2012 US Presidential Elections: The War of the Spotlights

It has become a tradition for presidential candidates to use TV sports commercials to promote themselves or make fun of their opponents. In the run-up to the November 6th election, American candidates are no exception, as you will see below:

Barack Obama

From his very first campaign videos, the incumbent president emphasized his record on energy policy. He defended himself by claiming to have reduced the United States' dependence on foreign oil (which has, in fact, fallen below 501,000 tons). He also highlighted the fact that 2.7 million jobs have been created so far thanks to clean energy. All of these messages were set to the tune of Soul singer Al Green's song "Let's Stay Together.".

Mitt Romney

In late January 2012, Republican candidate Mitt Romney produced a television ad questioning how his opponent, Newt Gingrich, had financed his campaign. He took the opportunity to reveal that Gingrich had worked for a mortgage lending agency at the height of the subprime mortgage crisis. Shortly afterward, Romney released another video challenging decisions made by Gingrich during his time as Speaker of the House. Romney holds the record for the highest amount spent on these television ads: US$2.6 million!

Newt Gingrich

For his part, the conservative candidate produced a rather lengthy video, strangely reminiscent of a movie trailer. In it, he recounts the many battles he fought while serving as Speaker of the House (1995-99). He also attacks Obama, alleging that never before in American history have so many Americans had no choice but to rely on food stamps.

Ron Paul

En revanche, Newt Gingrich, s’est fait semoncer par l’ancien candidat Ron Paul à propos de son implication dans la société Freddie Mac.