Controversy’s favorite child: the ad man
August 18th, 2008 by Brian Donahue
The 1988 Willie Horton “Weekend Passes” ad will forever be remembered for its effectiveness at driving home a negative message against Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis. The ad was written by Floyd Brown, then a consultant to the National Security Political Action Committee.
Twenty years later, hard at work in Seattle, Brown is working to produce an Obama version of the Dukakis ad. He was interviewed last week by the Seattle Times.Â
“I’m going to go dig up the information that the mainstream media is scared of, the McCain campaign finds difficult to deal with, and may make some people feel uncomfortable,” Brown said.
Brown is releasing an ad on his Web site and YouTube every other week and is spreading his message through mass mailers and phone banks. Galleys of his new book, “Obama Unmasked,” are stacked in the barren office he’s renting through November.
Despite modest funding, mainly from online donors, Brown’s efforts have been singled out by the Obama campaign as a prime example of the dangers the candidate faces from attacks by independent groups.Â
While the ‘88 Horton ad cost $100,000, Brown is producing everything today on his laptop. While controversial, here are two of his spots that would have the ability to move poll numbers : (more…)





