Obama Infomercial Video Was For The Undecided

The poll was conducted prior to the 30 minute Obama infomercial video, so these figures don’t have anything to do with the impact of the half hour program. Conducted by telephone Oct. 25-28, 2008, a random national sample of 1,501 registered voters, including 1,316 likely voters, responded to the survey.

When asked “Regardless of who you may support, who do you trust more to handle the economy?” 52% said they trusted Barack Obama while 42% trusted John McCain. This caused me to think about the political pundits who after the Obama infomercial video stated it was a “slick Hollywood production,” or “I bet John McCain wish he had the 30 minutes after Obama instead of these news analyses.”

My sister and I couldn’t wait to see the Obama infomercial video because it is historical in our lifetimes. Just the sheer amount of people who have been touched by Barack Obama’s campaign is exciting. I don’t know how many tuned in to see tonight’s Obama video; the numbers will probably be shattering. I bet even John McCain watched.

Speaking of John McCain, earlier today the McCain campaign jumped on the opportunity to call the advertisement excessive. And McCain even pointed to reports that Obama’s infomercial would push back the World Series broadcast by 15 minutes. “No one will delay the World Series with an infomercial when I’m president,” he said.

According to the New York Times and for the record: “Fox executives have said that they, and not the Obama campaign, had initially asked Major League Baseball to move the start of Wednesday’s game to 8:35 p.m. from 8:20, to make way for his infomercial. But as it turns out, such a delay was not necessary anyway; none of the World Series games has started before 8:30, and two started after 8:35.”

For the most part the Obama infomercial video provided a slice of Americana—the same steadiness in Barack Obama’s campaign message was present in tonight’s broadcast. It was Obama’s closing argument on a 20 month long campaign. Images of freight trains, working class families and a retiree, who at 72 had to take a job at Wal-Mart, are examples of real life. Life that today’s working class American is familiar with.

Not since 1992, when Ross Perot bought network time, has a candidate caused so much discussion. Ross Perot used 30 minutes of broadcast time to sit behind a desk. Barack Obama’s infomercial video showed him actively involved with people, real Americans. The very group his campaign connects with. Many people have already made their minds up. The Obama infomercial video was for the undecided voter, the ones least likely to vote, least likely to vote for him.