Here's Obama's latest bio ad titled "What If...", which started airing in Iowa today.

(h/t TPM for YouTube version,)

This is a really strong ad, stronger it seems to me than his first two bio spots. This ad has a stronger narrative that frames Obama as a longtime champion of the hope and unity on which he's based his entire campaign. It's successful for several reasons, not the least of which is that it gets digs in at his chief rivals, Edwards by recontextualizing (and hence appropriating) the idea of "one America" and Clinton by citing "reining in lobbyists" as his chief feat as a US Senator and both of them by reminding us he was a "leader with the judgment to oppose the Iraq war before it began."

The ad begins with a hypothetical that sums up Obama's campaign in a nutshell:

What if we had hope instead of fear, unity instead of division.

The ad then transitions to clips of Obama's 2004 convention speech before moving on to the obligatory resume items and as it takes you on Obama's journey from community organizer to US Senator, you can't help but think, gee, this guy HAS done a lot. And the feel of the ad is that of a general election ad. It positions Obama as above the fray and at the same time, presidential, moreso than I've seen him portrayed before.

I also REALLY like the reference to "restoring our faith in government," which I think is a sleeper theme of this campaign and is especially poignant in the wake of the Minneapolic bridge collapse and the trapped Utah miners.

The kicker of the ad though is at the end, just the two words:

Join Us

on a white background as his speech trails off accompanied by cheering supporters. It's an ask that at once references the Obama movement but also is a unity message in itself. It is a simple way of saying none of this need be hypothetical and that Obama, as Michele would say, is the answer.

There's more...

Here is the ad promoting Democrats that was unveiled to us at last night's session in Chicago.

I have to say it landed with somewhat of a thud in the room last night, although it did elicit polite applause. My problem with it is that there is no toughness, it almost has the feel of an SNL parody ad. And where is the talk of values? Are we really back to the days of Democrats merely making lists (or perhaps we never left?) But on repeat viewings, I'm noticing that the ad actually does try to do more than merely list accomplishments, it's actually trying to tell a story. And it just might succeed.

More of my take on the ad over the flip...

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