Oh, we'll "finish the job" all right
Doomscroll 4.30.23
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One Question
Thanks to the two of you who answered last week’s One Question about the Republican tech stack. Yes, TWO. So you guys don’t want to talk about tech - message received! We’ll move on for now, but this won’t be the last time I visit the topic. Tech is an important tool for winning elections and I’m missing that entrepreneurial spirit on our side!
Ok so this week’s One Question is pretty simple and it’s this: Were you impressed with Biden’s digital campaign launch? It’s a yes or no question, my friends, so you have no excuses this week! From the ads, to the video, to the new-ish logo: what’d you all think? If you weren’t impressed, now’s your chance to unleash and let ‘er rip. Don’t worry about hurting anyone’s feelings; it’s all anonymous and I think only 2 Dems read Doomscroll anyway!
Who’s Doing What
--The Biden Rebrand: Vintage, not Old
If you, like me, spent the week eye-rolling over the progressive fawning around Joe Biden’s campaign launch, brace yourself. I hate to spend a lot of time dissecting the digital rollout of the Biden 2024 campaign, but here goes. Maybe there’s a thing or two we can learn on our side of the aisle (there is). Sidenote: Dems were REALLY into the Biden launch this week. Like, really into it. A former Bernie Bro even spent the day predicting/projecting day-one fundraising totals for the campaign on a spreadsheet that he made public on Twitter. I’m not sure whether to be hugely impressed or shocked that a Dem operative has this much time on his hands right now. (Also this made me LOL). ANYWAY…
Let’s start with the creative. Logo: ok, fine. Adding a wave to the “E” in “Biden” doesn’t strike me as all that inspiring, but I’ll go with it. What jumped out at me immediately was a) the creamy off-white and b) the script font. To me, the off-white background is a nod to vintage design. It’s not the crisp, modern white we’re used to seeing in political design, but it fits with what I’m guessing they’re trying to get across to voters when it comes to Biden: sure, he’s old. But not bad old. He’s vintage, warm and fuzzy old. Don’t think about nursing home jello; think about how cool and retro the 70’s were. That’s the vibe. The script font…Honestly, I can’t decide if I like it or if it just reminds me of an 80-year-old who has to scribble down notes for himself so he doesn’t forget where he left the keys. Jury’s still out on that one, but right now I’m leaning toward saying if you’re going to use a script font, use something that's not reminiscent of senior citizen chicken scratch. Still, I can appreciate the creative leap on that front. I also appreciate the consistency among platforms and accounts. The scripty-scribbles are everywhere, which is good. If you’re going to commit to an element like that, then commit. The yellow and black on the Team Joe account was a bit surprising to me, but it works to add separation and distinction from the official campaign account.
Let’s talk about the 3-minute-long video. It immediately starts with that retro-vintage vibe, but what’s shocking to me is just how little President Biden is actually in the video. I’m not talking about still images or old b-roll; I’m talking actual face-to-camera talking. Where is he and what are they hiding? (I’m sure we can all answer that). It’s a slick video, and I tip my hat to whichever video editor was tasked with rounding up all those images and b-roll. I guess when you can’t have a candidate deliver a message himself to voters, you gotta do what you gotta do. Prepare for a lot of static images over the next 18 months. Sure, they’ll look pretty, but they’re there to distract from an ugly truth: Biden can’t be front and center in his own re-election campaign. A lot of people were knocking Trump’s response on Truth Social and that’s good for them, but guess what? Biden. Can’t. Do. This. So, laugh away, Dems.
A couple other things I’ll note before moving on:
The Biden campaign was up with digital ads from the get-go. I haven’t seen any presidential campaign launch on our side yet capitalize with digital spending the way the Biden campaign did this week.
I saw a couple lefty accounts point this out on Twitter, and they’re right: Biden is leaning heavily into relational organizing in a way the Right is ignoring, which is to our detriment. Asking people to spread the word and talk to their friends takes little to no effort and yet GOPers don’t do it. Why?
