Ad Analysis
Jill Cornelius & Tiffany Thompson
Kerry/Edwards "Immediate Help"
- Ad Title: “Immediate Help ”
- Ad Sponsor: Kerry/Edwards
- Issue of Focus: President Bush's "misleading" Medicare plan and John Kerry's "honest" plan to lower Medicare costs for seniors
- Type of Advertisement: Comparative Advertisement
- Broadcast locations/Target audiences: Seniors in Florida, Ohio, Iowa, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Oregon.
- Release Date: September 5, 2004
- Length: 30 seconds
"Immediate Help" Script
Narrator: George Bush touting his Medicare bill to the nation.
George Bush: I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor America 's seniors. Now, seniors are getting immediate help.
Narrator: The very next day, Bush imposes the biggest Medicare premium increase in history. Bush's Medicare increase? Seventeen percent, the biggest ever. The wrong direction for America .
Narrator: John Kerry. A plan to lower the cost health care and take America in a new direction.
John Kerry: I'm John Kerry and I approve this message.
Analysis of "Immediate Help"
Ad Context
After a harsh critique of his record as Massachusetts Senator during the Republican National Convention, John Kerry returns fire with a 30-second response to President Bush's claim of aiding senior citizens with Medicare. Kerry highlights the hypocrisy of statements made during Bush's RNC speech to show the inaccuracy of the President's claims. The “Immediate Help' ad attempts to discredit Bush's credibility, particularly his trustworthiness and “compassionate” image. This ad follows Kerry's first negative ad, “Issues”, also criticizing Bush for his lack of honesty.
Ad Assumptions
The major premise of this ad is that Bush says one thing and does another. The ad insinuates he lacks honesty and credibility, two important “presidential” qualities. The underlying argument is that unlike Bush, John Kerry is genuine in his concern for senior citizens.
The ad's argument is supported by a statement from Bush's address at the Republican National Convention on September 2, pledging his support to help senior citizens,
President Bush: “I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor America 's seniors. Now seniors are getting immediate help.”
Next, newspaper clippings appear outlining the Medicare increase of 17 percent, refuting statements President Bush made the previous day.
Narrator: “The very next day, Bush imposes the biggest Medicare premium increase in history. Bush's Medicare increase? Seventeen percent, the biggest ever. The wrong direction for America .”
The contrast between Bush's statements and the newspaper articles gives visual reinforcement of the underlying accusation. The argument is aided by the presumed credibility of reputable news sources: the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , the Hartford Courant , and the Charlotte Observer .
“Medicare premiums to jump 17%” - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , September 4, 2004
“Medicare recipients face steep rise in premiums” – Hartford Courant , September 4, 2004
“Medicare premiums to rise record 17%” – Charlotte Observer , September 4, 2004
“Immediate Help”: A Chronological Assessment
Scene One
The ad begins with a distant camera shot of George Bush speaking at the Republican National Convention, standing atop the presidential seal. This initial wide-angle shot makes the President appear small, as the large date of “9/2/2004” appears. The date initially encompasses the lower portion of the screen, then shrinks to fit the lower right-hand corner, imposing itself underneath Bush; this time-stamping bodes attention and gives the audience a sense of real time.
The narrator, male, with a deep voice speaks in a slow, dramatic and deliberate manner, introduces the scene:
Narrator: George Bush, touting his Medicare bill to the nation.
His tone is informative though slightly accusatory, as are the choice words and intonation of the introduction. The word “touting” insinuates a showing-off of sorts and the intonation of the word “his” implies Bush's ownership of the Medicare bill. The accompanying music is a set of synthesized tones, heightening in pitch in a non-melodic manner. The music signposts an air of suspense and subtle anxiety.
Scene Two
Scene one fades into scene two, a close-up of Bush speaking at the convention. The music continues to heighten in pitch until sustaining a suspenseful sole note while Bush speaks. Framed by shadows with the date “9/2/2004” underneath him, an intent Bush verbally reinforces his belief:
Bush: “I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor America 's seniors.”
A subtle zoom and angle change occurs to highlight his next statement:
Bush: “Now seniors are getting immediate help.”
These statements set up what is soon to be perceived a lie on Bush's part. He is framed by a dark shadow, while his coloring and features remain untouched and in focus to continue the viewer's perception of real time. However, the viewing of Bush's speech shows that these two statements did not follow one another in succession. Thus, the excerpts are recontextualized in the advertisement differently than they appeared in the speech. An actual viewing of the text follows:
I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor America 's seniors, so I brought Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen Medicare. Now seniors are getting immediate help buying medicine. Soon every senior will be able to get prescription drug coverage, and nothing will hold us back.
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2004/ georgewbushrnc.htm
Scene Three
The third scene signals a change in the ad. Bush's face is frozen on the screen as various newspaper headlines appear and drop from the top of the screen, contradicting Bush's statements in scene two.
