Morning in America

Last updated

"Prouder, Stronger, Better", commonly referred to by the name "Morning in America", is a 1984 political campaign television commercial, known for its opening line, "It's morning again in America." The ad was part of that year's presidential campaign of Republican Party candidate Ronald Reagan. It featured a montage of images of Americans going to work, and a calm, optimistic narration that suggested that the improvements to the U.S. economy since the 1980 election were due to Reagan's policies. It also asked voters why they would want to return to the pre-Reagan policies of Democrats.

Contents

The phrase "It's morning again in America" is used both as a literal statement (people are shown going to work as they would in the morning), and as a metaphor for renewal.

Details

Full text of the ad:

It's morning again in America. Today more men and women will go to work than ever before in our country's history. With interest rates at about half the record highs of 1980, nearly 2,000 families today will buy new homes, more than at any time in the past four years. This afternoon 6,500 young men and women will be married, and with inflation at less than half of what it was just four years ago, they can look forward with confidence to the future. It's morning again in America, and under the leadership of President Reagan, our country is prouder and stronger and better. Why would we ever want to return to where we were less than four short years ago?

The ad was written and narrated by ad man Hal Riney, who also wrote and narrated Reagan's resonant "Bear in the woods" ad (titled "Bear") as well as his "America's Back" ad. To many, his rich, avuncular voice represented wholesomeness and authenticity. [1] Bernie Vangrin of Hal Riney & Partners was the Art Director of the ad, which was directed and filmed by John Pytka of Levine/Pytka Productions.

Locations

"Morning In America" was filmed in Petaluma, California. [2] [3]

Resonance

This advertisement won industry awards and praise from the political and advertising world. Republican strategist Dan Schnur said of Riney's work: "Most political advertising hits viewers over the head, while his work makes just as strong a point but in a less confrontational and a more soothing manner." [4]

Adaptations and references

During Super Bowl LIII, Hulu aired a trailer for the third season of The Handmaid's Tale that was inspired by "Morning in America". It used similar narration to the original commercial (with a particular focus on women and their newborn children), but is interrupted by scenes of the series' dystopian and totalitarian Republic of Gilead—where women are required to act as sex slaves—and concluding with lead character June Osbourne / Offred stating "Wake up America, morning's over." [5] [6]

2016 presidential election

During the 2016 presidential primaries, Republican Party candidates Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz both referenced "morning in America" rhetoric in attempts to reflect the politics and spirit of Reagan. Rubio's "Morning Again in America" television ad, which features montage footage of everyday American life in both cities and suburbs, drew widespread criticism for opening with a shot of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [7] Ted Cruz used variations of the phrase throughout his campaign, often at concluding or climactic points in his speeches. After winning the Republican caucus in Iowa on February 1, 2016, Cruz said: "Tonight Iowa has proclaimed to the world: morning is coming." [8] Cruz used the phrase again in a speech in South Carolina as he competed with Rubio for second place in the state's Republican primary election on February 20: "We can bring back morning in America", he declared. [9] Years earlier, Cruz had used a similar line when he spoke at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC): "We will bring back morning in America. That's why we're here and that's the future for the young and everybody else in this country." [10]

In Hillary Clinton's Democratic nomination acceptance speech, referencing Donald Trump’s acceptance speech the previous week, she said: "He's taken the Republican Party a long way from 'Morning in America' to 'Midnight in America.' He wants us to fear the future and fear each other." [11]

2020 presidential election

During the 2020 presidential campaign, The Lincoln Project released the ad "Mourning in America" [12] with themes related to deaths from COVID-19 and the debatable inaction of Pres. Donald Trump; versions featuring specific states were released as "Mourning in Iowa", "Mourning in Florida", "Mourning in Pennsylvania" and "Mourning in Ohio", as well as a version called "Mourning in Republican Party" that laments the party's change of direction.

See also

Related Research Articles

"Bear", a television commercial known for and often referred to by its opening line "There is a bear in the woods", was created for the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign of Republican Party candidate Ronald Reagan. The commercial featured a grizzly bear wandering through a forest, accompanied by narration suggesting that the bear could be dangerous and that it would be wise to be prepared for that possibility. In the final scene, a man appears and the bear takes a step back. The ad ends with a picture of Reagan and the tagline: "President Reagan: Prepared for Peace."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Rubio</span> American politician (born 1971)

Marco Antonio Rubio is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 2006 to 2008. Rubio unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016, but won presidential primaries in Minnesota, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Jamestown Associates is a political, public affairs and corporate advertising firm active in the United States, specializing in media production, direct mail, press relations and campaign management, for candidates of the Republican Party. Its CEO is Larry Weitzner. Among its best-known political clients are Donald Trump, several governors, Senator Mike Braun, and the Republican National Committee. Past corporate and governmental clients include Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statewide opinion polling for the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries</span>

This article contains opinion polling by U.S. state for the 2016 Republican Party presidential primaries. The shading for each poll indicates the candidate(s) which are within one margin of error of the poll's leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Republican Party presidential primaries</span>

Presidential primaries and caucuses of the Republican Party took place within all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories between February 1 and June 7, 2016. These elections selected the 2,472 delegates that were sent to the Republican National Convention. Businessman and reality television personality Donald Trump won the Republican nomination for president of the United States.

