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New website showcases old presidential ads

BY Josh Kerns  on September 4, 2012 @ 9:16 am (Updated: 9:44 am - 9/4/12 )

With the presidential campaign in full swing, the airwaves will soon be inundated with candidate commercials. How do they stack up with spots from campaigns past? Tom spent much of the Labor Day weekend watching hundreds of old presidential campaign commercials, thanks to a great new website called The Living Room Candidate.

History buffs will appreciate how different many of the political hot topics were in the past compared to 2012. For instance, issues of war and peace, crime, and even corruption are not huge issues in today's campaign.

But for those more interested in current events, there are some longtime topics that are still germane - taxes, health care, welfare reform.

For this year, President Obama seems most vulnerable to the charge that he failed to deliver on what he promised in terms of economic recovery.

The GOP has been using his own words against him, an effective political strategy through the ages.


Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (3)


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  • Blueharmony wrote...
    "Ya know", not.
    September 4, 2012 10:26 am
    Hi Tom! As some constructive criticism please refrain from using the phrase "Ya know". I love hearing your analysis but when you pause by saying "ya know" I'm thinking "No, I don't know. That's why I'm listening". Thankfully you DO continue to explain your point while many people do not. Perhaps it's just a pet peeve but today's English is rife with non-specific, no responsibilty phrases like "ya know", and my personal bain "I'm just saying". Respectfully, Kenny
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  • O-town listener wrote...
    just goes to show..
    September 4, 2012 4:48 pm

    "But for those more interested in current events, there are some longtime topics that are still germane - taxes, health care, welfare reform."

    So through democrat presidents and republican presidents and democrat senators and republican senators and all the other democrat and republican politicians - some things never change. Although, I'm sure it is cause the dems keep fixing it and the repubs keep messin it up again... or because the repubs keep fixing it and the dems keep messin it up again... One of those two..

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  • Zagnut wrote...
    LBJ, like SO many white lib leaders was a racist who tried to figure out a way to get the "N word" folks to vote for him. And the sick thing is - it works.
    September 4, 2012 5:49 pm
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1rIDmDWSms
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