The Capriles ad is all about Mr. Photogenic, Capriles, not so much about the people.
The Chavez ad is all about the people--not so much about Chavez himself.
I really liked the lengthy segments in the Chavez ad depicting ordinary Venezuelans getting up in the morning and looking in the mirror with calm satisfaction. These segments say: This is about equal opportunity, education, self-respect, a strong sense of personal well-being and future prospects, universal free medical care, high GDP, low unemployment and remarkable fairness on income--all provable, measurable achievements of the Chavez government that don't have to be itemized; they are evident in how people feel about themselves.
Chavez does not appear in these segments, nor in later segments showing Venezuelans at work and play.
In the Capriles ad, the presence of ordinary people is about Capriles: Capriles visiting the poor, Capriles visiting flood victims. Capriles is the central image in virtually every shot. It's all about his interaction with people, not about the people themselves.
Also, I get a sense of an imposed image, in the Capriles ad; whereas in the Chavez ad, Chavez looks more comfortable with himself and his role. He seems to BE himself. Capriles not so much. Capriles seems more of an actor--and sort of a blank, actually--the kind of bland, meaningless politician that is depicted in movies and TV shows, when politics is part of the story. A "Central Casting" politician.
In general, there is a lot more "heart" in the Chavez ad. The filmmakers seemed to be genuinely enchanted by ordinary Venezuelans. Capriles' ad seems more "canned."
Of course, no one should ever vote on the basis of ads. Modern media is bad enough as to conveying falsehoods about politics and government. Add P.R. people and campaign organizations with agendas, making slick, short, commercial type productions, and the result is often even more unreal and/or untruthful than "the news."
My reaction to these ads is heavily colored by what I know about Chavez and his government's achievements. For instance, Venezuelans recently rated their own country fifth in the world on their personal sense of well-being and future prospects, in polls that focus upon those things. And the UN Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean last year designated Venezuela "THE most equal country in Latin America" on income distribution.
The Chavez ad seems to me to be depicting the reality of most Venezuelans: a sense of well-being and new self-respect--and it is their accomplishment as much as, and even more than, his.
I also have a particular criticism--amidst many criticisms--of the Corporate Media coverage of Chavez, which is that they NEVER credit the voters, the Venezuelan majority, ordinary Venezuelans, and the many, many, hard-working, committed grass roots activists and social, political and labor organizations in Venezuela, all of whom, together, have created Venezuela's "New Deal"--the Bolivarian Revolution. They instead focus exclusively on Chavez and, of course, demonize him falsely and relentlessly.
So, WHY DOES CHAVEZ KEEP WINNING ELECTIONS and by big majorities? You can't learn why from the Corporate Media. They give the impression that Chavez elects himself! Not true! These are honest, transparent elections (unlike our own), closely monitored and certified by every major election monitoring group in the world. They are also honest and transparent on the face of the election system details (which I have looked into). The Corporate Media doesn't credit this either and they treat Venezuelan voters like a bunch of stupid peasants who aren't worth mention. These are some of the most remarkable democratic citizens in the world, who reversed a coup d'etat by their sheer numbers, determination and courage, and who are engaged in a remarkable project: creating a fair and equitable and truly democratic society.
The Chavez ad speaks to this--to the remarkable self-respect and laudable goals of ordinary Venezuelans. It, of course, has the huge, deliriously happy crowd at a Chavez rally and a benevolent-looking Chavez. That's par for the course in political ads. But those ordinary working Venezuelans looking in their mirrors in the morning--THAT spoke to me.
Have I been manipulated? Well, yeah. Ads are, by their nature, manipulative. What I would say is that the Chavistas are better at it than Capriles' ad makers. It is an art form. The better the art, the more do you feel a sense of "truth." These and most political ads are all about feelings, not facts. Impressions. Images. Gut feelings. Senses of things. "Soft" truth rather than "hard" truth. The Chavez ad tended to confirm the facts that I already knew and the opinions I have formed. The Capriles ad made me uneasy--and that tended to confirm what I know about Capriles and my prior opinion of him.
And that is one great campaign song that the Chavez ad makers had to work with! An upbeat, joy-making, dance-able song. Though I don't know much about music, it has a "local" and traditional feel, and I happen to know that the Chavez government has greatly promoted saving and reviving Venezuela's own music. Moodwise, the ad and the music are a perfect match.
Thanks for going to the trouble of posting these ads!
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