Subject: Correct The Record Wednesday September 3, 2014 Afternoon Roundup
From: Burns Strider <[email-masked]>
To: CTRFriendsFamily <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2014 13:52:47 -0400
List-Id: <CTRFriendsFamily.americanbridge.org>

**

*Correct The Record Wednesday September 3, 2014 Afternoon Roundup:*

*Tweets:*

*Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: FL poll numbers are more evidence that
American voters see through @GOP <https://twitter.com/GOP> smear campaigns:
http://correctrecord.org/hillary-clinton-leads-floridians-jeb-bush-and-marco-rubio-in-florida/
…
<http://t.co/ofKitxXC7H> [9/3/14, 12:41 p.m. EDT
<https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/507206700235902976>]

*Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton
<https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> "has fought for and been a strong ally
and representative of the Jewish community."
http://www.jewishjournal.com/opinion/article/hillary_clinton_israel_and_the_jews
…
<http://t.co/66DIrPDHU2> [9/3/14, 12:39 p.m. EDT
<https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/507206206872911875>]

*Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: A poll released by Gravis Marketing
shows Clinton with a 9-point lead over Marco Rubio in a potential 2016
match-up:
http://correctrecord.org/hillary-clinton-leads-floridians-jeb-bush-and-marco-rubio-in-florida/
…
<http://t.co/ofKitxXC7H> [9/3/14, 10:18 a.m. EDT
<https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/507170670883508224>]

*Correct The Record* @CorrectRecord: .@HillaryClinton
<https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton> leads top Republican presidential
contenders in Florida Poll:
http://correctrecord.org/hillary-clinton-leads-floridians-jeb-bush-and-marco-rubio-in-florida/
…
<http://t.co/EnrPzaDbVe> [9/3/14, 10:08 a.m. EDT
<https://twitter.com/CorrectRecord/status/507168278318706688>]

*Headlines:*

*Associated Press: “Kerry Hosts Rare Reunion of Secretaries of State”
<http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_US_DIPLOMACY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT>*

“Kerry is being joined at the State Department by former top U.S. diplomats
Henry Kissinger, James Baker III, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell and
Hillary Rodham Clinton.”

*FitsNews: Jennifer Granholm Addressing Charleston SC Democrats*
<http://www.fitsnews.com/2014/09/02/jennifer-granholm-addressing-charleston-sc-democrats/>

"Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm – a top supporter of former U.S.
First Lady/ Senator/ Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – will address a
gathering of Democrats in Charleston, S.C. this month."

*Associated Press: “Little Rock plans series of events marking 10th
anniversary of Clinton Presidential Center”
<http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/009858c18a88461388268d0060e0e162/AR--Clinton-Library-Anniversary>*

“Foundation officials say former President Bill Clinton and former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are expected to attend several of the
events.”

*The Hill: “Benghazi committee hires communications director”
<http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/216418-benghazi-committee-hires-comms-director>*

“Republicans, led by Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), brought on Jamal Ware as
communications director for the majority.”

*U.S. News & World Report opinion: Radio host Leslie Marshall: “Not Even A
Hawk”
<http://www.usnews.com/opinion/leslie-marshall/2014/09/03/neither-obama-nor-hillary-clinton-can-stop-the-islamic-state>*

“So, although I may have been right that a President Hillary Clinton would
have been more of a hawk, and as much as I am hoping that she is our next
president in 2016, I am confident in my belief that her or any U.S.
president's actions could not have prevented the madness of these
murderers.”

*Los Angeles Times: “Al Franken takes Senate job seriously (he's still
funny in private)”
<http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-franken-profile-20140903-story.html#page=1>*

“The transformation from comic and political commentator to one of the most
understated members of Congress' upper chamber is often attributed to the
so-called Hillary Clinton model, a reference to how the former first lady
strove to lower her profile and focus on constituents' needs after she was
first elected as a senator from New York.”

*Peoria Public Radio: “The Voices Behind Campaign Ads”
<http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/voices-behind-campaign-ads>*

WOODEL: “It’s 3 AM and the phone is ringing in the White House.” / KEEFE:
"That was you?!?" / WOODEL: "Yeah."

