As Obama hits the campaign trail, 'Mourning in America' ad greets him, recalling the Reagan era

These videos pretty much speak for themselves.

The first one is the classic "Morning in America" ad that helped ensure Ronald Reagan's overwhelming reelection in 1984 over some Democrat from Minnesota.

Watch it. And then scroll down to the next one.

Now here's a powerful new ad that you'll soon be seeing on TVs across the country.

Its title is different by one letter: "Mourning in America."

Democratic President Obama and his sidekick from Delaware head out on ambitious cross-country campaign swings starting this week, trying to stem what polls indicate is a serious hemorrhaging of political support for their administration, their expensive policies and their majority party that has controlled Congress since 2007.

Obama's not on any ballot on the Nov. 2 elections. But this slow-paced visual....

...message by Fred Davis of Strategic Perception for Citizens for the Republic is aimed smack dab at him -- and by implication all those who support the incumbent's "grand experiment" that has so regrettably failed.

However, Obama's not angrily attacked. And he's mentioned only once.

But as Kathleen Parker so eloquently notes, that's enough with the parallel, contrasting Reagan era images to tap into, not the ubiquitous anger we hear so much about abroad in the land these days, but instead into the nation's surging sense of sadness over the failure of so many hopes in the last two years.

Now, tell us below what you think of these two commercials.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Comments

[Joanna Wilson]

I found the contrast striking. I lived both era's (I am 64 Y.O.) so I also find the second video sad, thought provoking, interesting to see where this will go from here.

[Gaymedia]

They need something harsher that just says, "Obama turned out to be a real douchebag - yet - he still thinks he's your king. Nancy Pelosi is hated by her own party now - and is also a douchebag. Let's vote them, and all of the people who have been agreeing with them all along, OUT. INCLUDING Republicans who have been traitors to their own party. That should just about do it. Unemployment and deficit and bad economy ARE Obama's fault. He's worse than Carter.

[Mikejpss]

Just as the young man asked obama last week "Is this the new American dream?" and the lady that voted for him asked "Where is all that change you promised"? ......... Look folks, don't beat up on your fellow Americans b/c they made the mistake of voting for this man. We are all Americans.. obama and his admin wants to divide us all, lets not let him succeed in that ..............

[Madash]

Don't you Mour-ons realize that Obama is a great transformational president? He's more important than this county -- his focus in the World! He'll cut this country down to size, make us pay for our imperialistic ways, our exploitation of the earth's resources, he'll address our disproportionate share of the world's income, and redistribute it to poor and disadvantaged African countries, to pay for America's original sin of slavery -- a heinous original sin that YOU MUST PAY FOR NOW. America deserves the Obama Bitch Slap it's getting now.

NOT!

[Lori]

This is a fantastic ad, and I think states exactly what has happened under Obama and the Demon-crats.

[Mark]

I was sad for America from the very beginning- it was so obvious to me that Obama was a fraud and what we're experiencing now was painfully obvious way back when he was lieing for President. My real sadness is that so many people were duped into believing his crap, maybe even Obama believed it himself- that's even more frightening.

But with defiance of common sense and disregard for basic principles, the American people ignored a sea of red flags, and my sorrow continues. Obama's destruction of America is self-induced...God help us all.

[Tim Howell]

"Mourning in America" does not work for me. I agree we have problems, but I am also a firm believer in what you focus on with your mind, you create, or thoughts become things.

An ad that focuses on the positive movement toward the founding fathers, our nations founding principles will get higher ratings every time.

Be and focus on that change, pretend like your competitor isn't even in the room, and nothing can stop the re-founding.

[judithod]

Concerning the phrase "Under the leadership of President Obama," I would delete the word "leadership." He has demonstrated zilch leadership, only pontifications and accusations.

[sanityisrare]

Great and accurate ad....sadly the ideologues will follow BO and Pelosi into the pit. Reagan must be spinning like a top....

[Joe]

Sad but true.