The 2016 presidential campaign of Ben Carson, a pediatric neurosurgeon and bestselling author, was announced May 3, 2015, in an interview with a local television station in Cincinnati, Ohio. He formally announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2016 presidential election at a rally in his hometown of Detroit on May 4, 2015. On March 4, 2016, Carson officially ended his campaign in a speech at CPAC. He endorsed Donald Trump on March 11. After Trump won the general election, he selected Carson to be his Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, with Carson announcing an additional administration role overseeing the repeal and replacement of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Twelve presidential debates and nine forums were held between the candidates for the Republican Party's nomination for president in the 2016 United States presidential election, starting on August 6, 2015.

This is a list of notable political endorsements for declared candidates for the Republican primaries for the 2016 United States presidential election. Endorsements are part of the "invisible primary" process, which occurs not only long before the general election, but also largely occurs before even the caucuses and primaries have begun.

The 2016 presidential campaign of Ted Cruz, the junior United States senator from Texas, was announced on March 23, 2015. He was a candidate for the Republican Party's 2016 presidential nomination and won the second-most state contests and delegates. Cruz themed his campaign around being an outsider and a strict conservative. In the crowded early field, he chose not to directly confront the leading candidate, Donald Trump, who was also viewed as an outsider candidate. His cordial and sympathetic tone towards Trump contrasted with the more critical approach of rivals such as Jeb Bush, John Kasich, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul.

Marco Rubio, then the junior United States senator from Florida, formally announced his 2016 presidential campaign on April 13, 2015, at the Freedom Tower in Downtown Miami. Early polling showed Rubio, who was considered a potential candidate for vice president by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, as a frontrunner candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2016 since at least the end of the 2012 election. Rubio was the second Cuban American to run for president, with Republican Ted Cruz announcing his campaign three weeks earlier. He suspended his campaign on March 15, 2016, after finishing second in Florida's primary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Perry 2016 presidential campaign</span> Presidential campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Rick Perry, the 47th Governor of Texas, was officially launched on June 4, 2015. This campaign constituted Perry's second consecutive bid for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Perry announced on September 11, 2015, that he had suspended his campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Santorum 2016 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Rick Santorum, former United States Senator from Pennsylvania, was formally announced at a rally in Pittsburgh on May 27, 2015. His campaign for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016 was his second bid for the office, after having been a candidate in 2012, where he received the second most delegates after 2012 nominee Mitt Romney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindsey Graham 2016 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

Lindsey Graham, the senior United States senator from South Carolina and former U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 3rd congressional district, announced his bid for the Republican nomination for president on June 1, 2015, at an event in his hometown of Central, South Carolina. Although he was praised for solid, often humorous debate performances, the campaign never gained any traction, and was suspended on December 21, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Jindal 2016 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Bobby Jindal, the 55th Governor of Louisiana, was announced on June 24, 2015. His candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in the 2016 election came after several years of speculation following the 2012 election. Jindal is the first Indian American and third Asian American to run for president of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary</span>

The 2016 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary, which took place on February 9, was the second major vote of the cycle. Donald Trump was declared the winner with 35.2% of the popular vote and picked up 11 delegates, while John Kasich emerged from a pack of candidates between 10-20% to capture second place with 15.8% of the vote and picked up four delegates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses</span>

The 2016 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses took place on February 1 in the U.S. state of Iowa, traditionally marking the Republican Party's first nominating contest in their series of presidential primaries ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Missouri Republican presidential primary</span>

The 2016 Missouri Republican presidential primary took place March 15 in the U.S. state of Missouri, as a part of the Republican Party's series of presidential primaries ahead of the 2016 United States presidential election. The Missouri primary was held alongside Republican primary elections in Florida, Illinois, North Carolina and Ohio, along with the Democratic contest in Missouri. The hotly contested primary was won by businessman Donald Trump by a margin of 0.21% over Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Since 1980, the Republican Party of the United States has held debates between candidates for the Republican nomination in presidential elections during the primary election season. Unlike debates between party-nominated candidates, which have been organized by the bi-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates since 1988, debates between candidates for party nomination are organized by mass media outlets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lincoln Project</span> American political action committee

The Lincoln Project is an American political action committee (PAC) founded in December 2019 by moderate conservatives and former Republican Party members who oppose U.S. President Donald Trump and Trumpism. During the 2020 presidential election, it aimed to prevent the re-election of President Trump, and to defeat incumbent Republican candidates running for re-election who had been loyalists to Trump. In April 2020, the committee endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Since 2022, the committee has focused on preventing the re-election of Trump in the 2024 presidential election, endorsing Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

References

  1. Jensen, Matt (July 8, 2001). "Reagan outlawing Russia".
  2. "History of Filming Downtown". webpage. Petaluma Downtown Association. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  3. "A brief history" . Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  4. "Creating Reagan's image", SFGate
  5. Ives, Nat. "Hulu's Dark 'Morning in America' Interrupts a Saccharine Super Bowl Ad Roster". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  6. Bennett, Anita (2019-02-04). "'The Handmaid's Tale' Trailer Brings Bleak 'Wake Up America' Message to Super Bowl". Deadline . Retrieved 2020-01-20.
  7. "Rubio campaign ad 'Morning Again in America' features stock footage of Canada". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  8. Roberts, Dan; Taylor, David; Siddiqui, Sabrina; Moines, Ben Jacobs Paul Lewis in West Des (2016-02-02). "Donald Trump bubble burst by Ted Cruz win in Iowa caucus". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  9. Cruz in S.C.: 'We Can Bring Back Morning in America' , retrieved 2016-03-17
  10. Joseph, Cameron. "Cruz: We'll 'bring back morning in America'". The Hill . Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  11. "Clinton jabs Trump: 'A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons'". Business Insider . Retrieved 2017-03-06.
  12. "Mourning in America - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.