*Articles:*

*Associated Press: “Kerry Hosts Rare Reunion of Secretaries of State”
<http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_US_DIPLOMACY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT>*

By Matthew Lee

September 3, 2014, 12:39 p.m. EDT

Expect no diplomatic faux pas here: Secretary of State John Kerry is
hosting five of his predecessors in a rare public reunion for the
groundbreaking of a museum commemorating the achievements of American
statesmanship.

Kerry is being joined at the State Department by former top U.S. diplomats
Henry Kissinger, James Baker III, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell and
Hillary Rodham Clinton. Of the living former secretaries of state, only
Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz were not present.

The US Diplomacy Center will be located at the department and comprise
40,000 square feet of interactive exhibits and artifacts and will offer
educational programs.

*FitsNews: Jennifer Granholm Addressing Charleston SC Democrats*
<http://www.fitsnews.com/2014/09/02/jennifer-granholm-addressing-charleston-sc-democrats/>

[No Author]
September 2, 2014, 10:14 a.m. EDT

Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm – a top supporter of former U.S.
First Lady/ Senator/ Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – will address a
gathering of Democrats in Charleston, S.C. this month.

Granholm will be the keynote speaker at the Charleston (S.C.) Democratic
Party’s annual Blue Jamboree, which will be held on Saturday, September 27
from 1:00-5:00 p.m. EDT at the Jenkins Orphanage in North Charleston, S.C.

Previous speakers at the event include U.S. Reps. Elijah Cummings and
Debbie Wasserman-Shultz.

“We are excited to welcome Governor Granholm to Charleston,” said county
party chairman Brady Quirk-Garvan. “It will be so refreshing to hear from
an honest Governor who consistently stood up for the people of her State.
People in Charleston have grown tired of Nikki Haley’s lies and are ready
for a change.”

Speakers at the event will include S.C. Senators Vincent Sheheen and Brad
Hutto – and S.C. Rep. Bakari Sellers.  Sheheen is running for governor
against Haley (a repeat of the 2010 race), while Hutto is running for the
U.S. Senate against Lindsey Graham.  Sellers is running against Henry
McMaster for lieutenant governor.

Also speaking?  Mary Tinkler, who is running against S.C. Speaker of the
House Bobby Harrell.

Individuals interested in purchasing tickets to the event (for $10) should
visit www.CharlestonDemocrats.com/BlueJam.

*Associated Press: “Little Rock plans series of events marking 10th
anniversary of Clinton Presidential Center”
<http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/009858c18a88461388268d0060e0e162/AR--Clinton-Library-Anniversary>*

By Jill Bleed

September 3, 2014, 10:23 a.m. EDT

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A series of events is planned in Little Rock this
November to mark the 10th anniversary of the Clinton Presidential Center
and to recognize the major economic boost the former president's library
has brought to the city.

The Clinton Foundation plans a celebration from Nov. 14-Nov. 18, while the
Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau will host 10 days of events to
mark the anniversary of the center, which opened Nov. 18, 2004.

Foundation officials say former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton are expected to attend several of the events.

The city's downtown has transformed drastically since Clinton announced
that his presidential library would be built in Little Rock. Officials say
the number of tourists visiting the city has grown 25 percent since 2003.

*The Hill: “Benghazi committee hires communications director”
<http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/216418-benghazi-committee-hires-comms-director>*

By Mario Trujillo

September 02, 2014 04:17 p.m. EDT

The House Select Committee investigating the 2012 Benghazi attacks on
Tuesday hired a communications director as members are scheduled to return
from their August recess next week.

Republicans, led by Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), brought on Jamal Ware as
communications director for the majority. Gowdy's communication director,
Amanda Duvall, will continue to handle media through the congressman's
personal office.

The hiring of a press person exclusive to the committee might signal it is
ready to become more publicly visible after remaining largely out of the
headlines for the past few months.

The first committee hearing will come later this month, Gowdy previously
said. But much of the review about the events surrounding the attack that
killed four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens, will
take place behind closed doors.

Gowdy has continuously said he does not want the process to turn into a
political "circus."

Ware has held various communications positions in the intelligence
community. He previously worked as a communications consultant for the
Office of the Director of National Intelligence and as communications
director for the House Intelligence Committee.

He has also worked on the Senate Intelligence Committee and as
communications director for former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.).