[IdahoRich]

Love the video lets hope folks across America go out and vote the scoundrels out. Its time for Revolution

[Matt]

Wow, I'd love to know what everyone posting here was doing when Bush was running this country into the ground? Question for you: when did the recession start? Or how about who signed in the first bailout of the banks? Or what would the economy of our country (including the debt) look like without the Iraq war? I bet no one will answer these things because they like to blame the current administration. God forbid they look at the massive failings of the last Republican president and call him on it.

[answer4everything]

Holy carp! Just read thru the first page of comments on these ads and am just amazed at what I'm reading in the LATimes. I'm pretty sure most of the comments are from people outside CA. Never have I been able to read thru a single page of comments at the LAT without coming across one from a liberal/progressive inhabitant of Dreamy Utopia. When the socialist progressives don't even bother to come to the LAT comments section to defend their messiah you just know they have to be getting discouraged and disheartened. GOOD!

Hey! Liberal Dems! If you ever wondered how Custer and his men felt at Little Bighorn, its probably pretty similar to what you're feeling now going into this election.

BWAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!

[Lee]

Obama is the hands-down WORST we have ever had. Sure, you could look to other bad leaders and flops, too (such as Wilson, Carter, etc) -- each with their unconstitutional agenda's and/or sheer ineptitutde -- but they at least were not flat-out anti-American racists like this current guy is. Barack Hussein Obama -- despite being voted into office by whites (there aren't enough blacks to do it on their own), raised by whites and in fact half-white, himself -- nonetheless has chosen to wholly identify with his black ancestry...and the I'm-a-lifetime-victim-of-whitey that so many black choose to adapt (to their own loss, ultimately). And thus, he entered office having it in for whitey, and with a desire to DESTROY and REMAKE American culture and identity as we know it...and what's worse, he's fused that with a socialist agenda (which he sees as one, with his racial attitude). This is his ultimate problem, and why he's been the way he has. More and more people have caught onto this, these last two years -- and that's why he's politically DYING right before our eyes. And it couldn't happen to a more deserving schlup.

[Ameriapp]

I agree with xJonx. When I was in college, I was taught that when we graduated we would be in the top 5% of the world. When Obama speaks of redistributing wealth from the top 2% to everyone else, he is speaking as a "world organiser". Since pretty much everyone in America is in the top 2% of the world, economically speaking, he wants to give our wealth and prosperity away to all of the failed governments globally. Our constitutional experiment was not developed for the "global intolerant"! It was an American idea and if the global community would like to follow us, fine. Do so, but don't come to our shores expecting to take from us that which we have been nurturing for over two hundred years and think that we will just give up willingly! We will fish for a day and share with you but you better learn to fish eventually or you will starve!

[Spud M]

Great ad! Great because it is TRUE.
Run it every 30 minutes in primetime.
Nothing like a good dose of reality to prod the credulous masses into action.

[AbigailAdams]

I think one thing that is widely overlooked is that many of the people who voted for him knew exactly what they were voting for. So if you think getting him out of office is going to right all the wrongs, think again. I've still got neighbors, tons of them, who think socialism is the way to go, only they don't use that word. Okay, so most of them work for the gov't or their contractors or they don't think they will ever be affected by failed fiscal policies. How they ever thought that was possible requires massive amounts of denial. There's a producing class and a taking class in this country.

[rachel]

excellent ad.

[david k ward]

mourning in america is a great ad!!!!!!

but have no fear folks, it will soon be Morning in America AGAIN, in 2012!

[WeMadeAmistake]

Obama keeps lying to the American people about this economy and the sheeple keep buying his 'just words'. Obama economics: SPEND SPEND SPEND under the guise of recovery....bust the government....blame Bush and capitalists for doing the very failures you have actually been responsible for....stomp on the constitution.....and effect a dictatorship by ignoring the majority of Americans who don't buy into your socialist ideology and policies.

