American Links

The site has campaign ads from Minnesota over the years with a focus on the 1998 Gubernatorial elections.

This was the election when Jesse "The Body" Ventura, former Navy Seal, WWF wrestling champion, actor and Mayor became Jesse "The Governor" Ventura campaigning on a shoe-string budget of $440,000. Ventura is acknowledged as the first candidate to successfully use the internet during a campaign to garner support from the community. The ads may seem corny but are brilliant, intertwining Ventura’s fame with his campaign theme of reform. For a comprehensive analysis of Ventura’s internet campaign then check out Politics Online.

There is also the Hall if Fame where you can find numerous other ads from previous elections. My pick is Paul Wellstone’s "Where’s Rudy?" Ad. Whilst the ad at two minutes is comparatively long by political standards it had what it took when the under-resourced political underdog Wellstone pulled off a surprise victory to become the only candidate during that election to defeat an incumbent Senator.

History of Political Ads

PBS has a time-line of political ads from as far back as the 1950’s when TV really started to play an important role in campaigns.

Make sure you check out Lyndon B Johnson’s devastating ad in 1964 entitled "Daisy" and Bill Clinton’s comparison ad in 1996 to see American style negative ads at their best.

State of the Union Address

Interested in watching the State of the Union address by the President Clinton, then check out the White House’s special site.

Political Cartoons

Finally if you are a fan of political cartoons then make sure you check out Daryl Cagle’s Cartoon website. You will find thousands upon thousands of cartoons on all sorts of issues and personalities.