As a Republican operative, I love the campaign’s logo is “Finish the job.” Finish what, exactly? Finish destroying the economy? Finish giving Afghanistan over to the Taliban? Finish driving up gas prices and energy costs? Finish taking away parental rights? I could go on, and probably will in the months ahead.
--A Tale of Two Videos
The RNC and the Trump campaign both put out videos to respond to Biden’s announcement. The RNC one…let’s just say I have mixed feelings about it. The AI-generated imagery…I give them points for trying, but I’m torn on whether I think we should lean on AI for creative stuff like that. But regardless, it’s basically 30 seconds of dystopia, doom and gloom and even my cynical heart could barely take it. All I’m saying is I kinda wish we had come out of the gate with something a little more….optimistic about a future under Republican leadership. But that’s just me (and my gut tells me most Americans, too). Still, I know it’s only the opening salvo and there will be much more to come. The Trump campaign's video starts out much the same, but at least it ends with some nice pro-America optimism. I like the “Make America great for us…” tagline.
--If an ex-governor announces for president and nobody hears it, did it really happen?
Poor Asa Hutchinson. Look, it’s not his fault that Biden stole all his 2024 thunder this week. I don’t know what to say, ya’ll. I like Asa Hutchinson. I think he was a great governor. He’s smart and personable. He’s got a lot to offer and a lot to say. Is 2024 his moment? A huge part of me wants to say “Sure! Anything can happen!” So…I’m going to go with that for now. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: when it comes to the GOP presidential primary field, the more the merrier! Still, not all appears to be well in Asa-land. Let’s get to his website: “Asa for America. For America’s Best.” Is that a double slogan? Is it “Asa for America? Or “For America’s Best”? I’m confused and I’m probably not the only one. Other than that it looks pretty ok. Noticeably missing, however, is any slick announcement video (since we’re talking a lot about videos today). An announcement video would go a long way in helping define him for voters outside of Arkansas. Also missing: Facebook and Google ads, which is totally odd given how much his PAC, America Strong and Free, was spending earlier this year. But given the rumors I’ve been hearing lately about trouble in Asa-land behind the scenes, this isn’t all surprising. Gonna leave it at that for now.
--GOP Sniping, coming to a timeline near you
The candidate sniping over DeSantis and Disney and Haley and Vivek is already giving me anxiety. ICYMI: Nikki Haley took a lighthearted swipe at DeSantis by inviting Disney and all its jobs to come to South Carolina. No big deal, right? Wrong. Right away DeSantis PAC, Never Back Down was out with a video attacking Haley and calling her “MickeyHaley” and “NikkiMouse.” Watch the NBD ad here. See Haley’s interview here. And then see Vivek attack both of them here! Folks, this is dumb and no one’s winning.
-- Kentuckyyyyy
Last week I discussed the Kentucky GOP gubernatorial primary and left out Alan Keck! Sorry, Alan - but I did see your nice new ad this week! Watch it here. And ya’ll; I hate pop-ups generally, but I love this “Ask Alan a question!” one. He may not be in the top-tier polling wise, but he’s still one to watch.
-More Announcements
Gov. Jim Justice is officially running for Senate from West Virginia. Of course, he’s got to get through Alex Mooney first. And North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson has announced his gubernatorial campaign. He’s got a nice bio video, but can someone please help his website? That said, I am very happy to see him up with digital ads. He’s got a mix of fundraising, lead-gen, and the bio video. Way to go.
Merch Shoutouts: GOP Women Edition
Love this tote bag from Rep. Lori Chavez-Deremer and these koozies from Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders! Get yours here and here.
Also want to give a shout-out to Rep. Harriet Hageman’s merch store. Someone wrote in to flag it for me and I agree: it’s pretty freaking good! Check it out here.
Who’s Spending Where
Between April 20-26, the top center-right spender on Facebook ads was PragerU, with about $108,000. The Daily Wire came in second place with $104,000ish in spend. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) came in third place with $91,000 on some very cools ads that are designed to promote FIRE’s mission and increase overall awareness of the group. I especially love the video ads in which some guy named Will answers a question like “is it legal to burn a cross?”. Good, good stuff there. Newsmax and Proud Patriots round out the top 5. Actually, given the Tucker news this week, I’m surprised Newsmax didn’t dramatically up its ad spend to try and capture pissed Fox viewers.