*U.S. News & World Report opinion: Radio host Leslie Marshall: “Not Even A
Hawk”
<http://www.usnews.com/opinion/leslie-marshall/2014/09/03/neither-obama-nor-hillary-clinton-can-stop-the-islamic-state>*

By Leslie Marshall

September 3, 2014, 11:30 a.m. EDT

"You were right." Those were the words of a friend of mine, a left-leaning,
progressive Democrat and liberal. He was referring to my having been on
team Hillary back when she was up against current President Barack Obama
for the job of commander in chief; he was team Obama.

One of the reasons I had preferred Clinton over then-Senator Obama was I
felt she had more experience, especially in foreign policy matters, and I
knew her being a "hawk" could come in handy.

After the release of a second video by the Islamic State (also known as
ISIS or ISIL) that shows the beheading of American journalist Steven
Sotloff, and faced with a president who admitted that the U.S. did not have
a plan as to how to deal with the Islamic State, my friend seems to agree
with me now: Perhaps Clinton would have made a better president. It's times
like these that we need a hawk. And I agree with him, partially.

Looking back, I agree with our former secretary of state when she said we
should have worked with the moderate faction of the Free Syrian Army. I
also feel that drone strikes earlier on in Syria would have been a better
choice; we have seen their effectiveness. First, we took out seven vehicles
of the Islamic State's convoy in less than 48 hours. Second, we helped the
Kurds and Iraqi military to keep the Mosul Dam, a facility that provides
energy and water to millions of Iraqi people, out of the Islamic State's
hands. Third, and most recent, U.S. airstrikes assisted in the success of
the taking back of Amerli, a key northern town in Iraq.

But for all the criticism of Obama's foreign policy, and most recently for
the beheading of Sotloff, the situation would have been the same for
"President" Hillary Clinton. When Obama stood up to speak about Iraq and
Syria, the world was focused on his tan suit. I'm sure Clinton's hairstyle
would have been discussed if she were standing there.

In this situation, there is absolutely no good outcome. We don't negotiate
with terrorists (well, we have numerous times, but it's a good line
American presidents like to recite), and we are certainly not going to bow
down to terrorist's demands to stop the drone attacks and write a check for
more than $6 million to free numerous prisoners. Unlike al-Qaida, which
after murdering and beheading Daniel Pearl threatened to do the same to
hundreds of Americans, the Islamic State has been following through on its
threats.

So what's a president to do? No matter who sits in the Oval Office, no
American president would stop using drones because the terrorists threaten
to kill an American. Harsh? Yes. True? Yes.

Julian Zelizer, a friend of mine who is also a professor at Princeton
University and a contributor to CNN.com, stated in an interview with The
Christian Science Monitor, “The second beheading is a brutal act, and it’s
also a political act.” She continued, "[I]t’s clearly meant to send a
signal that Obama’s not in control, that the airstrikes that have taken
place are not really doing anything and that [the Islamic State] will
continue to act aggressively and to kill.”

I could not disagree more, and I am not alone in this opinion. I have
interviewed Navy SEALS, counterterrorism experts, former marines and other
members of the armed forces, people who have been to Iraq, dealt with
terrorists and intelligence operations, and all feel that these are
murderers with a mindset that we Americans and the rest of the Western
world just do not understand.

These terrorists would have cropped up even if we had stayed in Iraq for
100 years, as Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., once suggested. The Islamic State
will continue to behead hostages whether we continue our drone attacks,
increase them, back off or cease using them entirely. They were murdering
and beheading people, both Muslims and Christians, before we started the
drone attacks. For the Islamic State to threaten to take American lives
because of U.S. airstrikes further proves the success of these missions.

Whether we continue and step up the attacks, whether we strike the Islamic
State in Syria, whether we have our boots on the ground, or our allies' and
others' in the Middle East, the only way to stop the Islamic State is to
destroy the Islamic State. And the only way to destroy the Islamic State is
for the Iraqi people to stop the divisions between Sunni, Shite and Kurd
and become one, united Iraq. The only to destroy the Islamic State is for
the Iraqi people and their military to be motivated to do so. We can write
a check, but we can't buy their motivation. We can send them weapons and
train them, but we cannot train them to be motivated.

So, although I may have been right that a President Hillary Clinton would
have been more of a hawk, and as much as I am hoping that she is our next
president in 2016, I am confident in my belief that her or any U.S.
president's actions could not have prevented the madness of these murderers.

