LA Times: Hollywood Thinks McCain's Britney, Hilton Ad "Smacked Of Desperation"

TO HOLLYWOOD it smacked of desperation.

That's why the reaction to a new John McCain ad attempting to portray Barack Obama as a kind of mindless celebrity -- likening him to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears -- drew collective yawns and shrugs of irritation from politically active members of the entertainment industry.

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Comments

[danoj]

i have no opinion one way or the other on the ads, but who cares what hollywood thinks about anything.

[doneflyin]

It smacks more of the lowest and oldest form of racial pandering to that primordial fear that white boys have of black men.
They're gonna take their women!
McCain's campaign chose these two very pale, very blond sex symbols because they represent endless and mindless sex in the minds of many white men. They're ad forms, symbols really. The lastest in the tradition of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Mansfield.
So they juxtapose Obama with these two and the alarm bells go off in the subconscious of the unsecure and the racially prejudice.

McCain's people are trying to build on that male vote that the polls show Obama is not yet winning.
This is the same vile, despicable tactic that Rove used again McCain in the south with the whisper campaign about his black adopted daughter.

McCain has no shame and no character. Just slime.

[Truthandreason]

Who cares what a bunch of pretend people think?

[lunchbag]

Despite McCain's campaign, Ob numbers inthe polls are not exactly reaching the magic 15 point of the past. Ob's election managers are vectoring Ob's campaign in too many directions. The mid America undecided soccer mon, pizza dad, need some solid message from Ob to dig their teeth into. Ob meeting with Ludicris didn't help, as many parents are going what the h#**. The awe and shock tour of Europe didn't produce enough surge to pull clearly past McCain.

So I suggest Ob's election mangers get hard at work this weekend, to get the undecideds on track/onilne as it's looking like trench warfare comin' November.....

[WatchIt]

The whole campaign smacks of desperation. With such low blows, it seems indeed that he has nothing. I mean, the same half dozen accusations, over and over, this is a Roveeen technique that could be spotted from far away. NO. The McCain campaign is crippled.

[ceasenake]

That's what Luda would say!

[andyg]

he try to paint Mccain black.

[Velocitor]

From the looks of that commercial, McCain has thrown in the towel- it doens't even look like he's trying. It's like he's calling the public stupid- throwning a tantrum over his inevitable defeat. Isn't there *anything* positive he can say about his own campaign? What about all the great wars he'll start? or how he'll print up up more money and make us all millionaires (but a loaf of bread will cost $8000)? The Republicans haven't had their convention yet- it's not too late to run somebody who actually stands a chance of winning- and bonus if they pick somebody who can actually solve some of our problems. Is Ron Paul still available? I could really get behind abolishing the (privately owned) Federal Reserve Bank, and pulling out of the Middle East so we can start solving some of our problems at home. Did I mention that 9/11 was an inside job- somebody should really look into that.

[RJII]

I wonder if the Hilton's are embarrassed.

[ShamusNYC]

Something that's being lost here. Britney Spears - whatever we think of her - is clearly a young woman with a lot of serious problems and issues. Is it proper to exploit someone in such a position for McCain's purpose? As an analogy, is it proper to make light of Cindy McCain's past drug issues?

If you will recall, even Craig Ferguson at one point declared that he would back off the Britney jokes.

Just a thought...

[bpowell1]

You all have not seen the latest ad. He has moses and Jesus in their. It is totally disrespectful too me as a Christian. I think this ad is beyond disrespectful the the American public and I think John McCain is an aeithis (I hope I spelled that correctly)

[FaceYourFears]

You're kidding right......about Moses and Jesus?

[ceasenake]

You did if you were trying to spell "aeithis".

[Ged2012]

McCain's ad smacks of discrimination. Not only does he discriminate against those he assumes are not as intelligent as he is, but against women as well. Blondes in particular.

It doesn't surprise me. He left his first wife for someone else, and called his second wife a C...T!

[philinmedford]

Wow, Hollywood as a pundit. First, Hollywood is a place - it can't "think".

Best comment in the article was this: "Just for a start, industry types say the ad is wrong: In the Hollywood lexicon, Obama is not a celebrity. He's a rock star."

What instrument does he play? Guitar, keyboard, or does he sing?

You can't be a rock star like Bono unless you do.

Celebrity yes.

[collprof]

Desperate is nonsensical.

A noun, a verb, a former pow..and now desperately in love with two Marilyn wannabes....

[dfletcher]

You know what I've been wondering? Why didn't they pick the actual top celebrities:

http://www.celebritypopularity.com/

Instead they went with #5 and #10. I think they went down that list looking for bobble-heads. The celebs most synonymous with decadence and flippancy. Also, they're two young white girls.

Somehow I just don't think their ad would have had the same punch if they went with say, 50 Cent (#3) and Chris Brown (#7).

Roveian politics strikes again!

[BetterDeadthanRedState]

Who do you think of when you think Paris Hilton? George W. comes to mind. I can't think of anything she has in common with Obama.

[Cakey4814]

I'm struggling; got a raise and my paycheck was less..have a little car but it cost $50.00 to fill up and the RNC announces that it's coming out with a website linking Obama with celebrities. Again..whoever is running (ruining) this campaign is obviously an Obama supporter and I thank you!!