[Ameriapp]

This messasge is for Matt: Why the hell do you think Obama got voted in in the first place? It's because the conservatives had given up on Bush and his progressive attitude of appeasing the left! And when McCain won the primaries, we just gave up politically. Now we're pissed off. If the candidates don't correspond to the wishes of the conservative electorate this time they will be history in short order!

[Malik Abu Nidal]

DEATH TO AMERIKA!!!
--- OBAMA 2012 ----

[Cody]

The first video makes me wish we had someone like Reagan to lead our country right now.
The second video makes me sad that we don't.

[Carlton Fischt]

It is very sad. I hate what the Democrats with Obama leading them have done to this country. The thing to remember, however, is that a lot of his policies were basically an acceleration of the policies of the Republicans led by Bush. These parties do not represent the American people. The majority of them have been corrupted by Corporations that have been setting the agenda for many years. A case in point is NAFTA.
"NAFTA was signed by President George H.W. Bush, Mexican President Salinas, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1992. It was ratified by the legislatures of the three countries in 1993. The House approved it by 234 to 200 on November 17 and the Senate by 60 to 38 on November 20. It was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on December 8, 1993 and entered force January 1, 1994." (About.com)
This was one of the most treasonous pieces of legislation ever and it was pushed by both parties at the expense of America so that corporations could start using slave labor and dodge environmental regulations.
Don't be fooled into voting for a candidate just because he is a Republican or Democrat.

[Robin]

Not strong enough. Most who support Obama never worked so they don't care about unemployment. They don't understand national debt because they live off of it. Hit them where they hurt, we who understand don't need to be told.

[Kelly in Kansas]

What a great contrast. I almost had a tear in my eye when watching Reagan's ad. He really was a great man and a fantastic president.

The line that got me in the new ad was the one about Obama's policies being a grand experiment. I often feel like this. He and his administration are trying out all their Harvard theories on the country. We are the guinea pigs for liberal economic theories. And, as the ad says, the policies have failed. Of course, to we "regular" people--non Harvard grads--we all knew they would fail. Those of us who have worked for (evil) companies understand that these policies make no sense in the real world. Since very few (if any?) in the administration have ever had a job with a company or real business, they have no understanding of how things work....

Where is this ad playing? It is incredibly powerful!

[lolium]

I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAVE THE ADVERTISEMENT STEPPED UP A BIT.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO CORRECT THE PART ABOUT THE 30.000 $ DEBT ON OUR CHILDREN.

MORELIKE IF THEY ARE PERMITTED TO BE BORN UNDER HIS RULE.

[Ron Lacey]

Don't blame me, it's the white man that put him in office. Like someone just recently said "I like the good ole days when the white man ruled." Hard to argue with that.

Black and not a lib

[RSalvatierra]

America's greatest strength is its ability to remake itself despite the best efforts of the proto-europeans of the washington elite, their compliant apologists in the media, and their paid thugs and looters in the unions and the vast government bureaucracy.
I resent that much of what I work for goes to feed not my children but the immeasurable appetite of this beast!
I resent that my choices are taken away by distant bureaucrats who claim ownership of my labor, my thoughts and my life!
I resent that the taxes that are taken from me do not result in competent services, or adequate infrastructure, or safety and security for me and family!
I resent that our values and beliefs are belittled and denied by the same people whose bread is paid for by my sweat!
Therefore my family and my friends and I and the great rest of us will vote on November 2nd to find real Hope and true Change. God Bless America!

[Keith Dub]

Really? I thought the ad was a great political ad: theater and emotion, no specifics or actual policy proposals. And yet....

Everyone here seems to think that everything that is wrong with this country has happened in the last two years. Are your collective memories so short? Do you not remember the runaway spending of the Reagan and Bush years? have you forgotten that the TARP program was started by Bush and backed by the Republicans? In short, do you really the past two years would have been better under McCain?

