OUR ADS FOR 2024
WE DELIVER WHAT’S MOST NEEDED NOW:
POWERFUL NEW MESSAGING FOR DEMOCRATS
OUR ADS FOR 2024
© 2020 – 2024 Congress Majority PAC
Our impactful ad Immigration will win votes for all Democratic candidates in states we make an ad buy in. It will be especially effective in battleground states to counter Republican opponents critical of the crisis at the border. It attacks Republicans for killing the strongest immigration bill in decades, and points out, “Even though the bill contained much of what Republicans have long wanted, they feared the bi-partisan bill would show Democrats as strong on immigration. So House Republicans killed the bill, and the crisis at the border continues….” This ad concludes, “With a Democratic majority in both Houses of Congress, Washington will start working again. But with a divided government, Republicans will keep causing gridlock for political gain….” You might take it for granted that everyone knows about this, but we believe undecided voters should be reminded, and that it will persuade them.
Watch this powerful ad. The voice is not that of a slick, professional announcer, but a sad, concerned ordinary citizen (the ad’s uncredited author.) His voice is authentic, and our producer feels it will especially resonate with undecided voters. It’s ready for a media buy now; only the disclaimer text needs to be added. Our ads are fully copyrighted.
Our powerful ads on The Economy, Climate Change, and Gun Control have almost completed post-production, but we want to place a media buy for the ‘Immigration’ ad now. The scripts for the upcoming ads are below, and they will be posted on this page upon completion. A media buy for those can be determined then.
Contact us to discuss supporting our PAC.
Scripts
Our 2024 ads for digital and broadcast media
AD: THE ECONOMY
Summary: Democrats are smarter managers of the economy, based on the nation’s prosperity under Clinton, Obama, and Biden, and that the “don’t regulate” ideology of Republican George Bush led to the 2008 sub-prime mortgage crisis. When Trump left office, the economy was again in a major crisis, but Biden and the newly Democratic Congress soon passed bills that created 16 million jobs, cut inflation to 2.5%, and sent the stock market to an all-time high.
During the VO, we see videos and news sound bites related to the events mentioned. We’ll see a TV news clip from a story about the boom under Clinton, a new anchor saying, “Clinton is using the budget surplus to pay down debt,” and quick clip from a news story heralding “the longest sustained economic boom in US history.” Then we see a clip from another news story: Bush deregulates banks, and a news anchor talking about the sub prime mortgage crisis and the financial collapse of 2008. Next, we see Obama signing his economic rescue bill, passed in early 2009; then we see a TV anchor talking about the surging economy under Obama.
When the host mentions Trump, we see his image, and a headline, “US in financial crisis”. We see video of Biden signing a bill to bolster the economy, and then news headlines like, “Unemployment down to 4.9%,” “Inflation at 2.5%%,” and last, “Stock market hits all-time high.” These news clips will tell the story as the host speaks. The “Right of fair use” allows us to use any news clips under 8 seconds.
VO:
Which Party is better for the economy? Under Clinton, America had 8 years of prosperity. But Bush deregulated the banks and helped caused the 2008 mortgage crisis.
Obama took office with the economy near total collapse, but he and his Democratic majority in both Houses passed bills that brought the economy back.
After Trump, Biden took office with the economy again in crisis.
Republicans’ don’t-regulate ideology causes crises. We need less ideology and more case-by-case pragmatism.
Democrats give us solutions that solve our problems. Biden brought inflation to 2.5% without causing a recession, and he created over 15 million new jobs.
For a strong economy, vote Democrat – and this time, vote.
Fade up title:
Vote Democrat
Fade up:
CongressMajority.orgDisclaimer: PAID FOR BY CONGRESS MAJORITY PAC. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE
A longer, digital version of this ad will include the following:
The stage was set for the crash of 1929 by President Coolidge, a Republican ideologue who loosened credit, allowing people to buy stocks on margin. The Great Depression was prolonged by his successor, another Republican ideologue who stubbornly believed in austerity. Tax revenue had greatly declined, and Herbert Hoover insisted on a balanced budget.
Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt turned things around after he took office in 1933. He passed the New Deal, a huge expansion of government spending, focused on providing jobs for Americans and eradicating poverty. Democrat FDR’s policy and vision is today credited with bringing our nation back from the Great Depression, restoring the US economy, and bringing tremendous prosperity back to America.
Democrats Obama and Biden also passed policy that brought the nation back from the brink.
History repeats itself, and voters need to be reminded of who caused the economic crises, and who fixed the problem.
AD: INFLATION
Summary: Both Republicans and Democrats share the blame, but Democrats create smarter policy.
In the first seconds of this ad, we see titles scrolling up behind the host, illustrating the debt percentage increase of ten US Presidents, with their names in blue or red by Party. To see the list with this data, click here. Our ad agency will add other graphics during the ad.
DRAFT – HOST:
Here are the facts about inflation. Trump increased our national debt by 33%, and Biden increased it by 9%. Both Republicans and Democrats share responsibility for inflation. The question is, who’s more likely to fix the problem?
Inflation is caused by deficit spending and strong demand for goods. Complex problems like inflation require more than a simplistic don’t-tax the rich, don’t-regulate formula.
Democrats know we need need less ideology and more pragmatism from our leaders in Congress. They know that today’s problems require carefully crafted, case-by-case solutions.
Under President Biden, inflation dropped to 2.5% without causing a recession, over 16 million jobs were created, and the stock market reached a historic high.
There is still work to do, but Democrats will do it the right way, and have a long track record of developing successful fiscal policies.
For smart government and a stronger economy, vote Democrat. And this time, vote.
Fade up title:
Vote Democrat
CongressMajority.org
Disclaimer: PAID FOR BY CONGRESS MAJORITY PAC. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE
AD: IMMIGRATION SCRIPT
In his October 2, 2022 My Take for CNN, Fareed Zakaria pointed out that Biden must fix immigration, or the US may one day veer to the far Right. He points out that Sweden and Italy both accepted waves of immigrants from Syria and other nations, and their liberal immigration policies caused the collapse of voter support for the Center-Left. Immigration helped elect far-right leaders in both nations; the one in Italy even had a connection to Fascism. Since 2022, Europe has seen the rise of more far-right leaders.
Zacaria concluded that the Biden administration would do well to take the immigration issue seriously. The immigration crisis will help Republicans win, unless a message like the one below can be widely seen.
SUMMARY: The Senate voted for a strong bipartisan immigration bill, but House Republicans killed it for political gain, and deliberately allowed the crisis at the border to continue.
We have a seasoned Democratic strategist and ad agency ready to make an ad buy in battleground states. Our Immigration spot is ready to run, and three more, on The Economy, Climate Change, and Gun Control, will be ready this week. The required text will added, “Paid for by Congress Majority PAC. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.”
SCRIPT
We see a montage of news headlines and images of the border crisis. Titles showing what the immigration bill would have done: “1,500 new border agents,” “Increase judges to process asylum claims faster.” We see long lines of immigrants in a caravan, families crossing the Rio Grand with children, crowds massed against the border wall.
[V.O.]
In February the Senate passed the strongest immigration bill in decades. Even though the bill contained much of what Republicans have long wanted, they feared the bipartisan bill would show Democrats as strong on immigration. So House Republicans killed the bill, and the crisis at the border continues.
If Democrats win in November, they’ll pass the bill that House Republicans killed. Democrats want to fix the border crisis.
With a Democratic majority in both Houses of Congress, Washington will start working again. But with a divided government, Republicans will keep causing gridlock for political gain, and good bills will not get passed. America can’t afford that.
In this election, Vote Democrat — and this time, vote.
Vote Democrat.
Title card:
Vote Democrat
AD: CLIMATE CHANGE
60 seconds
We open with a montage of videos of hurricanes, floods, forest fires, tornados, and parched reservoirs. National news anchors reporting on weather events. A quick cut of Donald Trump saying, “Climate change is a hoax.” Obama saying at the DNC, “Climate change is not a hoax.”
