Ad man Bill Hillsman just may be the savviest media consultant in politics. That's probably in part because he's not a political media consultant -- not a typical one anyways. Hillsman also works in the business world and enters the political realm mostly to do amazing work for candidates he personally believes in, typically from outside the major parties. Hillsman has done famous ads for Paul Wellstone, Ned Lamont, Ralph Nader, Jesse Ventura, and Kinky Friedman. For dyed-in-the-wool progressives like myself, that's a mixed bag, but it speaks to the depths of Hillsman's frustrations with politics as usual.That probably explains why he's jumped into the fight over California's Proposition 89 -- a clean elections and campaign finance clean-up act stirring up a hot debate in California. His new ad for the issue doesn't even look like a political ad -- its production values are too high-end.
Polling shows Proposition 89 is in a fierce battle, but as Hillsman's ad makes clear, the big money interests are actually shooting themselves in the foot. Spending tens of millions of dollars on nasty ad campaigns to try to destroy popular initiatives, these corporate interests are angering voters. Hillsman goes ninja style and turns these frustrations into a powerful argument for campaign finance reform. This is a tough race -- no one doubts that given the array of powerful interests uniting against it. But if they pull it out, it'll be because of hard work and imaginative thinking from these advocates, who are being massively outspent.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Democrats must seize the initiative and become the anti-corruption party in light of the abuses of the past 12 years. And they must acknowledge incidents of their own shameful behavior in the past. Anyone's hold on power is going to be tenuous in our 50/50 nation. If Democrats do take 1 or both houses of Congress, it would be good for them to remember that.
Michael T at 2:15PM on Oct 17th 2006
2. The "SMOKING BAN" issue is the most ridiculous issue to base any political campaign. Smoking and Second Hand Smoke, are not killing more people than alcohol, over eating, or for God's sake, living in a city with a lot of bus pollution. People should have the right to smoke as long as they are polite and if it bother, NOTICE I say BOTHERS, another person, they put the cigarette out. I'm so sick of all these health freaks, thinking if they don't smoke or expose themselves to cigarette smoke, they're never going to DIE! GUESS WHAT, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE. In fact, these unscientific studies done to make the case against smoking et. al., are nothing but a bunch of lies. They're used by LAZY politicians, who don't have anything more substantive on which to run their platform--and it's plain "IN" to use smokers as scapegoats.
But as I said, we're all going to die, and I for one, would rather die 10 years sooner, if I enjoyed the freedoms our parents had in the 1940's. I'm sick of politicians being our "MOMMY AND DADDY" as if we're all too stupid to make our own choices. I don't know about any of the anti smoking "IN" politicians, but I sure would rather die earlier, than live to be 90 in a nursing home where I have to exist in my own excrement.
Why don't these California fruits and nuts, run on a platform to stop politicians from running our day to day lives?
Denise Hess, RN at 8:07PM on Oct 17th 2006
3. I think that's very clever to go precisely to advertisement to make the point that it is all those ads that are making us confused, bored or simply apathetic. The ad is very clear and represents how we viewers field bombarded every time is election season. It would be much better to have candidates and proponents and opponents to initiatives have real debates from which we can draw our own conclusions and cast and intelligent vote. If 89 pass that is what we will have more about.
Anai at 6:51PM on Oct 17th 2006
4. Hillsman does great ads but I'm not sure about this issue. The Prop is oriented against corps and more favorable for unions. on the other hand, corps have been able to dominate airwaves and campaigns. If we want real campaign reform, check out justsixdollars.org. Looks like something we can all support, seriously, return elections to the people.
Phil at 8:50AM on Oct 18th 2006
5. REMEMBER THIS NAME: JERRY WELLER
jon julian at 6:44PM on Oct 19th 2006