McCain's Lime Green Background Returns

One of the more memorable moments of the general election was when, after Barack Obama secured the Democratic nomination, John McCain gave a competing speech against a lime green backdrop. That set looked like some something like pea green and was an exclamation point to one of the Senator's worst (and most ridiculed) speeches on the campaign trail.

Well, during his acceptance speech during tonight's convention, it's back. McCain is pictured once again speaking in front of a large lime-green backdrop. I'm told that the bigger image is supposed to be grass (I'm watching from the convention itself, and they place the press practically behind the stage). But the effect for viewers not in Minneapolis is the same.

From June:

UPDATE: It was, I've been told a picture of a lawn in front of a random house. The screen changed about ten minutes in to a sky-blue backdrop which may not be all that more effective.

LATE UPDATE: Reader LA identifies the mystery property.

"It's not a house.... it's a Middle School in North Hollywood, California. A little irony... it's Walter Reed Middle School. My son goes there.... in a decidedly Democratic neighborhood, I might add. McCain's campaign used the very same photo that appears on one of the school's websites... http://walterreed.tech.googlepages.com/home (The "Tech Academy" is one portion of Walter Reed. The photo is of the entire school.) I'm friends with the person in charge of that website... I've sent an email to ask if he knows who owns the photo.

MORNING UPDATE: The RNC team may have meant to put Walter Reed Army Medical Center behind the candidate, and accidentally used Walter Reed Middle School instead.

Comments

[Pingolo]

Holy cow!!! McKermit for prez....

[Mike169]

Traeson! Treason! Treason! Or did he just forget it?

[RW69]

What, no flag pin? I was gonna vote for the guy until now. Now I don't know what to do since all of life's challenges hinges on whether a candidate wares a flag pin. I never take mine off and I'm rich.

[naschkatze]

Why doesn't the press get Nash McCabe's thoughts?

[janeslife]

Ha Ha! That green lawn is because they used a photo of Walter Reed Middle School instead of Walter Reed Army Hospital! But then, that's how they do things over there.

[DieHardObamaSupporter]

Cottage cheese in the middle of a bowl of green jello.

[StValentine]

DieHardOba­maSupporte­r:

That's really funny!

[Judyisacutie]

"It's not easy being green."

- Kermit

[usakaput]

as i recall, didnt the republicans make a big deal out of obama for not wearing a flag pin? speaking of the flag why in the world does our military display the flag,with the blue field on the right side,when the proper disblay is on the left side. the flag has been backwords ,just like our country has been run by republican idealogues. if you think the flag is displayed correctly on military uniforms ,look at past soldiers and ww2 soldiers,back when this country had moral conviction,the flag was properly displayed. no offence to hawaii and alaska (say it like palin) but our country was greatest when had only 48 stars. our country is definetely backwards like the flag on military uniforms.l­ets correct this backwardness in our government policies ,because in this republican world up is down ,white is black and its all still wrong.

[Kyuzo]

The flag is not being displayed incorrectly on the uniforms. American soldiers always wear the blue starry field towards the front of their body to indicate the idea that the flag is being carried forward into battle. Since the flag patch is worn on the right arm, the blue field is on the right side.

The position of the blue field is relative to which side of the flag you are looking at. There is no "correct" side of an American flag.

[usakaput]

then how do you explain the flag on ww2 era and vietnam era soldiers. go look for yourself.

[ignrnthllblly]

Thanks for pointing out the building was a school. I just naturally assumed it was one of McCain's houses.

[mollyd]

It's most likely a "Green Screen."

The screen shows when they aren't superimposing images on the background.

[Ulysse]

I dont know about you but that color with John McCain in front spells Hospital to me. When you are sick, this is the color everybody us to associate with sickness so it is weird for a someone who had cancer for 4 times to want to be associated with that color.

[progressivelady]

No Flag pin, He must Be A Muslim

[Lupin77]

MC never wears a flag pin and no one has ever made a point to question him about this, yet there was such a big blow up over BO's not wearing a pin. Double standard obviously. In fact, Hill never wore one either.

