Obama Can't Sell Stimulus Without TV Ads

As President Barack Obama prepares to give his first prime-time news conference tonight to sell his economic stimulus package to the public, he finds himself fighting this political battle without one of his most powerful weapons: TV advertising. During the campaign, Obama's extraordinary fundraising gave him the ability to communicate to the public directly through his TV ads. Since the start of the general election, he spent, on average, $11 million per week communicating with voters through TV. This unfiltered messaging proved to be one of candidate Obama's biggest strengths last fall. Since he took office in January, however, Obama has relied on a series of press conferences and the usual presidential forums to get his message to the American public. This strategy allows members of the opposition, as well as the press, to filter the information. As seen by the PR difficulties faced by the president regarding his stimulus package, it prevents Obama from effectively selling his product on a mass scale like he was able to do as a candidate.