This, on the trail, in South Carolina, from an Edwards-supporter: "Please address the haircut better. I'm serious."
Unlike my liberal commenters, this guy knows it's an issue. C-SPAN caught the exchange on tape:
In the interest of equal time, here's John Edwards' newest ad, which strikes me as exceedingly blah and boring.
The actors come across downcast and downtrodden instead of resolute and serious (though certainly appropriately, maybe exaggeratedly, reflective of America's ethnic diversity). It's a serious issue, but that doesn't mean the ad can't be inspiring. There's also a weird copy-editing decision in the words on the screen, which are a smart, simple way to reinforce what the actors are saying.
"It's time to end the war," "Congress passed a plan," and the rest of the phrases echo the speakers' words exactly. While the guy says the "President vetoed it," the screen reads "President veto" instead. I would have gone with the exact words the guy said, or at least, "Presidential veto" because "President veto" just don't make no sense. It looks sloppy.
It also has the same feel about it as this recent anti-war ad from MoveOn.org:
Not sure an ad in the style of MoveOn will help in the general election, especially when one of the veterans therein has had some trouble verifying his story. But the ad will undoubtedly grab him some more Netroots money. Maybe he can put it toward answering the haircut question.