During this we hear the VO below; quick cuts of Congress and Biden signing the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022.
Headlines go by on the screen with the bill’s prominent points: “Democrats pass major climate bill,” “$369 billion to address climate change,” “Lowers cost of health insurance,” “Allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices,” “$300 billion deficit reduction.”
The last headline: “Not one Republican Voted for Climate Bill”.
VO:
In 2022, every Democrat in Congress voted for the strongest bill ever passed to combat climate change.
It lowers energy costs, creates jobs, and increases clean energy production. In six years, carbon emissions will be reduced by 40%.
It makes the wealthy pay their fair share, closes tax loopholes, and lowers the cost of health insurance for millions.
Not one Republican in House or Senate voted for the bill. The next year, in 2023, the earth had its hottest year in 100,000 years.
Republicans are wrong for our future — but Democrats will help stop global warming. Vote Democrat – and this time, vote.
FADE UP: Vote Democrat
Disclaimer: PAID FOR BY CONGRESS MAJORITY PAC. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE
AD: SAVE DEMOCRACY
Our next ad also appeals to Americans’ love of Democracy and freedom. Republicans have used Democracy in their stump speeches, and it’s time for Democrats to do the same, and run ads like the ones below. Here’s a news article asking why more Democratic candidates aren’t running on Democracy.
We see video clips of Republicans speaking against certifying the election, and perhaps footage from January 6th. Our strategist and ad agency will know best. After the clips, we go to our host:
VO: Following the election of 2020, 139 House Republicans voted against certifying Biden as President, even though they knew Trump had lost. They failed to overturn the election that time, but what happens if Republicans have enough seats in January? This time they may succeed. A vote for Republicans is a vote to weaken our nation. You can help save our Democracy. Vote Democrat — and this time, vote.
Fade up title:
Vote Democrat.
AD: GUN CONTROL – 2 ADS
This ad could run shortly after the next major mass shooting. School shootings move voters. Gun-loving Trump followers are never going to vote Democrat, but they are not the target audience. We’re after moderates, non-voters, and the undecided, especially the young in urban areas. These two ads on gun control will motivate many of them to vote Democrat.
DRAFT – AD 1
60 seconds
This ad uses a montage of video news clips, graphics, and voiceover. We see and hear Democratic lawmaker Chris Murphy making an emotional plea in Congress to ban assault weapons; another Dem says, “It’s time raise the gun purchase age to 21.” We see a visual of Republican Ted Cruz speaking in Congress, followed by news footage of mass shootings in schools, and finally, at the end, news clips showing the faces of the children who died. Over this we hear a grieving, crying parent saying, “My son is dead,” and one or two others, and the voice of a child saying, “When is mommy coming home?” Actors are used for the voices, and no names or cities are mentioned. As the short VO begins, we see a headline come onscreen: “Democrats want to ban guns,” and immediately an animated red stamp, LIE, stamps across it.
VO
Do Democrats want to ban guns? No. [LIE stamp here]
The truth is, Democrats have fought for years for a few common sense measures — stronger background checks — a ban on assault rifles — and raising the purchase age to 21 — but Republicans in Congress blocked them all. How many mass shootings will it take?
Give Democrats a majority in both Houses in Congress, and they won’t ban guns, but they will pass a gun control law that will make everyone safer. Including our children. Vote Democrat, and this time, vote.
Fade up title with sound of wind blowing:
Vote Democrat
Disclaimer: PAID FOR BY CONGRESS MAJORITY PAC. NOT AUTHORIZED BY ANY CANDIDATE OR CANDIDATE’S COMMITTEE
DRAFT – AD 2
This ad begins with short clips of news coverage of mass shootings at schools — police helping students evacuate schools. Over this, we hear the voices of grieving children and anguished parents. Actors will be used to say these lines:
FATHER: I lost my son.
MOTHER: (Crying) My daughter is gone.
CHILD: I lost my Dad.
CHILD: My Mommy went to heaven.
CHILD: I lost three classmates.
MOTHER: I lost my son.
We fade to black but the voices continue. Finally we hear a child.
