Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

The ad, Stop The Pounding, takes direct aim at what has become the dominant factor in many elections nationally, as well as in California elections: the ceaseless avalanche of misleading ads that distort our political process. In California, the vast majority of ads are financed by big corporations in an attempt to overwhelm voters and buy elections. Drug companies spent more that $80 million to defeat prescription drug reform in 2005. This year spending for and against Prop. 87 has already smashed that record, and Prop. 86 ads are not far behind. Among the contributors, Chevron, Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, all have spent over $20 million.

The problem with trying to clean up the big money mess in California is that those same special interests are spending millions against Proposition 89. They are -- you guessed it -- running deceiving ads designed to turn voters off with the hope that they will give up on things ever getting better.

So we are getting creative. The Hillsman ad is an important part of that strategy and we have online tools to help you spread the ad to your friends.

Even if you don't live in California, I'm sure you know people who do and they are likely to already be disgusted by the volume of negative ads running this year. The battle to pass Proposition 89 isn't just an issue for Californians, fundamental reform of political money in the world's fifth largest economy will reverberate nationwide.

So please, check out the ad and if you know people who would enjoy seeing it, please drop them a quick note and ask them to check it out.

www.TimeFor89.org

Here is what some people are saying:

"one of the slickest and most engaging political ads in California right now....In this ad, the medium is the message. Rather than targeting corporate donations and their influence on politicians, it attacks television advertising funded by those donations." -Robert Salladay, LA Times Political Muscle Blog

"It is a terrific ad - and an incredibly important campaign." -David Sirota, SirotaBlog

"Watch Hillsman's ad, which is a remarkable piece of political jujitsu on the practices of political advertising, and has the possiblity to remake them." -Jamie Court, Huffington Post

"hilarious YouTube Video, courtesy of 89now.org and/or Clean Money Elections which just about sums up this year's election.  I love it how they've managed to tie in our fatigue with the campaigning...." -Dan Wood, A Progressive Alamedan

"to me there is no single race as crucial as the battle to pass Proposition 89, a huge first step towards cleaning up politics in this state and taking it out of the hands of wealthy special interests. Joe Trippi sent me an ad today that was done by the brilliant filmmaker Bill Hillsman." -Howie Klein, Down WithTyranny

"A great ad." -SFBrianCL, Calitics

"His new ad for the issue doesn't even look like a political ad -- its production values are too high-end. Polling shows Proposition 89 is in a fierce battle, but as Hillsman's ad makes clear, the big money interests are actually shooting themselves in the foot. Spending tens of millions of dollars on nasty ad campaigns to try to destroy popular initiatives, these corporate interests are angering voters. Hillsman goes ninja style and turns these frustrations into a powerful argument for campaign finance reform." -Left in the West, AOL News Elections Blog

If you are tired of getting squashed by tons of ads paid for by special interest money, then make this the last time special interests own your television.