*The Hill blog: Ballot Box: “Will Md. governor challenge Clinton?”
<http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/216480-will-omalley-run-against-clinton>*

By Mario Trujillo

September 3, 2014, 9:02 a.m. EDT

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is preparing to run for the Democratic
presidential nomination in 2016 whether or not Hillary Clinton enters the
race, according to three Democratic fundraisers quoted in the Wall Street
Journal.

The newspaper quotes two anonymous fundraisers who said the governor
already told them flat out he would run for president in 2016.

When asked directly whether he would run regardless of Clinton's decision,
O'Malley said he is "not inclined to talk about it that at this point."

An aide to the governor said the fundraisers could have been mistaken that
the governor had already decided on a run, but noted his decision would
come regardless of who else enters the race.

Doug Goldman, a campaign bundler for President Obama in 2012, told the
newspaper, "Martin O'Malley is making it pretty clear that his ultimate
goal is president of the United States."

He added that the governor indicated during a spring meeting that, "Yes,
that's the next step for him, that he is running."

Clinton is a huge frontrunner in early polling for the nomination. Most
people having never heard of O'Malley.

In a July interview with the Los Angeles Times, the governor said he was
"seriously considering" a run. When asked how Clinton’s decision would
affect his own, he responded, "It's not at all at this point."

*Los Angeles Times: “Al Franken takes Senate job seriously (he's still
funny in private)”
<http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-franken-profile-20140903-story.html#page=1>*

By Michael A. Memoli

September 2, 2014, 7:04 p.m. EDT

It must be said at this point: Sen. Al Franken is just dull.

How dull is he? He says the most memorable conversation he's had as a
senator — "hilarious" even — was a wonkish discussion with former President
Clinton about how to finance energy retrofits.

During travels throughout the state, he stops at Dairy Queen and always
orders the same thing: a plain vanilla cone.

The former "Saturday Night Live" writer and actor generally shuns the
national media unless it's to talk about one of his obscure pet issues,
such as corporate media mergers or net neutrality.

Even his reelection is a little bit boring. More than five years after the
Minnesota Supreme Court upheld his razor-thin 312-vote margin of victory,
the Democratic senator is low on the list of endangered incumbents this
year, even as several other Democrats are fighting to hold their seats.

Apparently dull is good politics for Al Franken.

It's not that Franken is no longer funny — he is, though it's mostly out of
public view. But one of the more noteworthy aspects of the former comic's
first Senate term has been his effort to avoid the spotlight and to play
against type.

"I'm in a different job," he said in an interview. "My old job was being
funny, basically. And that's not my new job."

The transformation from comic and political commentator to one of the most
understated members of Congress' upper chamber is often attributed to the
so-called Hillary Clinton model, a reference to how the former first lady
strove to lower her profile and focus on constituents' needs after she was
first elected as a senator from New York.

Franken also faced the prospect of filling the shoes of political giants
who'd held the seat: Hubert H. Humphrey and Walter F. Mondale — and his
friend and political inspiration, the late Paul Wellstone.

Indeed, Franken says he went to Washington "to be the workhorse and not a
show horse." The acerbic comedian who once declared the 1980s as the "Al
Franken Decade" has been hesitant to exploit his celebrity status in the
new post. "I had years in show business and had plenty of camera time," he
said. "By being perceived as someone who was rushing to the camera all the
time, it can undercut your effectiveness in the body."

He may be stone-faced in the halls of the Capitol, but there's one thing
Franken cannot suppress: that laugh.

His cackle, notorious among lawmakers, often pierces the din of
conversations on the Senate floor during votes. He credits his distinctive
laugh with helping him develop relationships across the aisle.

"If you talked to almost any senator, they would say, 'Yeah, Al laughs a
lot and really loudly,'" he said.

He acknowledges that as a comic he once used his humor "very pointedly"
against the GOP. Among Franken's several left-leaning political books are
"Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations" and "Lies and the
Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right."

But as he has spent time getting to know Republicans, he has worked to give
them a better understanding of his commitment to issues, Franken says.

"I've always considered myself a serious person," he said. "And I don't
think there's any contradiction between being funny and being serious. I
don't think of them as being opposites."

He quickly found that humor can be an effective tool in legislating. "It's
the great bridge-maker," he said.

Colleagues agree that a little sense of humor can go a long way in
Washington's hyper-polarized climate.

