A Tale Of Two Ads

On MSNBC's Morning Joe, Joe Scar and Mika mocked Obama's two minute ad and praised McCain's, mostly based on what they thought were superior production values. McCain's ad has a punchline, it's slick, it contains a swipe at Obama -- all the usual ingredients.

Obama's 2-minute ad presents him as a candidate who is not going to sugar coat things; his on-the-[hotel-suite] living-room-couch persona is very likeable; he seems very relaxed, understanding, and quietly confident.

Will people tune in one ad and ignore the other?

Remember, Obama aired a two-minute ad just like this one a few days before the Iowa caucuses. Many Obama aides believed at the time that it pushed him over the edge because it made voters feel comfortable voting for Obama.

Feeling uncomfortable with Obama -- not knowing the cut of his jib, what's in his maw, all of that -- is the essential hurdle for him in this election.  Even the McCain campaign admits, in quieter moments, that if voters feel comfortable voting for Obama, well, not even Sarah Palin can swing this election.