With days to go before Nevada caucuses, the Hillary Clinton campaign has released an advertisement, titled “Brave,” that features a single,
poignant moment from the campaign trail to highlight the candidate’s position on immigration.On Screen
The opening scene, not so much resembling a polished advertisement as a clip from a reality television show, shows Mrs. Clinton sitting in front of a classroom. The face of a girl in attendance fades in and out of focus, unintentionally, as the camera shakes and the audio is washed-out from noise in the room.
“My parents, they have a letter of deportation,” the girl says, at first resolute, before her voice begins to shake. She struggles to finish. “I’m scared they are going to be deported.”
Off camera, Mrs. Clinton calls the girl over, in the consoling way a concerned mother might summon a sobbing child. Still wiping away tears, the girl climbs onto her lap. “I’m going to do everything I can so you don’t have to be scared,” Mrs. Clinton says. For more than 40 seconds of the 60-second ad, the camera remains on the two, and Mrs. Clinton continues to try to console.
“You’re being very, very brave, and you have to be brave for them, too,” she says. “Let me do the worrying. I’ll do all the worrying, is that a deal?”
The girl nods and gives Mrs. Clinton a big hug as the camera pans out and people sitting nearby wipe away their own tears.
The Message
This is an emotional pitch to Hispanics, wrapped in empathy. As her campaign has seen Hispanic support seep over to Bernie Sanders, Mrs. Clinton is presenting herself as a realist and Mr. Sanders as an idealist. But she does so in a manner that is different from the normal “progressive who gets things done” argument found in stump speeches and more-traditional commercials. Instead, she presents her realism with a hint of vulnerability, portraying herself as someone who understands the struggle, offering to worry, and grasping the situation as only those close to this experience, or this fear, can.
Fact Check
The ad makes no real verifiable claims.
Where
Statewide in Nevada.
Takeaway
The ad breaks the viewer out of the traditional experience of watching political messages. The subtitles at the bottom, in English, are there ostensibly because the audio is sometimes hard to hear, but they are also there to really draw viewers in. If they are willing to read along, they are going to get the full impact at the end. And the amateur production values lend it an air of authenticity. It is a singular scene, with a singular message, with the potential for broader impact.
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