Johnson’s “Daisy” Ad

Perhaps one of the most famous negative Presidential campaign ads came from 1964.  It was run by the campaign of President Lyndon Johnson (D).  His opponent was Republican Barry Goldwater.  Johnson won the election in a landslide.  This commercial, called the “Daisy” ad, aired only once as it was deemed to be too extreme at that time.  The voice you hear in the middle of the ad is that of President Johnson.  What is more important though is what is being “said” about Barry Goldwater.

What is being said about Barry Goldwater in this ad?

This Week’s Memorabilia

This piece of Presidential memorabilia was from the 1964 campaign of Republican nominee, Barry Goldwater.  Goldwater lost the election to President Lyndon Johnson in a landslide.  However, Goldwater’s candidacy shifted the Republican Party to the conservative right.   Your thoughts on the slogan/bumper sticker?

The Daisy Ad

It isn’t very often where a political ad that is only run once gets more notoriety than an ad that is run over and over for all the public to see.  That is the case with this political commercial, which is called the “Daisy Ad“.  The ad’s content in 1964 was deemed to be too extreme and it was only shown once during the Presidential campaign of that year.  The ad, which supported Democratic President Lyndon Johnson, painted the Republican opponent, Barry Goldwater as an extremist.

What is important to note is that the ad is effective because of what is said/seen and what is not said/seen.  What do you see/hear or NOT see/hear in the ad that, in your opinion, makes the ad effective?  (By the way, the voice that you hear before the closing narration of the ad is President Johnson.)

LBJ, Ice Cream, and Barry Goldwater

What is the purpose of this ad from 1964?  Have political ads changed in any way since then?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-VzZQGWOqA&NR=1&feature=endscreen

Electoral College Results Since 1964

There are 538 available Electoral College votes in this year’s Presidential election.  That total has remained the same since 1964.  Below are the Electoral vote totals for each Presidential election since 1964.

1964:  Lyndon Johnson (D) 486, Barry Goldwater (R) 52

1968:  Richard Nixon (R) 301, Hubert Humphrey (D) 197, George Wallace (I) 40

1972:  Nixon (R) 520, George McGovern (D) 17, John Hospers (L) 1

1976:  Jimmy Carter (D) 297, Gerald Ford (R) 240

1980:  Ronald Reagan (R) 489, Carter (D) 49

1984:  Reagan (R) 525, Walter Mondale (D) 13

1988:  George H.W. Bush (R) 429, Michael Dukakis (D) 112

1992:  Bill Clinton (D) 370, Bush (R) 168

1996:  Clinton (D) 387, Bob Dole (R) 151

2000:  George W. Bush (R) 271, Al Gore (D) 266

2004:  Bush (R) 286, John Kerry (D) 251

2008:  Barack Obama (D) 365, John McCain (R) 173

What do you think this year’s Electoral vote total will be for the 2012 Presidential Election?