This has been another weird exchange between the Clinton and Obama camps. Clinton kicked it off with her “3am ad” which again uses terror to try to scare up votes. It’s shocking how much she’s willing to lift from the Rove playbook and doubly shocking how much her arguments for getting the nomination would have absolutely no weight against McCain in a general election. Clinton’s ad asks who do you want answering the phone at 3am while your beautiful, sweet kids are safe and asleep in their beds. It’s truly evocative of the infamous daisy ad. What it lacks in mushroom clouds it makes up for in patriotic fife and dum musical stinks when you see a Hillary Clinton trying to look her age for the first time in any ad. Obama’s campaign responded almost immediately with a response ad called “ringing” which turns the premise on its head and uses the ad to illustrate Hillary’s bad judgment.

Best part… Clinton’s campaign again has SNL to thank for making their best arguments. Dana Carvey posed a similar 3am hypothetical in 1992. The text from that is below the clips.

And going back further, Walter Mondale’s 1984 ad uses the same scare tactics. That worked well.

Clinton’s “3am”

Obama’s “Ringing”

Dana Carvey on Saturday Night Live in 1992 as President George H. W. Bush debating Bill Clinton and Ross Perot…

“Because you see, this election is about who can take the heat, who you want there when that secured phone in the White House rings at 3 AM. Do you want someone who will answer the phone politely: “Hello, this is the President. Speak slowly and clearly and tell me what the problem is.” Or do you want someone who’s cranky, who says, “This better be important,” or “Do you realize what time it is?” or simply says, “Shut up!” hangs up the phone and sleeps like a baby while the world burns!”

Mondale’s 1984 ad

Stumble it!

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