Jim Caviezel is an actor who cares about the issue (not writing a right to cloning into the Missouri constitution). His presence was a clever, subtle touch (maybe too subtle, but I think it’s a cool quirky touch). No one seriously thinks there’s an audience that will see the commercial, see Jim C. and think another JC and take it as the ultimate authority. Right? Please? (Man…I never really thought this through before…what do they think when they catch Jim C. with Jennifer Lopez in a late-night replay of Angel Eyes on TBS? What’s the Word there?)
I thought the commercial was very cool to have in the Missouri mix. The money on the anti-Amendment 2 side is nothing compared to what the other side has. And yet they managed to grab a Cardinal, and get some actual points (Patty Heaton’s egg points, the deceitfulness in the amendment, etc.) into a one-minute commercial. The ad was in the works before the Fox one dropped, so the Fox ad just created a great opportunity for a commercial war storyline. And more attention to the issue!
The betrayed with a kiss thing does actually cut to the heart of matters — cloning politics has long been drowning in euphemisms and contradictions, and so it is in the Missouri initiative. The Aramaic naturally is not going to reach everyone but if you’re reading the blogs and things and you weren’t paying attention before to the issue, it might make you think about it for an extra few seconds — it’s another way to package the smart 2tricky message. Hearing some reaction over the past few days, I’m confident it’s served its purpose and was a worthwhile contribution to the debate, such as it is.