Year after year, a few dozen Washington consultants make the great majority of political ads. They look the same, they sound the same—even the actors seem familiar. Perhaps as a result, voters tune out, even when there are critically important messages to convey.

For the last three years, President Bush’s policies have ransacked the environment, put our national security at risk, damaged our economy, and redistributed wealth from the middle class to the very wealthiest Americans. Yet thanks to a complacent media, the President has managed to hide behind a carefully constructed “compassionate” image. As the 2004 election nears, it’s crucial that voters understand what President Bush’s policies really mean for our country. And to do that, we need creative new ads that clearly show
what’s at stake.

That’s why we decided to launch Bush in 30 Seconds, an ad contest that’s intended to bring new talent and new messages into the world of mainstream political advertising. We’re looking for the ad that best explains what this President and his policies are really about—in only 30 seconds.

The Bush in 30 Seconds ad contest has been developed and run by a small team of people: Laura Dawn, David Fenton, Moby, Eli Pariser, Lee Solomon, and Jonathan Soros. We’ve come together because we believe that by tapping into the vast talent pool of creative people beyond the Beltway, we’ll find the right messages and ads to expose the failure of President Bush’s policies.

Legally, Bush in 30 Seconds is a project of the MoveOn.org Voter Fund, a new 527 fund affiliated with MoveOn.org , the pre-eminent online advocacy group in the United States. The Voter Fund’s mission is to create and run powerful political ads in swing states to challenge President Bush’s policies and his administration.