Friday A/V Club: The Assassination Ad

The campaign commercial Gerald Ford wouldn't run

One of my favorite political ads wasn't actually aired during the race for which it was made. You'll see why the campaign decided to veto it when you reach the 2:32 mark:

That was the sound of a cherry bomb, but Ford—who had survived two assassination attempts—obviously thought it was gunfire. Not content to unsettle viewers by showing them that, the narrator goes on to offer this pitch for the president: "When a limousine can parade openly through the streets of Dallas, there's a change that's come over America."

1976. When expectations were low.

(For past editions of the Friday A/V Club, go here.)