Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2010
A Mournful Nod to the Gipper
We never thought we'd say this, but after watching "Mourning in America," we miss the '80s. The one-minute spot commissioned by conservative lobbying group Citizens for the Republic is a new, rather depressing take on Ronald Reagan's famous 1984 "Morning in America" ad. Rather than show off the low interest rates and high spirits of yesteryear, "Mourning in America" is a reminder of how bad things have gotten during the Great Recession. Sublime suburbia has been replaced with shots of foreclosed homes and shuttered businesses as the narrator ticks off grim statistic after grim statistic. It's almost enough to make someone throw on a pair of leg warmers and pop in that VHS of The Breakfast Club. Almost.