This is a direct appeal to Hillary's base. It just oozes "Look, I'm around all of these white people, and I haven't bitten a single one, contrary to what others would have you believe."

Good ad. I like it.

First of all, you messed up your embed with that video link. And second of all, yes, he went to Chicago specifically to work with a community organizer.

I'd just like to write a quick apology. It's always been my understanding that Obama moved to Chicago because he wanted to work with a specific community organizer there, to work in the streets for awhile before he discovered what path to take next. That was what I took from his book and other articles written about him. But thanks to AJM, I realize now that he only went there to help Harold Washington, because Washington was black, just like Obama, and black people stick together out of a mutual hatred of whitey. Thanks, AJM!

Great ad, and frankly the barely-subtle appeals to white voters in the ad are necessary and must be sustained all the way into November. The images of white people he loves and the reference to "Patton's army" are exactly the way he must rebut the pigeonholing "angry black candidate" narrative that the Wright story fuels.

Not a good ad. It's a better than good ad. Pics of him with his whiter than white Kansas grandparents, shots of WWII soldiers and bomber assembly plants, hitting the themes of economic dislocation and a commitment to workers and families and ethics reform without a direct negative swipe. Patriotism, populism, working for change and the American dream all rolled into one. He's going directly after Hillary's base.

Brilliant.

He really spotlights his white roots.

It's a good ad but not really genuine. He keeps boasting all the time about how he helped unemployed steel workers on the south side of Chicago too, yet I've never seen anything that he accomplished there either.

I don't think Pennsylvanians will fall for this "talk" not after seeing how smooth he tried to talk his way out of the Wright controversy by blaming everyone else for being racist.

Rae

Wait Obama hasn't been running ads in Pennsylvania yet? That makes me feel a lot better about the polls. He's not going to win there but it will tighten, especially when the low information voters start to see the ads.

Pretty damn effective ad, right there.

Now he's playing the biracial card, I guess. Shows himself surrounded by his caucasian grandparents and caucasian mother. Was there a single black face (besides his own part-black face) in that ad?

I guess he feels that he has the black vote so thoroughly sewn up that he can now play up the non-black parts of his narrative and life story to comfort frightened whites.

I guess it's pretty astute politics. And I guess it's sort of new. It's not really race transcending. It's more try to be all things to all people.

Lame attempts at criticism are proof certain of the power of this Ad. Watch the PA poll numbers over the next few weeks, the race will tighten considerably. And if you want to know what the UCC is really all about, check out this clip of the UCC President (thousands of congregations around the USA, many very white), praising the "America hater" Rev. Wright.

Watch and learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYla5xdPTUg

There's a biracial card? That's a new one.

Great ad. Positively Positive.

Funny noone ever mentions
he is just as much a white guy as he is a black guy!

Apparently it's all in how you look at it, but however you look at it you have to agree that this is a powerful ad. The number of positive messages squeezed in here is amazing.

I'm glad he is able to use his grandmother in this positive way, and I think the message is that Obama can redeem just about anybody, and it doesn't take him long if you don't resist. It seems pretty cynical to me to bring up how few blacks there are in the spot, by the way. What would the point be?

I don't think I realized until this spot how closely Barak's life experience parallels John Edwards'. I suspect the fuller narrative of how he helped those steelworkers through community activism will be fleshed out in later spots.

And Dana99, actually Obama appears in suit-and-tie, suit without tie, shirtsleeves with tie (both blue shirt and white shirt) and shirtsleeves without a tie, with sleeves down and sleeves rolled up (both blue and white shirts). I think this reinforces the message that Barack has a lot of different looks, and he understands the appropriate ones to apply in just about any situation. SO he won't embarrass anybody (the way some blacks can) if you invite him someplace. If you're lucky enough to see Barak over there in Pennsylvania, let us know what he was wearing.

I'll let you know!

"Liar. First came to Chicago because of Harold Washington, don't you think?"

And you basis for drawing this conclusion is . . . what?

Thinkingman:

You need to think a little bit more on this.

"I agree that his appeal to them is non-racial. But I think his appeal to blacks is highly racial."

This assumes too much with respect to both Blacks and Whites. First, from the beginning the vast majority of Blacks supported Hillary UNTIL she lost her freakin mind and went racial. She immediately went from about 75% Black support to abou 7%. As such, you can really only arguably count the original 20% Black support Obama got as "racial" . . . and that is assuming they are supoporting him because of his race, as opposed to his (a) local roots [for those Blacks in Illinois]; (b) his positions; or (c) dislike for all the other candidates.

The same thing goes for his support among Whites. How do you tease out the number of Whites who support him because, for whatever reason, they want to have a Black president?

Yes, this race has become to a large extent about "race". Obama tried not to "go there" but Hillary wouldn't let him. Which is one reason why, in my opinion, she is second maybe only to Trent Lott among the politicians I find most distasteful.

Obama ran similar ads way back in the California primary - so there goes your claim that "now" he feels so safe with blacks.

I just love him!!! Obama!!!

Thinkingman et al,

What does it say about your post when you have to repost later to point out that you are being subtle or ironic? Don't blame your lack of communication skills on the reader.

Playing the bi-racial card. Love it. Obama isn't allowed to draw on his life-long experience of being percieved as black by some whites, or on being perceived as white by some blacks. What an interesting concept to impose upon him. So what part of his heritage IS he allowed to have, Thinkingman? Maybe you should send him a letter pointing out that he should move to an island with other biracial people and only talk with them about their shared bi-racial experiences? Or is what you're saying that he shouldn't be allowed a voice on anything?