Last week top Romney campaign advisor Eric Fehrnstrom’s now-famous Etch-A-Sketch remark ricocheted around the internet at warp speed, and many of the stories featured or mentioned American Bridge’s Etch-A-Sketch rapid response video. Check out just a few of the shout-outs:
POLITICO: The Etch a Sketch Campaign
Democrats, meanwhile, did everything they could to exploit the controversy. The Democratic National Committee and the independent group American Bridge blasted out web videos reveling in a ready-made metaphor for Romney’s political fecklessness.
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American Bridge senior adviser Ty Matsdorf said he’s fully confident the Etch A Sketch narrative is on its way to becoming a staple of the 2012 campaign.
“Unfortunately for Romney, because this comment is so rooted in truth and reinforces what voters already suspected, it will not just be a day-long gaffe; it will be a reoccurring narrative til November,” he said.
The Nation: Romney, the Etch-a-Sketch Candidate
Naturally, Santorum and Gingrich started carrying around Etch-a-Sketches all day long as props. And within hours the Democrats had cranked out ads for the web. Here is the DNC’s, and here’s a far better spot, by American Bridge 21st Century, a progressive SuperPAC from Media Matter’s David Brock.
The Hill: Democrats pile on Romney over Etch A Sketch comments
The American Bridge ad follows a similar tact, following Fehrnstrom’s comments with video of the toy featuring one of Romney’s previously held positions on issues like abortion rights and support for the National Rifle Association. After the toy shakes, Romney’s more recent stance on the issues appears.
“While the quote may have just happened today, the sentiment has long been a way of life for Mitt Romney, who has ‘shook & erased’ his views on the issues over and over again,” said American Bridge spokesman Chris Harris.
New York Times’ The Caucus Blog: Etch a Sketch Adds to List of Romney Campaign Gaffes
And they will be aided in the coming months by liberal allies who are literally tracking every word Mr. Romney and his associates say. The idea behind groups like American Bridge 21st Century and others is to catch the Republicans in misstatements, flip-flops, embarrassing moments and gaffes.
CNN’s Political Ticker: TRENDING: Etch A Sketch comment no child’s play
And Democratic groups, including the Democratic National Committee and American Bridge 21st Century PAC, have pounced on the opportunity to highlight Romney’s change in tune on a few positions over the years.
TPM: The Day In Etch-A-Sketch: How The Political Machine Overran Romney
Pretty soon people were hastily chopping together parody web videos along the same lines. American Bridge had “Romney: The Etch-A-Sketch Candidate.”
Red Alert Politics: VIDEO: American Bridge – “Romney: The Etch A Sketch Candidate”
By this afternoon Democratic Political Action Committee American Bridge had already responded to Romney’s statements with a spot-on Etch A sketch video highlighting other issues Romney had changed his position on over the years.
Regardless of whether or not you agree with the video, you have to acknowledge the quality of the video and the lightning speed pace with which the American Bridge was able to produce and disseminate it.
Published: Mar 26, 2012