The Last Ad

Thankfully, the polls have just closed in Illinois and thus the last political ad or commercial has run, at least for awhile. Of course, soon enough the respite will end for those of us in the Chicago area, where a mayoral race is looming to pick a successor, if that's possible, to Richard M. Daley. More on that at a later date.

TNB has been witness to over a half century of political campaigns and rhetoric, having cast his first presidential vote for John F. Kennedy in 1960 (you didn't think he would vote for Richard Nixon, did you?). In that time the campaigns and especially the television commercials (on which $3 billion was spent nationally in the off-year of 2010) have gotten incredibly nasty, demeaning and almost 100% negative.

In an effort to find out what the root causes of this negativity were, TNB tracked down the person most responsible--not Karl Rove or his ilk--but an adman. It turns out that he is Bobby Draper, son of the legendary 1960's ad (or Mad) man, Don Draper. Although when last depicted on TV in 1965, Bobby was sort of a bratty child and sibling to unhappy sister Sally, over the years having learned the business from his creative master father (when sober), Bobby has developed into the unquestioned star of the negative political world. He is now head of the renowned mudslinging agency--Falsehood, Obfuscation and Smear or FOS for short.

Because TNB was loosely acquainted with the folks at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (never missed an episode) Bobby consented to a rare interview , excerpts of which follow (the full transcript can be found on TNB's Facebook and Twitter accounts if you can locate them --he can't).
TNB: Why is it that no matter how nasty the charges leveled at a politician, he or she never replies but only levels equally nasty charges at the opponent?
BD: Since most of the charges are unfortunately at least partially valid, we never allow our clients to reply truthfully (check out the name of our agency).

TNB: Does it matter that vicious ads are often based on some obscure comment the opponent made when strung out on marijuana as a college sophomore 30 years ago?
BD: This is what we call a two-fer--a dumb comment coupled with criminal activity.

TNB: How stupid is the average American to believe all of the FOS ads?
BD: Why do you think my income equalled that of LeBron James last year--my Dad would be so proud!

TNB should have paid more attention to Bobby--instead of ogling the zaftig office manager Joanie.