Obama Children of the Future Ad Blames Mom and Dad For Not Voting the Right Way

A pretty little girl, a black-and-white daisy, and an atom bomb help to elect Lyndon Johnson president in 1964. This is an independent project created by Goodby, Silverstein & Partners founders Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein ... who channeled the classic 1964 "Daisy" in an Obama 2012 ad, "The Children of the Future." Is this today's "Daisy," and will it help propel Obama to a second term? Probably not. 

A comparison to the 1964 "Daisy" classic is in order.

After the bomb explodes, incinerating the adorable "Daisy," Lyndon Johnson intones a simple message: "These are the stakes. To make a world in which all of God's children can live, or go into the dark. We must either love each other, or we must die." The commercial ends with a simple printed message: "Vote for Lyndon Johnson on November 3."

Today, we have the Children of the Corn — oops, Future. 

What are the ad messaging mistakes? Let me count the ways.

1) 28 hollow-eyed children, not just one cute little girl.

2) Horrific song.

3) In 1964, most people were afraid of the atom bomb and total nuclear war. It's hard to say what the Children of the Future fear, except mom & dad not voting for Obama.

But, I'll try. Apparently, we're horrified by . . . 

strip mines . . . gay "re-education" . . . sick people just dying . . . oil spills . . . free freeways . . . mediocre schools . . . endless wars . . . Chinese stuff . . . almost killing all the polar bears . . . firing Big Bird . . . cracking the earth . . . frying the atmosphere . . . Congress going home early . . . cutting only welfare spending . . . closed parks . . . poison air . . . foreclosures . . . space weapons . . . 

and the classic, a "dumbed down place."

The children have that right.

As to Goodby Silverstein & Partners, creators of the classic, enduring "Got Milk?" campaign? I have a new campaign for them to work on. It's called "Got clue?"