"He has a great laugh, a disarming laugh. It's very genuine," said Sen. Tom
Harkin (D-Iowa), a 30-year Senate veteran. "The one thing I always notice
about Franken is that when we go into the Senate for a vote … more often
than not you find him on the Republican side. Once in a while you can see
them laugh together. Maybe Al says something funny or something like that.
That does a lot to break the ice, believe me."

Those close to Franken, and Franken himself, often seem exhausted by the
continued discussion of his past job as it relates to his current one.
That's one reason he's tended to refuse media interviews to non-Minnesota
outlets. At the start of a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, he
asked skeptically, "The headline won't have 'No Joke' in it?"

Though he may keep his colleagues laughing in private, his brand of comedy,
which always tended to be dry, is now basically arid in public. Anyone
hoping for a chuckle from reading Franken's Twitter account or an
occasional "daily affirmation" offered by Franken's sickeningly positive
Stuart Smalley character will be sorely disappointed.

It's even something of a running joke in Washington. At the 2013 Gridiron
Club dinner in Washington, President Obama dubbed Franken "the
second-funniest senator in Minnesota," behind dinner co-headliner Amy
Klobuchar, the state's senior senator.

On a recent trip through rural western Minnesota, Franken touted his work
on a trio of agenda items that have generated little buzz in Washington: a
new farm bill, legislation that overhauled federal worker training
programs, and clean energy infrastructure projects. Despite gridlock in
Congress, Franken emphasized where he had delivered results, and seemed to
revel in discussing them at the most granular level.

It was Bill Clinton's similar mastery of minute details of energy retrofits
that impressed Franken so much, he says. Launching into a spot-on
impersonation of the former president, Franken recalled how Clinton even
offered to walk through the finer points with Franken's staff. "I said,
'Wow, Mr. President,'" Franken recalled. "It was hilarious just being on
the phone with him for an hour and getting into local bonding issues."

At another stop, at a manufacturing company in Willmar, Franken had a
friendly debate with the company's conservative president, who was opposed
to using taxpayer funds to support job training programs. After some
back-and-forth about the merits of a law Franken backed, the two joked
about how they wished Franken could stay longer to continue the discussion.
"We could sit down and watch some Fox," Franken quipped.

Franken's campaign is highlighting a list of relatively modest proposals
that Franken helped turn into law: food safety and drug compounding bills,
a provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street overhaul bill that dealt with
credit rating agencies. He also played a key role in ensuring that the
so-called 80-20 rule was included in the Affordable Care Act. It requires
insurers to spend a large portion of premium payments on actual healthcare
services and is seen as one of the more widely accepted components of
Obama's healthcare law.

"Working Hard for Minnesota" is Franken's rather unflashy slogan as he runs
for a new term. And in the campaign ahead, it appears that both parties are
content to focus on Franken's legislative resume rather than his comedic
past.

Franken's Republican opponent makes clear he'd rather highlight Franken's
votes to support Obama policies than what he'd done before going to the
Senate.

"I have no interest in what Al Franken did 25 years ago, absolutely no
interest," businessman and GOP candidate Mike McFadden said. "I do have an
interest in terms of what he's done over the last 5 1/2 years in
Washington."

Republican colleagues who have worked with Franken were reluctant to say
much about their partnership. Former GOP Sen. Norm Coleman, whom Franken
narrowly defeated in 2008, scoffed at the idea that Franken had
accomplished much since replacing him.

"He's touting the fact that he's got a few provisions [passed] in six
years," Coleman said. "That's not a workhorse. That's an invisible horse."

If anyone is playing for laughs, it's McFadden. His most recent ad employs
a Franken impersonator struggling to launch his boat in one of the state's
10,000 lakes. (The message: Franken votes with Obama 97% of the time.)
Another ad ends with the Republican on the receiving end of a football to
the groin, prompting him to voice the "I approve this message" disclaimer
in a high pitch.

Franken supporters say the focus on his accomplishments is an implicit
acknowledgment of how successful he's been at being accepted by all sides
as a credible legislator.

"They spent so much money in his first campaign making him look like a
buffoon," said Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.). "You're with him for five minutes
and you see that's not true."

So far Franken doesn't seem threatened by his opponent's attempts to
encroach on his comedy turf. But the campaign has opened the door — perhaps
briefly — to some of Franken's signature humor.

