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Maxwell House Coffee's ad firm anticipated Bittergate and should be in great demand for future political campaigns:
http://www.brewsomegood.com/
(Plasma TV icon in menu)
The ad illustrates expertly in words and iconography how the bitterness/hope dichotomy is foundational to our country's mythology and subsequent rhetoric. It's part of how we define ourselves as Americans and as individuals.
Obama now describes voters as bitter instead of hopeful because polls tell him he's successfully positioned himself as savior, restorer of hope. Now you think you need him to heal your American soul, even though a while back he told you that you're the one you've been waiting for.
Regardless of what polls say today, Obama's "unartful" words will have resonance. They're part of our nation's story now. He's made history by playing our collective psyche at both ends, with techniques not attempted before. Yet I prefer the ephemeral coffee ad --coffee can keep me up too late, but it won't let me down.
(PS I have no affiliation with anyone in advertising, coffee, or politics.)