CHILD: When is Mommy coming home?
In silence, these titles fade up in silence, but we are also recording this VO as a backup, in case it works better than titles:
TITLE: In July, 2022 Senate Republicans refused to raise the purchase age from 18 to 21 for semi-automatic weapons.
Fade up in silence:
TITLE: They also refused to ban the sale of assault weapons.
Fade up in silence:
TITLE: Vote Democrat
OUR FIRST PRODUCED TV SPOT
Good leaders, Bad Leaders
This is our first produced TV spot, made in 2018. It’s compelling and powerful, and was never aired. It’s no longer at the top of our list, but it has a strong first 6 seconds that will entice many YouTubers to watch the entire 60 second ad, instead of clicking on Skip Ad. In 2024, it still has good potential to bring more swing voters to the Democratic side.
Most voters don’t have time to look at policy in detail, and many adopt simplistic filters to understand complex issues, like Don’t regulate, or Big government is bad. This spot aims to undermine oversimplistic, ideology-based views, and points out that has “led to disastrous government in the past.” This argument is also included in our powerful new spot above, The Economy.
ROE V. WADE
Our strategist and ad agency will develop these ads, or change them. Ad 1 has a teenage girl telling a personal story, and Ad 2 uses voiceover while the narrator speaks.
Ad 1 – Roe
We see a 16 year old white teenage girl played by a professional actress, talking directly into the camera. She’s living in poverty, alone in a shabby room. We see a baby sleeping on the bed behind her. She looks depressed and angry, at times on the verge of tears.
Girl, looking into camera: I got pregnant and my boyfriend left. I tried to go out of state to end my pregnancy, but I couldn’t get the money. Someone said I should have him, and after he was born, I couldn’t bear to give him up. Now I’m alone, taking government money. My dreams of college seem like a distant memory. I work at a job I hate.
My life got really hard.
It didn’t have to be this way.
She turns away to tend to her baby and sings softly to him.
Fade to black but her singing continues, and we hear her begin to sob, quietly.
Fade to black. White titles come up one by one on a black screen, as the sound of her crying fades.
[TITLE CARD:]With enough Democrats in Congress, Roe can be made the law of the land.
Fade up title in silence:
Vote Democrat
Ad 2 – Roe
We see a teenage girl in poverty, holding her baby and singing softly to her child. She does not look into camera, and says nothing the entire ad. We hear only the VO:
VO (female) No one likes abortion. [pause]
But forcing motherhood on a woman is worse.
In many states, a woman’s right to choose is gone, thanks to Republicans.
How many teenage girls, emotionally unable to give up their babies for adoption, will drop out of school and spend years on welfare, living in poverty, supported by taxpayers?
With 60 seats in the Senate and a majority in the House, Democrats will make a woman’s right to choose the law of the land.
Vote Democrat — and this time, vote.
Fade up title in silence:
Vote Democrat
AD: WHO’S THE EXTREMIST?
SUMMARY: Trump and Republican lawmakers are too extremist for our country. It’s a mistake for Dems to rely only on Roe to make this point. We’ve included two moving ads devoted to Roe on this page, but this one aims to convince voters of Republicans’ far-Right extremism.
DRAFT
For this ad, if a celebrity is used, President Obama would be our first choice.
We see news clips of Republican members making extreme statements, sound bites of Donald Trump speaking, and Liz Cheney and Adam Kitzinger speaking against their party and Trump. We’ll utilize the right of “Fair Use” for these.
[INSERT NEWS CLIPS] Quick video cuts of Trump saying, “Kamala Harris is a far-left lunatic,” “She’s an extremist!”
HOST/OBAMA: (Pauses, then:)
Wait. Who’s the real extremist here?[INSERT NEWS CLIP]
We see Trump telling a Christian group, “You wont have to vote anymore.” Next we see Liz Cheney calling Trump an extremist and a danger to democracy in a news interview, and similar statements she made during the January 6 hearings. We see a clip from Adam Kinzinger’s persuasive speech at the Democratic National Convention.
