Juventud – Nixon

Spot de la Campaña del Presidente Nixon durante la contienda de 1972. La opinión se encontraba desencantada. La popularidad de Nixon bajaba por el desgaste de la administración como consecuencia de la guerra de Vietnam. Adicionalmente la situación económica no era prometedora, la inflación subía y el desempleo aumentaba. La administración trataba de tomar medidas que subieran su favorabilidad: viajo por primera vez a China y Rusia, trató de terminar el conflicto en Vietnam con el bombardeo de Hanoi y controló precios y salarios. George McGovern, el adversario de Nixon, difundía un mensaje arcado por el pacifismo tratando de capitalizar el descontento de la población con la guerra. Su campaña cometió algunos errores graves como el nombramiento del Senador de Missouri Thomas Eagleton como compañero de formula para luego retirarlo por el descubrimiento de que el Senador había recibido tratamiento contra la depresión, tratamiento que incluía terapia de choques eléctricos. Esos errores los aprovechaba con habilidad la campaña de Nixon para mostrar a un McGovern inepto y apresurado. El slogan de campaña era: “Nixon Presidente, ahora más que nunca”. El instrumento de su campaña fue la televisión. Los spot comunicaban el liderazgo de Nixon y el liberalismo imprudente de McGovern. Las piezas que posicionaban mensajes positivos mostraban a Nixon en ceremonias de Estado, con lideres del mundo y trabajando en la oficina oval. La idea era mostrar a un líder que estaba en capacidad de sacar el barco de la tormenta. El formato de documental generó un ambiente de intimidad del espectador con las rutinas presidenciales, propiciando un sentimiento de conexión muy favorable a la aspiración republicana. Así mismo se humanizo la figura de Nixon, que era percibido como frío, sin sentido del humor y distante, por eso hay spot donde lo muestran en el piano con Duke Ellington, bailando con su hija y bromeando con los traductores durante su viaje a China. Sin embargo, y hay que decirlo con claridad, su mejor comunicación es aquella en donde ataca a su adversario. Muchas de las piezas negativas las pautaba un grupo denominado “Demócratas con Nixon”, pero era la campaña de Nixon la que lo hacia abajo ese parapeto. Los spot fueron producidos por el denominado “November Group”, un grupo liderado por Peter Dailey y del cual hacían parte también Phil Joanou de la Agencia Doyle Dane Bernbach y William Taylor de Ogilvy and Mather. El spot que vemos tiene el siguiente guion en ingles: NARRADOR: You asked for an end to the war. You wanted peace. You said the draft was unfair. Why should blacks and poor kids be more liable to the draft than the whites and well-off. You asked for a say in our government. You wanted a voice in your future. You said, why isn’t something being done to save our environment? You wanted human priorities to come first. You spoke out for change. You asked for reform. You looked for a better America. NIXON: We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another. Until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard, as well as our voices. NARRADOR: When Richard Nixon came into office, all of America was asking for change – especially our youth. President Nixon wanted to turn things around. The war must end, you said. There were 550,000 American troops in Vietnam when President Nixon took office. Today, over half a million American soldiers have come home. Less than 40,000 remain, none engaged in ground combat. NIXON: Many presidents have ended wars. Very few presidents have had success in building the structure of peace that would last. We’ve had a war in every generation in this century. I want the rest of this century, and beyond that, to possibly be a time when no Americans are fighting any place in the world. NARRADOR: Change the draft laws and make them fair, you said. In the 1960s, the draft was a seven-year worry based on an unfair Selective Service system. President Nixon changed that. He introduced the lottery to be fair to all, and cut eligibility to one year. And now his plan calls for ending the draft completely in 1973. You wanted a voice in the future of our country. And in 1971, President Nixon saw the 26th Amendment become law, giving 18-year-olds the right to vote. NIXON: We are certifying the 26th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. That Amendment, as you know, provides for the right to vote for all of our young people between 18 and 21. Eleven million new voters as a result of this Amendment which you will now see certified by the GSA administrator. NARRADOR: President Nixon called for a reordering of national priorities. Human needs must come first. And now, for the first time in 20 years, we are spending more to meet the needs of our people than we are for defense. He did something concrete about the quality of our environment, too. President Nixon created a brand new federal department, the Environmental Protection Agency. Car manufacturers have been ordered to clean up their pollution. Noise abatement has become a matter of national concern. Our lakes and shorelines are going to be safeguarded from pollution. President Nixon has tackled the issue of drugs, which he as labeled America’s Public Enemy Number One. Today, we are spending eight times more than any previous administration to teach kids how dangerous drugs are, and to rehabilitate those who got the message too late. Today, we are changing our world priorities, too. Opening the door to China. Creating a new policy with the Soviet Union: negotiation, not confrontation. Change is hard, President Nixon once said. But without change, there can be no progress. Our environment, our cities, our economy, our dealings with other nations. There is much to be done, to be changed. That is why we need President Nixon, now more than ever. TEXTO EN PANTALLA: President Nixon. Now more than ever