Obama’s Olympics opening ceremony ad: ‘I Believe’
President Obama is touting his support for the middle class in an ad during the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, using the international event to reach millions of Americans with a feel-good message.
Unlike the overwhelmingly negative campaigns both candidates have been running, “I Believe” is a positive 30-second clip from a recent Obama speech. There’s no mention of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the president’s presumptive Republican rival.
“We’re a nation of workers and doers and dreamers,” the president says in the video, from a July 14 rally in Hampton, Va. “We work hard for what we get. And all we ask for is that our hard work pays off. I believe that the way you grow the economy is from the middle out. I believe in fighting for the middle class because if they’re prospering all of us will prosper. That’s the idea of America and that’s why America is the greatest nation on earth.”
Both Obama and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) aired ads during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But only McCain ran an ad during the opening ceremony, which 34.2 million people in America watched. And only McCain went negative, running the sarcastic attack ad “Celebrity.” Obama aired a positive spot about green energy jobs that began running the day after the opening night festivities.
McCain’s choice to go negative during a moment of national unity was controversial. Viewers found McCain’s ad far more memorable, but many were turned off by it.
The London Olympics opening ceremony will air at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBC.
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