We’ve all been there. It’s the middle of the night, you’re fast asleep and some bozo gives you a call, sending a ring throughout the whole house. Chances are you sleep through it, or, if you’re a light sleeper, you might pick up the phone and scold the inconsiderate caller.
That’s not what Hillary Clinton would do.
This is what Hillary Clinton's campaign attempted to make clear in her “3 A.M.” ad, which aired during the Democratic primaries of the 2008 Presidential Campaign. The infamously dramatic ad attempted to undermine then-Senator Barack Obama’s leadership and foreign policy experience.
“It’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep, but there’s a phone in the White House and it’s ringing. Something is happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call,” promised the ad.
Unfortunately for Hillary, voters decided that Barack Obama would answer the call in 2008.
The ad itself was a retread – similar ads had been run in other races before. But that’s quite typical in political advertising – with consultants using “cookie cutter” ads in race after race.
Did You Know? Although effective at the time, “3 A.M.” eventually provided fodder for Clinton’s Republican detractors, who criticized the then-Secretary of State’s response to the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attacks.
In an unaired 2012 RNC attack ad, the audio from Clinton’s 2008 ad is played over footage from the 2012 attacks, insinuating Clinton never answered the call when the time came.
The Republicans weren’t the only ones to parody this ad: a 2008 Saturday Night Live skit featured Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton advising future President Obama on everything from how to prevent a nuclear attack to how to turn on the heat in the White House during a 3 A.M. phone call.
That’s not what Hillary Clinton would do.
WWHCD? Hillary would answer, respond and save the day like Superwoman… duh.
This is what Hillary Clinton's campaign attempted to make clear in her “3 A.M.” ad, which aired during the Democratic primaries of the 2008 Presidential Campaign. The infamously dramatic ad attempted to undermine then-Senator Barack Obama’s leadership and foreign policy experience.
“It’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep, but there’s a phone in the White House and it’s ringing. Something is happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call,” promised the ad.
Unfortunately for Hillary, voters decided that Barack Obama would answer the call in 2008.
The ad itself was a retread – similar ads had been run in other races before. But that’s quite typical in political advertising – with consultants using “cookie cutter” ads in race after race.
Did You Know? Although effective at the time, “3 A.M.” eventually provided fodder for Clinton’s Republican detractors, who criticized the then-Secretary of State’s response to the September 11, 2012 Benghazi attacks.
In an unaired 2012 RNC attack ad, the audio from Clinton’s 2008 ad is played over footage from the 2012 attacks, insinuating Clinton never answered the call when the time came.
The Republicans weren’t the only ones to parody this ad: a 2008 Saturday Night Live skit featured Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton advising future President Obama on everything from how to prevent a nuclear attack to how to turn on the heat in the White House during a 3 A.M. phone call.