"Good oral hygiene is important — and so is our grass-roots fundraising,"
Franken wrote in one campaign missive, which had the subject line, "Not a
message from your dentist."

*Peoria Public Radio: “The Voices Behind Campaign Ads”
<http://peoriapublicradio.org/post/voices-behind-campaign-ads>*

By Alex Keefe

September 3, 2014, 7:23 a.m. EDT

Think of radio and TV campaign ads as the soundtrack of an election season….

Deep and ominous voices sound the attack; sugary and optimistic voices
signal support.  As part of our series on the “dark arts” of the campaign
business, we meet the people behind the voices trained to influence the
democratic process.

As Illinois Public Radio's Alex Keefe found, some of the most famous
political ads in recent American history may have been voiced in a closet
near you.

Really: a closet.

WOODEL: "So, when I do voices for political campaigns, or for anybody, I do
them out of my closet here in the house."

KEEFE: "This is literally a closet."

WOODEL: "Yeah."

...a closet lined with heavy, velvet drapes to soak up any echos - and a
high-end super-sensitive microphone at which stands 64-year-old Norm
Woodel- portly, gray polo, camo shorts, sandals. This is where the magic
happens.

KEEFE: "Are there famous political campaigns that have had their work
voiced in this little closet here in Lakeview?"

WOODEL: “It’s 3 AM and the phone is ringing in the White House.”

KEEFE: "That was you?!?"

WOODEL: "Yeah."

KEEFE: "You did the Hillary Clinton one?"

WOODEL: “3AM.”

“Three A-M” - if you don’t recall - was arguably THE political ad of the
2008 Democratic presidential primaries. Hillary Clinton’s campaign ran it
to underscore this idea that she was seasoned, reliable - and to suggest
her rival Barack Obama was not.

AD TAPE: "It’s 3AM and your children are safe and asleep. But there’s a
phone in the White House, and it’s ringing. Something’s happening in the
world. Your vote will decide who answers that call."

Okay - but then - just a few hours AFTER the Clinton ad airs - just
1-point-6 miles away from Norm Woodel’s closet - ANOTHER guy, gets ANOTHER
phone call in HIS makeshift home studio - and the voice on the other end of
the line is frantic.

PRICE: "And they said, ‘Have you heard what’s on the air right now? Hillary
just ran the red phone ad.’ Which, I don’t know if people heard it, it’s
something like ‘It’s 3AM - the phone’s ringing in the White House.’”

Right, so this is Bill Price - another Chicago campaign voiceover talent -
and now he’s getting an earful from HIS client - Barack Obama’s
presidential campaign - saying they gotta respond to this 3-A-M phone ad -
RIGHT NOW.

PRICE: "So we literally had 20 minutes for me to do a commercial, right
here...and they wanted it on the air for the evening news cycle."

AD TAPE: "It’s 3AM, and your children are safe and asleep."

These dueling ads epitomized the experience versus change narrative in the
Democratic primaries. Pundits gobbled this up - SaturdayNight Live even did
a parody of the ad.

Such are the big political debates ignited - in part - merely by the power
of a human voice. The men and women behind those voices aren’t just people
who read stuff into a microphone. They think of themselves as actors -
artists - who use their voices like instruments to manipulate your emotions
- which, in turn, can influence your vote. Also - they don’t sleep much.

HUDSON: "When you’re doing voiceover work, it’s almost as though you have
no life, when you’re doing political campaigns."

Wanda Christine Hudson has been doing voiceover work for more than four
decades. And she says working campaigns is a lot different than her usual
commercial or video game voiceover gigs. Political season means abruptly
canceled lunch plans, sleeping by your phone and voicing ads in the dead of
night.

HUDSON: ..."and your voice has got to be awake and alert and up on your
toes!"

But Wanda Christine - as she goes by - says she likes the fast pace, the
fickle campaign staffers, the challenge of using her full palette.

HUDSON: ..."because maybe the candidate didn’t like that word, or maybe
their campaign manager thought, maybe we want more smile in her voice, or
maybe we want it to sound a little bit more serious, or maybe we want her
to sound younger, or maybe we just want her to sound natural."

These vocal acrobatics may SOUND easy. But imagine having to talk like this
ON DEMAND - with short notice - on a tight deadline.