And no, I am not a Obama supporter. He has always struck me as an empty suit; smart and a great orator but too enamored with his own sloganeering and thin on specifics and convictions about his policy goals. I voted for McCain in the primary, and would have done so in the general had he picked a fit running mate. But I don't think that the economy would have been appreciably better (or worse) had McCain been in office. The damage was done long before 2008, and it will take more than 2 years to get it fixed.

[Marti Lowder,]

Obama's agenda is the UN agenda. "Collective Salvation" is delivering the U.S.A. to the Secretary-General (and UN authority) on a silver platter.

[Barry Hussein]

Very sad and poignant. Unfortunately it could have been equally true for the Bush years of bloated, corrupted government busy selling out the American people led by the repugnant Karl Rove. What most liberals fail to grasp is that the TEA party is every bit as much a reaction to the Republican sell out as it is to the current Obozo administration, and his stooges Axelrod, Emmanuel, Pelosi, Reid, Durbin and the rest of the current Democratic clowns being the current targets of our scorn, contempt and disgust. For those who haven't seen it yet, Gordon Gecko gives a speech in Wall Street about toxic debt. "Weapons of Mass Destruction." The barbarians are at the gate and are eager to tear us down. Obozo wants to help them succeed through his ignorance and stupidity.

[S. J.]

You have forgotten one thing. We voted for them.
We now need to VOTE them all out of office.
Since the R & D won't work together, it's time to elect the independent and the green parties in. They just might get us on track again.
Just make sure that the R & D have not joined the independent and the green candidates just to get reelected.
Remember that if you don't VOTE, then you are a big part of the problem.

[Douglas]

What terrific ads, both of them. I hope the new Mourning ad is seen far and wide; Pass the URL along to your friends!

[james]

Thanks Obama for this .

[Chauncey Street]

You have to be kidding! Bush and the banks got us into this, not Obama. Reagan had Alzheimers and his wife made decissions based on the horoscope. As far as politics goes both sides are lame idiots.

[Barbara Puszert]

tHOSE ADS ARE RIGHT ON THE MONEY!

[April]

I'm pretty sure Obama isn't the only person who had a hand in putting us where we are today.....it was a slow and steady demise.......keep that in mind. Obama didn't bring is all on himself........the republicans before him had a hand in it too. How can everyone say that Obama is the only terrible one? There's many and many who contributed!

[Tom]

Just to prove what a fraud Obama is: his REAL name is Barry Soetoro, an Indonesian citizen, born in Kenya (publicly admitted by his grandma). Not only that, but he's mere teleprompter reading puppet of the big central banksters and global elites who stole all of our trillions of $$$ during the last stimulus program meant to produce new jobs, but did not. Read more about Barry Soetoro's secret life at:

http://www.infowars.com/the-best-way-to-wake-up-the-world-to-the-obama-deception/

Knowledge is power...

[Millie]

Thanks for posting the 2 ads. They are great and how true. America stop lamenting. Lets fight for our country, especially at the ballot box and don't be complacent. We need to have sharp eyes and ears, good judgment and pay attention to issues that matter to the future of our country. America is the last stand on earth for freedom that no other countries ever offer.

[Megan O'Ryan]

Yes, I miss Reagan, too. Those were great years when taxes were a lot higher than they are now; and he even raised them several times during his tenure. And in spite of that, the deficit skyrocketed. Oh, those were the days.

Clearly it was the massive increase in government spending (in the defense sector) that helped spur growth in the economy. Now that's my kind of stimulus!

And now the Democrats must have blinders on! How can they not see that his policies are the cause of this most recent recession. They try to point out that the recession started before he came into office (Dec 07) and ended (officially) 6 months after he took office (Jun 09). But just because those facts don't fit with my world view does not make my opinions wrong. If I want to distrust this president and I don't like what other people are telling me that he's doing, I will interpret the situation any way I'd like.

