Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Lincoln Project's Closing Statement

So this was my pitch for the Lincoln Project's closing statement (per my tease here):
[Open on ocean waves crashing softly, twilight forests with crickets, quiet nighttime streets, wind blowing across wheatfields...]

voiceover:
“Wouldn’t it be wonderful, as the pandemic recedes and election season passes, if we could finally enjoy some peace and quiet? Without all the tweeting, the insults, the dividing, the [bleep]y grabbing, the cruelty, the immorality, the racism, and the never-ending Reality TV theatrics?”

[Long luxurious fade].
I figured this would be the best last-ditch ploy to reframe swing voters, moderates, and exhausted Republicans who hadn't previously been moved by the standard condemnations. Subtle but inevitable-seeming propulsion for hesitant stragglers (plus an unconscious nod to my late mother, which I only just realized). My contacts at Lincoln Project eagerly agreed, and they've kept this on ice since May.

And this is the very fine version they just released (which they were kind enough to preview for me last week). I'm not sure it has the reframing power I was hoping for but they've added smart and beneficial elements (hey, it's a collaborative process!).

I had a few other well-received ideas in their hopper that never got produced at all due to fast-churning news cycles and overall LP frenzy factor (I don't think any of those guys has slept more than 4 hours in a row in months). I'll post scripts if anyone's interested.

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