HOST/OBAMA: [If it’s Obama, cut the first half of the following line and start with, The reality is… ]
Thanks to Fox News, Donald Trump, and Republicans in Congress, the reality is, the Republican party has taken a hard right turn, while Democrats have moved to the center.
[CLIPS:] Quick cuts of far-Right Republican lawmakers, including JD Vance and others, repeating Trump’s lie that the election was stolen, and other extremist positions.
HOST/OBAMA:
Instead of telling voters what they really think of Trump, nearly all Republicans in Congress bent the knee and enabled him.
[INSERT NEWS CLIP] Liz Cheney says something similar to: “History will see them as cowards who dishonored themselves.”
HOST/OBAMA:
Democrats are not extremists. Most of the extremists these days are Republicans — and they’re dangerous to our Democracy.
[INSERT NEWS CLIP] A news anchor says, “139 House Republicans voted not to certify the election.”
HOST/OBAMA:
If Republicans win a majority this time, will they overturn the upcoming election? What happens to our democracy then?Fade up title card in silence:
Vote Democrat
AD: REPUBLICANS: KISSING THE RING, ENABLING TRUMP AND HIS BIG LIE
This ad will include video clips of Trump being welcomed by Republican lawmakers in Congress, and clips of Liz Cheny and Mitch McConnell speaking out against the former President. Clips will be pulled using our news clip subscription of video coverage of Trump’s first return to Capitol Hill since January 6th on June 13, 2024. We’ll also include clips of Mitch McConnel and Liz Cheny speaking the quotes below.
DRAFT
[VO:]
Many Republican lawmakers in Congress are not telling voters how they really feel about Donald Trump. In private, many agree he lied about winning the election, and that he incited the January 6th insurrection.
[INSERT CLIP] Mitch McConnell speaking in Congress: “Mr. Trump is responsible for January 6th.” Also INSERT CLIP of Liz Cheny speaking during the January 6th hearings, or Adam Kitzinger speaking at the DNC.
[V.O. ] When Republican leaders started publicly parroting Trump’s lie, they became liars themselves — and threw away their principals and honor. [This can be replaced with a line from Kitzinger’s DNC speech.]
[CLIPS:] Quick cuts of Republican lawmakers repeating Trump’s lie that the election was stolen.
[VO:] Trump threatened to destroy the political careers of those who failed to support him. Instead of telling voters what they really think of Trump, nearly all of them bent the knee, enabled him, and dishonored themselves forever. History will see them as cowards who threw away their integrity. Most Republicans in Congress have not told voters what they really think of Trump.
INSERT CLIP, Liz Cheny: “History will remember the shame of leaders like Mitch McConnel who enabled Trump.”
[VO:] Republicans in Congress have dishonored themselves by lying to voters to stay in power. America cannot afford to have liars, cowards, and dishonest leaders in Congress. Save our Democracy, and vote Democrat.
Fade up title card in silence:
Vote Democrat
AD: STOP THE STEAL, REPUBLICANS
This ad and the next one appeal to the deep love of Democracy and freedom shared by all Americans, especially Republicans, who together with swing voters are the ad’s target audience. We’ll rely on our strategist to rewrite this ad, if needed:
VO: Was the last election stolen? No. The real steal is by Republican State legislators, who have been gerrymandering districts and passing flagrant voter suppression laws to help Republicans steal elections.
In Congress, Republicans refused to pass the election reform bill. Like Trump, they’ll do anything to stay in power.
Stop the steal. Vote Democrat in November, and save our Democracy. And this time, vote.
Fade up title:
Vote Democrat.
For the 2024 election, improved messaging is what Democrats need most.
ABOUT OUR AD SCRIPTS ABOVE
First, it’s understood that the political ad agency we work with will reimagine the scripts above. Longer videos will be posted in social media, and 30 and 60 second versions for broadcast will be created and tested.
Each ad will focus on one issue, while some will take a wider view. We’ll make a clear and reasonable case that Republicans are extremist and dangerous to our nation, and have caused gridlock for political gain. One issue per ad, our ads on the economy, immigration, gun control, climate change, and Roe make a compelling case to elect Democrats.