Norm Woodel - the original 3 A-M phone call guy - will say a little phrase
to himself to get the right tone - he calls it a ramp.

WOODEL: "So I have a ramp that I use to get into my NFL voice: To the men
on the field it’s a battle."

...then later, Woodel says they’ll edit out that little bit he says at the
beginning...or, at the end.

WOODEL: "The all new Chevy Silverado. The most dependable, longest-lasting
trucks on the road...(expletive)."

KEEFE: (laughs)

WOODEL: "Just thinking that half-cuss word we put on the end, as a guy talk
kinda thing, would get you to the toughness you need."

But sometimes finding your voice takes more than just a little ramp. When
Bill Price was voicing political ads for Obama’s 2008 campaign, he invented
this whole character.

PRICE: "Like being the doctor who walks in the room, and there’s parents
there, and they’re distraught ‘cause their kid’s really sick and think he’s
maybe gonna die. And then you’re the doctor that gets to say, There’s one
last hope."

For Wanda Christine - a black woman in a business where she says there
aren’t many - there’s also personal history in her political voiceovers.

HUDSON:  "My great-grandmother was not allowed to vote. My grandmother was
not allowed to vote. Um, so I think about the things that they had to do to
try to make a difference so that I could vote. That means something to me.
And because it means something to me, uh, excuse me - I want it to mean
something to whoever is making that decision based upon my voice."

WOODEL: "Oh, come on. ‘Please try to refresh your browser’?!? So let’s look
at this ad."

AD: "I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message."

Back at Norm Woodel’s home studio computer - he shows me how all this
emotion and character and subtext is crafted to influence voters. He’s
dissecting a TV attack ad he voiced for President Obama’s 2012 campaign
against Republican Mitt Romney.

He cues up the video...

AD: "Tough on China? Not Mitt Romney. When a flood of Chinese."

Just a couple seconds in - he pauses - to explain that throaty, leathery
voice.

WOODEL: "Well, first I wanna be credible, reliable, dependable. That
happens here. That doesn’t happen like, Tough on China?"

AD: "When a flood of Chinese tires threatened a thousand American jobs, it
was President Obama who stood up to China."

WOODEL: "Okay, so what do we wanna build into Obama?"

Woodel stops it again - looks at me - and smiles.

WOODEL: "President Obama. That guy. We have to sense a smile when you say
his voice."

AD: ..."stood up to China, and protected American workers."

WOODEL: "Okay, so"

Here, Woodel actually walks over from the desktop...

WOODEL:"No no, you can sit there."

KEEFE: "Oh, okay."

...and he puts his arm around my shoulder - looks me square in the eye...

WOODEL: ..."and protected American workers. D’you hear what happened to the
voice?"

KEEFE: "It was intimate. It was close. You’re like whispering in my ear,
almost."

WOODEL: "It’s just you and me. Me talking to you. Reassuring you."

These messages - individual words, even - have been poll-tested and
focus-grouped to find out which will hit YOU in the most personal way
possible. Wanda Christine says it’s also personal for many voiceover
artists.

KEEFE: "Do you only work for one party now?"

HUDSON:  "Uhhhhhh.....yeaaaah."

KEEFE: "Are you allowed to say which party that is?"

HUDSON: "Naw."

But the folks behind the other two voices we’ve heard in this story made a
personal political choice only to read for Democrats. Bill Price thinks he
just SOUNDS more...Democratic.

PRICE: "I think within my voice is more - second chances, and hope
and...even small miracles...than it is about justice. Maybe that’s more of
a Republican thing. I’m more, uh...you know....sentimental."

And for Norm Woodel - there is a bit of a gee-whiz factor.

WOODEL: "After the President of the United States of America says, ‘I’m
Barack Obama and I approve this message,’ I come on. Isn’t that wonderful?"

KEEFE: "Um, I’d like you to help me end my story in a much more interesting
way than we normally could. So, could we do scary first?"

WOODEL: "For WBEZ, this has been Alex Keefe."

Hmm - okay, give me more wholesome now.

PRICE: "For WBEZ, he’s Alex Keefe."

Okay - I want confidence.

HUDSON: "This interview has been brought to you by WBEZ and the handsome
Alex Keefe."

KEEFE: Ok, I’ll take that one. All right, that’s a good spot to end.