Bush in 30 Seconds
Encyclopedia
Bushin30seconds.org is a liberal
web site sponsored by MoveOn.org voter fund
. The website showcases the results of a political advertising contest that was open to the public in November 2003, in which the goal was to criticize key points about George W. Bush
and his policies in just 30 seconds of airtime.
The Bush in 30 Seconds ad contest was created by MoveOn.org Executive Director Eli Pariser
, MoveOn.org Cultural Director Laura Dawn
, and multi-platinum selling pop star Moby
.
Ads were judged in different categories, such as funniest ad, best animated ad, best youth ad, overall best ad, and overall best ad runner-up. In the end, there were 6 winners and 26 finalists. In the branch-off categories, the public picked winners from four choices. Two entries stirred controversy by comparing Bush to Nazi Germany
and were rejected by MoveOn after they received complaints.
The overall winning ad was "Child's Pay," by Charlie Fisher, 38, of Denver. Charlie Fisher is an advertising executive who was a registered Republican until the end of the first Bush administration, in 1992. It features young children working jobs – washing dishes, hauling trash, repairing tires, cleaning offices, assembly-line processing and grocery checking – followed by the line: "Guess who’s going to pay off President Bush’s $1 trillion deficit?"
The ads were judged by a panel of celebrity judges, consisting of Jack Black
, Benny Boom
, Donna Brazile
, James Carville
, Margaret Cho
, Hector Elizondo
, Al Franken
, Janeane Garofalo
, Stan Greenberg
, Ted Hope
, Michael Mann
, Moby
, Michael Moore
, Mark Pellington
, Tony Shalhoub
, Russell Simmons
, Michael Stipe
, Gus Van Sant
, Katrina vanden Heuvel
, Jessica Lange
, and Eddie Vedder
.
Along with the finalists, the top 150 ads are now available online, ranging from the serious to the absurd.
All of the works are created under the Creative Commons
BY-NC-ND license.
The winning ad was to be aired on CBS
during the Super Bowl
half-time. However, CBS refused to air the ad, and so it was aired on CNN
instead.
An archive of (all?) 330 approved contest entries is available for viewing online at The "Bush in 30 Seconds" Archive, not associated with MoveOn.org.
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
web site sponsored by MoveOn.org voter fund
MoveOn
MoveOn is an American non-profit, progressive or liberal public policy advocacy group and political action committee, which has raised millions of dollars for candidates it identifies as "moderates" or "progressives" in the United States. It was formed in 1998 in response to the impeachment of...
. The website showcases the results of a political advertising contest that was open to the public in November 2003, in which the goal was to criticize key points about George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and his policies in just 30 seconds of airtime.
The Bush in 30 Seconds ad contest was created by MoveOn.org Executive Director Eli Pariser
Eli Pariser
Eli Pariser is the former Executive Director of MoveOn.org, and the organization's current Board President....
, MoveOn.org Cultural Director Laura Dawn
Laura Dawn
Laura Dawn is an American political activist and singer/songwriter. She has been the Cultural Director for MoveOn.org since March 2004 and was named the organization's National Creative Director in 2007.-Musical work:...
, and multi-platinum selling pop star Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
.
Ads were judged in different categories, such as funniest ad, best animated ad, best youth ad, overall best ad, and overall best ad runner-up. In the end, there were 6 winners and 26 finalists. In the branch-off categories, the public picked winners from four choices. Two entries stirred controversy by comparing Bush to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and were rejected by MoveOn after they received complaints.
The overall winning ad was "Child's Pay," by Charlie Fisher, 38, of Denver. Charlie Fisher is an advertising executive who was a registered Republican until the end of the first Bush administration, in 1992. It features young children working jobs – washing dishes, hauling trash, repairing tires, cleaning offices, assembly-line processing and grocery checking – followed by the line: "Guess who’s going to pay off President Bush’s $1 trillion deficit?"
The ads were judged by a panel of celebrity judges, consisting of Jack Black
Jack Black (actor)
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black is an American comedian, actor and musician. He makes up one half of the comedy and satirical rock duo Tenacious D. The group has two albums as well as a television series and a film. His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally...
, Benny Boom
Benny Boom
Benny Boom is a music video director and current director of Gorilla Flix, Inc. He trained at Temple University's School of Radio, Television, & Film, and also served as a protégé of veteran director Little X and Hype Williams....
, Donna Brazile
Donna Brazile
Donna Brazile is an American author, professor, and political analyst affiliated with the Democratic Party. She was the first African American to direct a major presidential campaign, for Al Gore in 2000...
, James Carville
James Carville
Chester James Carville, Jr. is an American political consultant, commentator, educator, actor, attorney, media personality, and prominent liberal pundit. Carville gained national attention for his work as the lead strategist of the successful presidential campaign of then-Arkansas governor Bill...
, Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho
Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author, and recording artist. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality. She has also directed and appeared in music...
, Hector Elizondo
Hector Elizondo
Héctor Elizondo is an American actor. Elizondo's first major role was that of "God" in the play Steambath, for which he won an Obie Award...
, Al Franken
Al Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
, Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
, Stan Greenberg
Stan Greenberg
Stanley Bernard Greenberg is a leading Democratic pollster and political strategist who has advised the campaigns of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry, as well as hundreds of other candidates and organizations in the United States and around the world, including the former Bundeskanzler ...
, Ted Hope
Ted Hope
Ted Hope is an American independent film producer based in New York City.As the American Indie wave hit in the early 90’s, Ted was among the first producers to emerge from the pack, and today remains one of the few consistently delivering vital and exciting new work...
, Michael Mann
Michael Mann (film director)
Michael Kenneth Mann is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. For his work, he has received nominations from international organizations and juries, including those at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Cannes and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
, Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
, Mark Pellington
Mark Pellington
-Life and career:Pellington was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He directed The Mothman Prophecies, a 2002 film starring Richard Gere dealing with mysterious deaths foretold by a strange red-eyed flying creature, Mothman, as well as Arlington Road in 1999 starring Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges....
, Tony Shalhoub
Tony Shalhoub
Anthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub is an American actor of Lebanese descent. His television work includes the roles of Antonio Scarpacci on Wings and sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. He has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work in Monk...
, Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons
-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
, Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
, Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
, Katrina vanden Heuvel
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Katrina vanden Heuvel is the editor, publisher, and part-owner of the magazine The Nation. She has been the magazine's editor since 1995. She is a frequent guest on numerous television programs...
, Jessica Lange
Jessica Lange
Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer...
, and Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
.
Along with the finalists, the top 150 ads are now available online, ranging from the serious to the absurd.
All of the works are created under the Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
BY-NC-ND license.
The winning ad was to be aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
during the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
half-time. However, CBS refused to air the ad, and so it was aired on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
instead.
An archive of (all?) 330 approved contest entries is available for viewing online at The "Bush in 30 Seconds" Archive, not associated with MoveOn.org.