wasn’t for the game.
It certainly wasn’t to enjoy the strip – which was a madhouse.
It was to catch John Edwards and Barack Obama on consecutive days.
Work came up, postponing editing. Finally, I’ve cut the first clip from that trip.
It was a little different than what I am used to, shooting without the carte blanche of being a part of the campaign team. As my old boss Larry Grisolano was known to say, “I treat carte blanche like blank check.â€
Luckily folks I worked with on the Angelides campaign were advancing both events, which granted me a little leeway in where I was able to grab positions.
Announcing Online: 2008 presidential hopefuls turn to the small screen
Today’s announcement by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson continued the trend of 2008 presidential contenders kicking off their campaigns accompanied by an online video. Like former Governor Tom Vilsack, former Senator John Edwards, and Senators Chris Dodd, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton; Richardson addressed supporters, skeptics and the world through the blossoming medium of political web videos.
The contenders’ videos show differences in rhetoric – to be sure. I’ll leave discussion of that to a million different blogs, and the traditional media. What interests me in the release of these announcement videos are the differences in how each campaign uses the medium. (more…)