"Except it's the other way around: "Daisy" implied that Barry Goldwater's snarling bellicosity would lead him to start a nuclear war, not the Soviets. A voiceover from Johnson made clear that, despite the evil nature of the Soviet regime, the USSR and America must find some way to co-exist. "These are the stakes: to make a world in which all of God's children can live... We must either love each other, or we must die.""
"Probably a bit unfair to Goldwater. But no more unfair than this new ad, which paints Iran as controlled by murderous suicide bombers intent on mass murder of civilians. The message is clear: Do as we say, or the terrorists will nuke American cities to dust. ( Sounds familiar, doesn't it?) Even Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't go so far as to say Iran will nuke America."
The American Security Initiative was founded by Saxby Chambliss, Evan Bayh, and Norm Coleman. The Initiative's ad recalls Lyndon Johnson's "Daisy" commercial but reverses its framing by portraying Iran as an imminent nuclear threat. The ad depicts Iran as controlled by murderous suicide bombers and implies that failure to follow its recommendations could result in terrorists nuking American cities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instead frames a nuclear Iran as an existential threat to Israel, not the United States. Concerns arise about Evan Bayh's involvement given his recent CIA oversight role and the ad's reliance on fear-based messaging and possible disinformation.
Read at Emptywheel
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