[MikeDu]

I said it before, same colors as the Saudi national flag.

[naschkatze]

And I've said it before, but green is the color of jihad. What's John Bush trying to suggest, American Jihad?

[vulvina]

he not only forgot the pin, he forgot to bring any solutions to the problems.
there is something circular, too: he wants to change and clean up the mess he has personally and instrumentally made in the last 8-10 years, from fomenting a war, to throttling special-needs programs, starving them of money (just as Palin did with Alaska's budget), and shorting all of the good people who don't have the many advantages he has had, including money.

is he honorable now? no, he is disingenuous if not lying a good deal of the time.

[GrammieJ]

Kinda sad to me that someone who talks so much about his military career and touts his POW experience does not have enough patriotic sense to wear a US flag pin.
Surely he can afford one!!

[naschkatze]

Cindy couldn't find one made of diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.

[OleSmartee]

And thus the delusion here continues.

Everybody giggling over one catty comment or another regarding McCain's speech. But the reality is it wasn't that poor, and he has his following, much to my dismay. And he's caught up to Obama in the polls. I've been warning everyone that Barack's lead was thin, and it was falling apart. After all we did in Denver, and a meager 8 point advantage is now gone in less than a week. Read 'em and weep:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/opinion/polls/main4416798.shtml

And that poll result is BEFORE Palin's speech Wednesday night, and BEFORE McCain's speech Thursday night. Sometimes I think I should just join the other side, and be a part of a winning team. But, NO! Instead, we've got work to do, people! Stop ignoring my warnings, and calling me names!

This is not good!!

[HeIsTheOne]

Gallup has BHO ahead by 7 points
Rasmussen has his ahead by 2 points.
CBS Says TIE.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls/

Obama's campaign received TEN MILLION DOLLARS in the 24 hours after Palin's speech.
McSame's campaign raised one million dollars in the same time period.

Yes we will.

[Kyuzo]

McCain's speech last night was a moving call to action.

It motivated me to donate another $100 to Obama.

[angelroost]

RCP national average this morning has Obama up 3.8 points....­thats an average of all the polling. That is down 3 points since the repubs had their convention, which was to be expected. By Monday, they may even be closer together, but it wont last....co­nvention bumps. Before the dems convention, Obama was up by 1.8. The important thing is the electoral map. Go to www.270towin.com to see an electoral map with projections.

[ignrnthllblly]

Wasn't that poor? Many years ago I got paid to listen to politicians on a daily basis (which probably explains why I require a bile duct the size of the Holland Tunnel and why I can't seem to refrain from stressing out HuffPo mods) and I can recall only two that were worse: both...wai­t for it...small­-town mayors (and no, that's not a given--nominations also earned by a governor and a U. S. senator.) As for polls, perhaps you need to stop reading--and weeping. Back off from that tracking graph and try to see the larger pattern. Republican talking points say Democrats are in a panic and you validate them? Well, I'm a Democrat too and I'm not in a panic. Though the never-ending chaos of the McCain campaign does occasionally send me into hysterics at times, I have no intention of taking my eye off the ball. For the sake of your own sanity, seek perspective. The Republicans have lived large for too long by telling the American people at whom they should direct their anger. If the last eight years haven't revealed the correct answer to them, you and I certainly cannot.

[phal4875]

Dear OleSmartee,

Your points are well made. There can be no level of overconfidence in this election. It should be obvious that a Democrat with a superb intellect should defeat a Republican who finished in the lowest one percent of his graduating class. The problem is that more American voters are like McCain than are similar to Obama. They see the latter's speaking skills, education, and intelligence as elitism. They seek a person like themselves - another George W. Bush, for example.

Even after starting a war under false pretenses, Bush was elected - sort of - a second time by people who actually knew him after his four years of incompetence. This is a center-right nation, and Obama is best described as center-left at this point. A significant number of people know about the Rev. Wright controversy and still see Obama as a Muslim. Few Protestant ministers preside over a Muslim house of worship, but many of us are just too stupid to know it.