Subtle Attack Ad Debuts in Swing States

A new ad from Larry McCarthy, the producer behind the infamous Willie Horton commercial in 1988, and funded Karl Rove’s Crossroads GPS, “is expected to become one of the most heavily broadcast political commercials of this phase of the general election,” the New York Times reports.

It will debut tomorrow in 10 swing states as the centerpiece of a $25 million campaign.

“Yet what Mr. McCarthy and Crossroads have produced is not the kind of searing denunciation of President Obama that their track records would suggest. More soft-pedal than Swift Boat, the 60-second advertisement, complete with special effects, is a deeply researched, delicately worded story of a struggling family; its relatively low-key tone is all the more striking, coming at a point in the campaign when each side is accusing the other of excessive negativity.”