During that same time period, State Solutions Inc was the top GOP spender on Google, with its anti-Andy Beshear spot. Kathleen Ford came in second with a 15-second ad you can watch here. Ford is the GOP candidate running for State Representative in Pennsylvania’s 163rd district. Duval County Republican Executive Committee is in third place with an ad supporting Daniel Davis for Jacksonville mayor, while Kelly Craft is in fourth. Rounding out the top five this week is Friends of Ron DeSantis with fundraising search ads!
P2P
Industry Watch
You may have missed it, but this week the Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases around how government officials use social media. Here’s more from SCOTUSBlog:
The social-media question came to the court in two different lawsuits. One was filed against Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff and T.J. Zane, two members of a school board in southern California who used Facebook and Twitter to communicate with the public. After O’Connor-Ratcliff and Zane blocked Christopher and Kimberly Garnier, two parents who criticized them, the Garniers went to federal court, arguing that the school board members violated their First Amendment rights by blocking them.
…
O’Connor-Ratcliff and Zane came to the Supreme Court last fall, asking the justices to weigh in. They pointed to a similar case, a lawsuit filed against James Freed, the city manager of Port Huron, Michigan, in which they said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit had reached a different result – a situation in which the Supreme Court is likely to intervene. In that case, Kevin Lindke, a resident of the city, didn’t approve of Freed’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and left critical comments on Freed’s Facebook page. When Freed eventually blocked him, Lindke went to court, where – like the Garniers – he argued that Freed’s actions violated the First Amendment. But the 6th Circuit disagreed. It ruled that because Freed did not operate his Facebook page as part of his duties as the city manager, blocking Lindke did not violate the First Amendment.
The Grapevine
TLC needs some…TLC? Rumor has it mail+digital firm The Lukens Company has done two rounds of layoffs in the last month. Yikes.
I also noticed in my reading about the KY gov race this week that Kristin Davis is a senior advisor to Kelly Craft. Many of you probably already knew that, but I didn’t so here it is! I’ve never met Davis, but she was instrumental in getting Glenn Youngkin elected in Virginia, so you could call me a fan. Also makes sense now why Prosper Group is involved in the Craft campaign.
Got a tip for The Grapevine? Job announcement? Job opening? Fav summer destination? Email ‘em to me at itsthedoomscroll@gmail.com
Last But Not Least
From the other side of the aisle:
I don’t know how many of you read The Intercept, but they published an interesting report this week about Saudi Arabia’s stake in Democrat tech (speaking of tech!). Here’s more:
THE GOVERNMENT OF Saudi Arabia is an investor in the private company that owns a virtual monopoly on software that powers Democratic candidates — including management of the Democratic National Committee’s all-important voter list.
Sanabil Investments, the company that manages Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, recently published its first list of investments in venture capital, buyout firms, and startups. The list includes two private equity firms involved two years ago in the sale and acquisition of EveryAction and NGP VAN, the companies that make up the Democratic Party’s campaign tech apparatus.
I’m not saying there’s anything weird here- The Intercept does'n’t even try to draw many conclusions from this disclosure. But it is interesting to note! HMU if you disagree.
From the other side of the tracks:
Brandwatch just released a new report about 2023 consumer shopping trends. On the list? The hype over dupes. For those dinosaurs who are unfamiliar, a “dupe” is just another word for “knock-off,” and apparently consumers love them. I can attest: the hunt for dupes on social media is real. Anyway, it got me thinking about a fun way candidate could capitalize on dupes. Imagine a funny video in which a candidate talks about how great dupes are when it comes to sunglasses and purses, but when it comes to politics don’t you want the real deal? The real conservative? I don’t know, maybe it’s dumb - but it’s where my brain goes! Do with it what you will.
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading! Did you like it? Consider forwarding to your friends!