The Obama campaign debuts a new, supposedly "used" slogan:
Weigel surveys the use of "Forward":
It's a word previously seen on MSNBC, in the Chinese Communist Party, etc and etc. Because this is a business obssessed with the taste of its own tail, the MSNBC affiliation is the one getting all the attention.
But I think I see another antecendent for "Forward." In 2005, Tony Blair's Labour Party faced an election for an unprecedented (for a Labour PM) third term. The Iraq War has eaten into Blair's popularity; there was a sense that his party was tired, that it had disappointed the Left almost as much as it had offended the right. The best thing Blair had going for him was a still-weak Conservative Party, helmed by the unexciting consensus candidate Michael Howard. And so the Labour campaign began with this ad — Blair and then-Chancellor Gordon Brown (at the time, a more popular figure) riffing about their accomplishments. The slogan was "Forward, Not Back."
Meanwhile, the Romney camp fixates on spending:
The DNC hits Romney on education:
And the Obama campaign highlights its opponent's "severe" positions on women's issues:
Previous Ad War Updates: Apr 27, Apr 26, Apr 25, Apr 24, Apr 23, Apr 18, Apr 17, Apr 16, Apr 13, Apr 11, Apr 10, Apr 9, Apr 5, Apr 4, Apr 3, Apr 2, Mar 30, Mar 27, Mar 26, Mar 23, Mar 22, Mar 21, Mar 20, Mar 19, Mar 16, Mar 15, Mar 14, Mar 13, Mar 12, Mar 9, Mar 8, Mar 7, Mar 6, Mar 5, Mar 2, Mar 1, Feb 29, Feb 28, Feb 27, Feb 23, Feb 22, Feb 21, Feb 17, Feb 16, Feb 15, Feb 14, Feb 13, Feb 9, Feb 8, Feb 7, Feb 6, Feb 3, Feb 2, Feb 1, Jan 30, Jan 29, Jan 27, Jan 26, Jan 25, Jan 24, Jan 22, Jan 20, Jan 19, Jan 18, Jan 17, Jan 16 and Jan 12.
The Dish 