I mean, how can people claim that he's not a socialist? He's taken over the banking industry hasn't he? Why else would the US Government be holding equity in these banks? TARP was all his idea. I remember when the president went on TV in late 2008 to tell us this was needed. Sure, it was GWB at the time, but you know Obama was pulling the strings! And the auto industry, too. The fact that the government is systematically divesting it's share of the auto companies - realizing a significant profit in some cases - is meaningless. His takeover of that industry is clearly an aggressive socialist move because I want to believe it is.

Let's take back congress this November!!!

[Steve W]

As Americans we must reject the failed socialist policies of the left wing. History dictates that the European socialist model and agenda is a complete failure. The left wing democrats are lacking in common sense and are strictly empire building the government. Watch the RUSSEL CROWE movie ROBIN HOOD. It is a good historical example of Tierany in government as the greedy King John overtaxes and lies to the people virtually destroying national pride and morale. The United States has had its spirit broken by Obama. He is not a viable President, he is not respected by his own Democrats, he is not respected my the military, and his agenda for huge government is clear!

[John R. Lancellotti]

What's really sad is what the Democrats will try to do as soon as they lose control of the house. A lame duck congress can destroy this country and I suspect it will make every effort to do as much. Of course, it won't think it's destroying America. It thinks these big government programs its passed has been beneficial to those Americans left in the cold by the Bush administration. For the next month, we're gonna hear how sad a state we were in when theyh took over. The propaganda machine is gonna blare about the problems the Democrats inherited. Obama is gonna be on the campaign trail, selling his administration and condemning Republicans (as well as the Fox network). The New York Times and other media will cover the president like a rug and just his presence and personality will be strong enough to sway many, many independents who are not really as involved in politics as we are. I don't believe winning in November is gonna be easy. And if the right does win, it's not gonna be able to do as much as it hopes to do. It's got to have a mandate and despite what everyone thinks, I don't get getting one is gonna be easy. We're too sure of victory. BE WARY AMERICA. The Obama political machine is no pushover.

[MaggieG]

Does anyone in America really know what is and isn't against the law any longer? There are so many rules and regulations controling every aspect of our lives that if the government has it's way you can't even cut down a tree on your own land! And they want to control my health care and make me pay a penalty for not having health insurance - if the health insurance industry wasn't a rip off and I thought it was worth purchasing I'd do it! EVERYONE MUST GO TO THE POLLS IN NOV 2010 AND NOV 2012 - WE WANT OUR COUNTRY BACK! OUR VOICES WILL BE HEARD!!

[Dude]

My family & I immigrated legally into this country & assimilated. We sponsored more family over & they have made their contributions to the USA. We were & still are grateful for what this country allowed us to achieve for ourselves thru oppertunity & hard work. I am now a retired government employee. I am constantly amazed at the red tape, waste, & inane policies I personally witnessed. I'm so sad to see what this great country is becoming. We can fix it though. The first things we need to do is dump our entitlement mentality & political correctness. We must return to common sense & reality.

[Nancy H]

It is a very good Ad.It sends a clear message!

[mike]

NOBAMA NOBAMA

NOBAMA
NOBAMA
NOBAMA

NOBAMA

[Dawn Wride]

The Obama experiment has failed. Let's hope all Americans, regardless of whom they voted for, see that. The Obama, Reid, Pelosi gang are ruining America. We must go in a very different direction, if we want to have our country back. We need to return to the values that made us great: lower taxes, no deficit spending, smaller government, letting the citizens make decisions about their lives and a strong military. Obama has fooled America. He has lied and continues to lie. His policies are anti-American. Our children and their children will pay the bill, and suffer for this disastrous presidency!

[Bill]

Good ad. I am, though, getting a little tired of the calm, polite voice of the "reasonable" male heard all around. What is happening to our nation makes me angry. A better ad would appeal to one's integrity by listing the lies and terrible policies by an incredulous voice all the while showing pictures of our founders with pertinent quotes.

[Julia Wolfe]

It is sad to think we have gone backwards so far in a short period of time. Seems that whatever the President and congress are doing is not working. It is sad to think I am not that old but can remember the "good old days" of the 80's.