Conelrad, a site devoted to ATOMIC CULTURE, recently published a fascinating story about the notorious and iconic Daisy Girl ad. The ad, which was created for Lyndon Johnson's presidential campaign in 1964, is credited by some as the reason for Johnson's landslide win over Barry Goldwater.
It ran as a paid advertisement only once. It became the subject of TV news stories, was discussed in a Time magazine cover article, and was condemned on the floor of Congress. Theodore H. White, author of the landmark "Making of the President" series (the first of which won a Pulitzer Prize), said that "…the shriek of Republican indignation fastened the bomb message on them more tightly than any calculation could have expected."
Bill Moyers, one of the leaders of the Campaign, later regretted the ad's role in launching powerful political commercials, saying that "The Frankenstein we helped to build is loose in the world."
The story includes interviews with all the participants in the strategy, approval, creation and airing of the ad, a rare, almost-exclusive interview with the Daisy Girl herself, and a treasure trove of related documents, tape and video.
Via PCL LinkDump
