The Economy in Two Minutes or Less

J. Jennings Moss writes from New York: Another day into the financial mess, another set of competing presidential campaign ads. And in a sign of how serious the candidates are taking this, both ads break from the norm and have the candidates themselves looking into the camera and delivering their message.

First up, Barack Obama, who dispenses with the traditional 30-second ad and goes on for two minutes. It's just him, sitting in a living room, speaking directly to the camera.

OBAMA: In the past few weeks, Wall Street's been rocked as banks closed and markets tumbled. But for many of you - the people I've met in town halls, backyards and diners across America - our troubled economy isn't news. 600,000 Americans have lost their jobs since January. Paychecks are flat and home values are falling. It's hard to pay for gas and groceries and if you put it on a credit card they've probably raised your rates. You're paying more than ever for health insurance that covers less and less. This isn't just a string of bad luck. The truth is that while you've been living up to your responsibilities Washington has not. That's why we need change. Real change. This is no ordinary time and it shouldn't be an ordinary election. But much of this campaign has been consumed by petty attacks and distractions that have nothing to do with you or how we get America back on track. Here's what I believe we need to do. Reform our tax system to give a $1,000 tax break to the middle class instead of showering more on oil companies and corporations that outsource our jobs. End the "anything goes" culture on Wall Street with real regulation that protects your investments and pensions. Fast track a plan for energy 'made-in-America' that will free us from our dependence on mid-east oil in 10 years and put millions of Americans to work. Crack down on lobbyists - once and for all -- so their back-room deal-making no longer drowns out the voices of the middle class and undermines our common interests as Americans. And yes, bring a responsible end to this war in Iraq so we stop spending billions each month rebuilding their country when we should be rebuilding ours. Doing these things won't be easy. But we're Americans. We've met tough challenges before. And we can again. I'm Barack Obama. I hope you'll read my economic plan. I approved this message because bitter, partisan fights and outworn ideas of the left and the right won't solve the problems we face today. But a new spirit of unity and shared responsibility will.

Next, John McCain. By virtue of using a half-minute spot, the Republican isn't able to impart as much detail as the Democrat, though he does take a sharper stab at his opponent. McCain is seen against a black backdrop, and his image is interspersed with shots of Wall Street. ... The McCain campaign released the ad on Wednesday morning, but it hadn't made its way onto YouTube. To see the ad on the campaign's web site, click here.

MCCAIN: You, the American workers, are the best in the world. But your economic security has been put at risk by the greed of Wall Street. That's unacceptable. My opponent's only solutions are talk and taxes. I'll reform Wall Street and fix Washington. I've taken on tougher guys than this before.

ANNCR: Change is coming. John McCain.

Who wins? Obama. By going national with a two-minute spot, he helps get a serious point across far better than McCain, who offers more of your standard attack ad. Plus, there's more substance to it. In the Obama ad is an on-screen plug for a web page to get more info on his economic plan, http://www.barackobama.com/plan.

J. Jennings Moss

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