Conservative PAC The Lincoln Project has gained a lot of attention this election cycle for its viral anti-Trump ads. But as Election Day nears, TLP has been adding more old-fashioned, feel-good political ads into the mix—ads that explicitly promote the presidential candidate the group has formally endorsed.
The latest: “Biden’s moment” (below), a 108-second ad that serves up scenes of a troubled nation (Americans in masks, protesting in the streets, etc.) along with historical and contemporary shots of Joe Biden across decades of family life and public service. Underscored by a violin-led classical composition that gradually builds to an uplifting symphonic crescendo, we hear the voices of both an announcer and Biden himself:
[Announcer] America is hurting. There’s a sickness in the land—more than just a virus that could have been controlled long ago. Our faith is being tested—our faith in each other and the goodness of America. This is Joe Biden’s moment—what his life prepared him for. Not an easy life, but being American isn’t about what’s easy. It’s about never giving up. He came from a family on hard times, overcame a crushing disability, endured the worst loss a man can imagine. And he never gave up. He kept the faith—the faith that love is stronger than hate, that kindness is stronger than anger.
[Joe Biden’s voice] As I look across America today, hope seems elusive.
[Announcer] Today, it’s not easy in America. Maybe it’s destiny.
[Biden] My answer is this.
[Announcer] Maybe a higher power.
[Biden] You and I are part of a covenant.
[Announcer] But once again the right leader is here to bring us together.
[Biden] If we do our part ...
[Announcer] This is Joe Biden’s moment.
[Biden] ... if we stand together ...
[Announcer] This is our moment.
[Biden] ... the divisions of our time will give way ...
[Announcer] This is America.
[Biden] ... to the dreams of a brighter, better future. We can be what we are at our best: The UNITED States of America.
As Ad Age has previously reported, The Lincoln Project launched last December with an op-ed in The New York Times headlined “We Are Republicans, and We Want Trump Defeated” (subhead: “The president and his enablers have replaced conservatism with an empty faith led by a bogus prophet”). The NYT bio line for the op-ed’s authors—George T. Conway III, Steve Schmidt, John Weaver and Rick Wilson—noted that they “have worked for and supported Republican campaigns.”
