1956
The
Stevenson campaign's response to the "Eisenhower Answers America" ads in 1952
was extremely critical, accusing Republicans of selling the presidency like
soap. But in 1956, when Adlai Stevenson ran again for president, Democrats
realized they would have to do ads.But
Stevenson had a very hard time hiring a top agency on Republican-dominated
Madison avenue and had to settle for a smaller firm. Stevenson's attitude
towards political spots was obvious in ads like this one shot in his private
library: "I wish you could see what else is in this room. Besides the camera, there are lights over here, there are cables all over the floor... it's amazing how many things there are in television that you don't see. But I confess I rather like it. It's wonderful how sitting here in my own library, thanks to television, I can talk to millions of people that I couldn't reach any other way. But I'm not going to let this spoil me. I'm not going to stop traveling in this campaign. I can talk to you, yes, but I can't listen to you. I can't hear about your problems, about your hopes and your fears. To do that, I've got to go out and see you in person."
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