“Medicare premiums to jump 17%” - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel , September 4, 2004
“Medicare recipients face steep rise in premiums” – Hartford Courant , September 4, 2004
“Medicare premiums to rise record 17%” – Charlotte Observer , September 4, 2004
The images of the scene arguably indicate Bush has been caught “red-handed” in a lie. The frozen image of Bush is unflattering while the headlines are being showcased. His brow is furrowed and he appears worried. The way in which the headlines unfold and spin on a common axis in addition to the varying font sizes imply that they are selected from many possible sources.
The music drastically changes to a more complex high-energy combat song while the narrator's pace begins to quicken slightly. The song's intended effects signal betrayal, deception, and the revelation of truth. The narrator's tone becomes more accusatory as scene three begins. He rhythmically emphasizes the phrase “the very next day” and emphasizes the words “biggest” and “history” to showcase the enormity of Bush's “lie.” As the narrator speaks, scene three quickly fades into scene four.
Narrator: The very next day, Bush imposes the biggest Medicare premium increase in history.
Scene Four
This scene begins with a profile shot of Bush at the podium, pounding his fist in slow motion. In this image Bush seems short and vulnerable, as his entire body behind the podium is visible. The astute eye will notice three audience members moving behind Bush, two shuffling in opposite directions, possibly toward exits, and one standing up. This arguably implies disinterest among his faithful audience at the RNC.
Opposite Bush is a smoke screen over which the words appear “Biggest Premium Increase Ever,” growing sequentially in font size and, later, “The Wrong Direction for America .” As these words appear, the narrator asks,
Narrator: Bush's Medicare increase? Seventeen percent, the biggest ever. The wrong direction for America .”
This is the second time the word “biggest” is said by the narrator, only, this time, the audience gets visual reinforcement. The music develops into a more complex melody with new, varying tones.
Scene Five
Scene four fades quickly into scene five, while a change from a minor to major key in the music brings a new sense of relief and excitement to the ad. John Kerry, framed by a large American flag, appears to be forcefully gesturing to an assumed audience. Kerry's button-down blue-collar shirt gives him the appearance of being a down-to-earth, “real” American. The lighting of the ad changes from the shadows in previous scenes, allowing for a warmer and brighter Kerry to emerge. The progression from dark (Bush) to light (Kerry) images, connotes the progression from mistruths to truth, from despair to hope.
The scene quickly shifts to an elderly laughing woman, enjoying crocheting with her elderly friend. A graphic, “See the plan at: John Kerry.com” appears in unobtrusive white letters on the right side of the screen and remains for the rest of the commercial. The scene then fades to another smiling elderly woman with a crochet hook in her hand. The women look happy and relaxed, reinforcing the verbal message that Kerry will help senior citizens everywhere. The last clip shows Kerry interacting with seemingly middle-class citizens at a town hall meeting. Two flags in the background provide symmetry for viewers and reinforce a sense of the candidate's patriotism. His campaign logo “Kerry-Edwards” appears at the end, with a flag graphic glowing triumphantly.
The narrator's pace noticeably quickens at the beginning of scene five as he states:
Narrator: John Kerry, A plan to lower the cost of health care and take America in a new direction.
At the end of this scene, Kerry's voice is heard, as the music culminates with three punching notes, signaling the end of the commercial. Kerry's tone is forceful and confident, giving credibility to the earlier attack.
Who is Talking About the Ad and the Issue
Rebuttal ad released after “Immediate Help” by Bush campaign:
John Kerry, attacking the president on Medicare. But it was Senator Kerry who voted five times to raise Medicare premiums. Kerry voted to require premium increases, calling passage of the bill "a day of vindication."
The same John Kerry who was absent for 36 of 38 Medicare votes last year, even one giving seniors prescription drug coverage. John Kerry—he actually voted for higher Medicare premiums before he came out against them.
http://www.georgewbush.com/VideoAndAudio/
Excerpt from Bush's campaign website on Kerry's Medicare voting record:
Kerry Also Signed Letters Supporting Both Higher Payments To Physicians And Higher Medicare+Choice Payments, Which Accounted For Almost Half Of The Medicare Premium Increases. The September 2003 letter: "We are writing to ask you, as a member of the Medicare conference committee, to ensure that the final Medicare bill includes a meaningful increase in Medicare+Choice funding in fiscal years 2004 and 2005."
http://www.georgewbush.com/KerryMediaCenter/Read.aspx?ID=3489
Washington Post Ad Watch on Bush's rebuttal to “Immediate Help”:
The ad makes it sound as if Kerry were praising a hike in Medicare premiums, which is misleading. He was hailing passage of the 1997 balanced-budget law, a bipartisan measure that passed the Senate 85 to 15 and, while cutting domestic programs, succeeded in wiping out the budget deficit. The other votes, which are accurately cited, also involved larger budgetary bills that contained cuts in Medicare and other programs to reduce government deficits .
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13245-2004Sep11.html
(September 20, 2004)
© Copyright 2004, The Center for Political Communication and Civic Leadership.