To be sure, Harris-Walz is the good cop, but seizing the moment and having a bad cop could help Democrats win a majority in both Houses.
Our spot on immigration lets voters know that Republicans killed the strongest immigration bill in decades only for political gain. Our ad on the economy points out that America prospered under Clinton, but George Bush deregulated the banks and caused the financial collapse of 2008. Obama took over with the economy in a major crisis, and led the nation back to a strong economy. But when Biden succeeded Trump, the economy was again in a major crisis, but the Democrats’ policies saw the stock market rise to historic highs. Conclusion: guided by pragmatism, the policies of Democratic Presidents lead to prosperity, but the policies of Republicans, guided by an oversimplistic “don’t regulate” ideology, lead to economic crisis.
CMPAC’s ads will be reasonable in tone, centrist, and not strident. We never forget who our target audience is: swing voters. The kindly grandfather actor who hosted our 2018 ads sent the right message.
That said, we’d like to think big and invite President Obama, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Swift, George Clooney, or Oprah to host, but only one or two of these ads. An unknown actor may be more effective; that will be up to the ad agency.
Every ad will end with the title, Vote Democrat.
We’ll be nimble: during a heat wave, we’ll run our powerful climate change ads.
In the days following a school shooting, we’ll run our moving gun control ads. Our ads about inflation, the economy, immigration, and Roe do not need an event.
The ads above are intended for broadcast, funds permitting, and digital versions will be placed on Twitter, Facebook, and other advertising platforms. We’ll also use broadcast text messaging.
We envision major ad buys in tossup races and battleground States; ads will be tested with focus groups before they run. Taken together, our powerful ads can propel Democrats into a majority in both Houses.
By now there is little doubt about the effectiveness of attack ads: they help candidates win elections. It’s CMPAC’s opinion that the Democrats’ past reluctance to attack Republicans as a group has made them look weak, while the repeated attacks on Democrats by Republican politicians and pundits has made them appear strong. It’s time to fight fire with fire.
The Harris campaign may be following the new idea that people vote more with their intuition about a candidate’s humanity than with their knowledge of the candidate’s policies. A new study showing evidence of this was presented by CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on GPS, August 11, 2024. This may explain why Harris has chosen to project hope and joy to voters, and initially offered less substantive discussion of her policies. It worked for her in the polls.
However, Congress Majority PAC is needed to play the Bad Cop to the Harris-Walz’ approach, and attack Republicans as a group. It’s clear that we are not going to sing kumbaya with the GOP in the short term. Biden looked weak when he called for unity, and some key elements of Biden’s agenda did not pass. It was a victory for Republicans.
We need to win in November, and we can. Trump blasts Democrats at every turn, and many Republican politicians follow his lead. His base listens and becomes motivated.
Most Democrats in Congress will not attack Republicans as a group. Congress Majority PAC’s ads are needed to do that.
In recent years, a dominant Republican strategy has been to unite in order to stop Democrats from passing any legislation. That’s a key part of their strategy, and worked for them. To counter this, one of our best ads calls attention to the gridlock they’ve caused for political gain. We point out that Democrats have been willing to compromise, but Republicans have not. Gridlock follows, and much-needed laws, like immigration reform last February, do not get passed. This ad ends by telling voters, “Let’s end the gridlock, and get Washington working again. Vote Democrat.”
SUMMARY: We can win over undecided voters and possibly many more, but only if strong, clear messaging is used. Reasonable attack ads like the ones in script form above will light the way. Millions of swing voters and disillusioned non-voters in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin will rally behind our ads, and many who see them will turn out and vote Democrat.
We should seize this moment, when Republicans are vulnerable, and act. Congress Majority PAC’s ads can help Democrats take a majority in both Houses in November.
Our current scripts are above. Again, these are drafts, and they will be reimagined and shortened by our political ad agency when we are funded.
NOTE: Every ad above is fully copyrighted 2020 – 2024 by Patrick Reynolds. These ad concepts may not be copied. We stand ready to work together, and would welcome your support and collaboration.