Spitball Army

This morning, friend Mae Robertson e-mailed me a link to a column authored by Mary Chapin Carpenter in The Washington Times.  In her column, Chapin writes about the Liberty Mutual TV commercial that features Hem’s “Better Days,” and draws parallels between the subtle messages of the commercial and the ideology of the current political season, specifically Barack Obama’s oratory at the Democratic National Convention.

The message of this message, then, is not cynical, crassly commercial, nor is it precious or trivial. It brings me directly to what Barack Obama said at his Democratic Convention acceptance speech in Denver. We are our brother’s keeper, our sister’s keeper. We have a responsibility to watch out for one another, to do the right thing. Our better selves will seek out these opportunities because our present circumstances demand it.

This current commercial that Hem has lent their voice to is the latest in a series that they have worked on with Liberty Mutual over the last couple of years.  Everyone of them is a winner, a mini-film, with a consistent message akin to the “pay it forward” philosophy.  For television viewers, the commercials have been difficult to avoid, yet, at least to me and to Mary Chapin Carpenter, they are not wearying (maybe because we both have an admiration for Hem that is strong enough to be professed).  Below is the “carnival” ad: