Damn You Obama For Being So Cool!
Oh for the halcyon Eschaton-mongering days of the Daisy girl ads.
Give me, please, the salacious insidiousness of the Swiftboat Vets for Truth.
Give me any of that over McCain's low: the Britney/Paris/Obama ad.
And I don't mean low as in: low-class, cheap shot and underhanded. I mean low as in: "I pay you guys all that money, and this is the best you can come up with?"
The best political ads have always had text and subtext; the obvious and the arcane. The obvious text of B/P/O is: "would you all stop loving this guy so much, please!" The whole ad seems like an open admission by Camp McCain that, yes, Obama is young and hip and cool, and our guy has trouble ripping songs onto his iPod unless his grandkids are around to help him.
But the subtext is where the ad doesn't even get going. Contrast it with the infamous Willie Horton ads. The subtext there was: Watch out! Mike Dukakis is gonna let dark-skinned people break into your houses and deflower your ivory wives and daughters.
But the most fear the B/P/O can monger is: Watch out! These guys are going to get all the good tables at Le Bernardin, and you know I got knocked down five spots on the list to get my new Ferrari California because of one of them.
The ad openly admits what we already know: that Obama is a superstar.
And no matter whatever other racial difficulties America may have, it's got no problem with its superstars of color. Tiger or Denzel or Will Smith or Michael Jordan, for which the phrase "I want to have his baby" was created. Like a teenage girl Camp McCain has basically scotch taped a Tiger Beat Poster of Obama to the wall of America's bedroom so that we may now all sit, stare and coo "Isn't he dreamy?"
But this lameness is not limited to McCain. To this day -- though certainly seasoned with some racism -- the only strategy that seemingly anyone can come up with to wield against Obama involves admitting he's better than them. You know; he's that lucky black man who actually appeals to the populace. He's that elitist who got himself off food stamps and into Harvard. He's the arrogant guy who would hang out at country clubs...if he wasn't so busy playing pick-up games of basketball.
He's like a wealthy heiress, and I know 'cause I got me one!
While some take offense at the ad, not me baby. Oh happy day when the enemies of ascendancy have got to confess that people of color rock.
The only thing that's going to make me happier is when Camp McCain runs the Bea Arthur/Jack Klugman ad announcing that uncool is the new cool.
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So will someone please explain to me why we don't want to have a charismatic President who gets people excited, who makes great speeches, who really involves lots of new people in the political process who has grandiose ideas of hope and American freedom and success spread throughout the land and the world.
What would be wrong in someone having great talents to lead?
Is there a problem with that? Or is it that this person isn't an old white country club type who is tight with the oil and insurance industry? Is that the problem? Because if that's not a problem I say McCain is explaining in great detail exactly why Barack Obama will be the next and most likely one of the greatest American Presidents in history.
Obama 08 and BEYOND!
With the Mc Cain ads growing lamer and lamer and the polls growing closer and closer, we really have a case of cognitive dissonance on our hands.
If you look back at the primaries, whenever Obama was successfully smacked around by Hillary he went down in the polls... but then he'd give a speech and go right up again. I don't see anything in these ads to change that dynamic. McCain is "closer" in the tracking polls, but he's still stuck around 44%. If McCain sustains Obama's highs of 49-50% in spite Obama pushing back, only then will it show the ads have affected the race.
Obama is being labeled as an arrogant, shallow, American Idol empty suit that has no business being POTUS.
It's working, too. Obama is getting outplayed on this.
Laugh at the silliness all you want, it doesn't change the reality.
But Obama is not playing the game. He is going about winning the presidency, oh one who is left in the dust!
Elvis called from his UFO, he wants you to meet him at your Unicorn Ranch.
you've made a serious mistake. you have injected rationality to an obama thread. liberals can never resist the temptation to condescend to people. the ad is a condescension trigger. it invites us all to feel superior to mccain, paris hilton, and britney spears. mccain is playing the "square" card. the number of people thinking they're cool is absolutely dwarfed by people challenged mightily by the demands of their lives- and that of their families. mccain is trying to establish that divergence of mindsets and this blogger is doing everything he possibly can to help john mccain establish that difference.
that obama has a better education, is smarter, is more polished, sexier, more athletic, more popular, more connected, taller, and superior to virtually everybody in every way- an object of worship- is exactly what john mccain, barack obama, and john ridley want you to believe. mccain may not win given the disastrous bush years; but if he can - this is the way. turn the gap implicit in obama's virtually superhuman superiority against him. obama's supporters, by extolling the promethean character of obama, may give mccain enough help separating obama from ordinary people for mccain to clinch it.
In my opinion, Obama is in serious trouble. The dynamic now - since McCain has gone on the attack - is clearly in McCain's favor. Obama cannot just keep doing the same thing and hope things will suddenly reverse themselves. He's made several errors since sewing up the nomination. The overarching theme to all of them is that Obama's full of himself. This is a message that resonates because of its essential and demonstrable truth.
It wasn't McCain that produced the Obama Pre-Presidential Seal (which we see in every McCain ad these days - did you notice?). And it wasn't McCain who decided to do a campaign trip complete with rock-concert-rallies on foreign shores. Do you think average Americans give a flying **** which candidate the Germans and French prefer in AMERICA'S election?
Obama needs to do something exciting and different, maybe even a little humbling to get back ontrack. Oh, HILLARY.....
Does the average American give a flying ___ which candidates the Germans/French prefer? Hell Yes.
It's about time America regained respect around the world. The bottom line is that until countries begin to respect us again, we can't count on them to provide assistance with military efforts and other foreign relations issues.
If you have traveled outside the country during the last eight years, you care a lot. When has John McCain had a meeting on foreign soil where 200,000 people cheered, many of them waving US flags? If we had better relationships with the rest of the world, perhaps so many of our brave young men and women might not have had to die in Iraq. Obama proved he didn't need McCain to show him the ropes Internationally and McCain is jealous. He thought HE was the celebrity. Who's out of touch? Brittany and Paris are so yesterday. He can't even muster a clever mock ad. He is fighting today's wars with Vietnam war tactics. McCain is the one who needs to do something humbling to get back of track. He is playing to his base but Independents are watching. The Straight Talk Express needs to get back to the issues. Oh wait, that was what he said he was going to do until he realized that he couldn't beat OBama with the truth. Give me a calm, confident Presidential Candidate any day. We have seen what mischief the hot heads have done. McCain's actions this week make me question his judgment. Rove/Bush three has just entered the building.
Fawning does not earn respect.
Hillary was certainly exciting (obliterate Iran), different (lobbyists are our friends), and humbling (the inevitable candidate who believed the rules of the primaries did not apply to her). By all means, let's dump Obama and bring her back so the Democratic Party can continue in the Reagan vein.
To Paraphrase T.O.: They just hate Obama because they ain't Obama!
I like that....Ha Ha Ha
advanced degree needs to paraphrase T.O. another harvard man, i assume.
Please, Mr. Ridley. You're smarter than that. The obvious subtext to this ad is that Obama is a lightweight with no substance, a celebrity who's famous for being famous. The idea that this won't change the minds of O's supporters is whistling past the graveyard - the ad is not intended for them. It's intended for the undecided - and it seems to be working quite well.
Every day here on HuffingtonPost, there are a half-dozen articles about this gaffe or that misstep by McCain, and every one of them is trumpeted as "the last straw." This ad is just the latest in a long line of "moments the McCain Campaign died" here on HuffPo - and yet, McCain continues to gain ground in the polls and his campaign seems to be objectively stronger after each of these "last straws."
You and the rest of the Bloggers and commenters here need to face the reality that THIS PLACE IS NOT THE MAINSTREAM. The opinions and points-of-view here are not that typical outside the liberal bloggosphere.
I don't think you understand the meaning of the word "subtext".
My subtext reading kept screaming "HIDE THE WHITE WOMEN!"
"McCain continues to gain ground in the polls"
Which polls would those be? I look at the Gallup daily tracking poll and I see that McBush is EXACTLY where he was in March -- stuck at 44 percent.
These latest ads will drive him down.
"Which polls would those be?"
Read more.
Here's a place to start, right here on HuffPo.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-nichanian/obama-leading-but-losing_b_116295.html
If this place is not the Mainstream why are you here?
Look at my Profile. I'm a charter member - I'm not mainstream and never claimed to be. Just because we're liberals doesn't mean we have to be as stupid as the right wing says we are, and refusal to recognize that we're the exception and not the rule is, well, stupid.
I would think a candidate who does not know the difference between Sunni and Shi'ite or does not know that Pakistan does not share a border with Iraq was a lightweight.
Dear Mr. Ridley:
Thank you so much for this very deep-thinking write-up. I love relating to and communicating with people of intelligence. I respect an individual who can see past the smoke screens and assess a situation for exactly what it is. Barack Obama is not at all unlike many of us who have been chosen by God to do a specific task in our lives. We all have our gifts and talents that have been imparted to us, and sometimes our callings are not what we want them to be, so we resist. Barack Obama, on the other hand, seems to have been called to lead in a huge way and has come to grips with his calling. Despite every effort that John McCain and others will put forth to stop the call on this man's life, he will prevail. There is something much larger going on here and unless you are "tuned in", you'll miss the moment. John, you're tuned in.
Thank you for such a revelatory write-up, and I look forward to seeing Barack Obama through his journey. He will prevail.
When you put it that way... I can believe.
I offer this line to Sen. Obama, a nice little barb at Repuglican campaigning and a reminder to McSame:
"Next thing you know, they'll be accusing me of having a black daughter!"
I love it... I wish he would say it.
Very nice!
No kidding there! That's what sickens me about McCain - after seeing how he was viciously smeared by the same W thugs, he resorts to joining with them in smearing others. What a sad pathetic human being!
If they can beat you, get them to join you. Yesterday's enemies are today's campaign strategists.
Very, very nice Mr. Ridley. Hope you make certain your buddy Scarborough gets a copy.
"The elitist who got himself off food stamps and into Harvard." Hilariously says it all.
Thank you!
I am sensing Obama's campaign going into a lull. McCain is gaining on him. I hope this is not a sign of fatigue after the hard won fight with Clinton. Many were predicting that this would happen. Hillary just pushed too hard for much longer than she should have.
Obama knows when to lay up. I have seen this before. He does not engage in knee-jerks and he's very patient. That's how he beat the Clinton's. Look for the sprint to start after the Olympics.
A rope-a-dope strategy -- let the other guy punch himself out and then move in for the kill? Could be smart. More and more this contest reminds me of Muhammed Ali (Cassius Clay as he was known then) vs. Sonny Liston. (Okay, I'm dating myself.)
I agree. He's letting them dig their own holes now.
And nice post, Mr. Ridley. I think it's hilarious that all the repugs have is the jealous high school girl attack path. I thought they were supposed to be the macho ones?
More proof that Black is the new Black.
Tracy Morgan said it best! "Bitch maybe the new black, but black is the new president, bitch". One of my all time gut laughs.
People are blinded by celebrity. nObama is a celebrity. Draw your own conclusions.
I suppose the POTUS should be relatively unknown in your opinion. Who is more famous than the President of the United States? What is Obama famous for? Reality shows? Sports? No, he's famous for his politics. Boy, that's a terrible thing for a politician to be famous for.
You are angry because he's getting a head start. The truth is that Obama's already governing. He's already taking over for Bush. Look at what the int'l community is saying. He's already the President and yes, as famous as one.
The "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour is an apt song for this. One of THE best rock bands and all happen to be black. Not bad! I thought they were white for about the first 3 months, but now it's even cooler. Man, why don't people let the best do what they do? Purple or Pink, who gives a rat's @ss in a pinch? I got all kinds of black constructon (railroad) buddies that I've shared more than a few swigs of whiskey with. Work an honest job and throw your damned fears away. We better be in this together, because mother earth is about to throw us for a loop if we're not careful. We're wasting a lot of things. I think people would get a long just fine, if they didn't have some father figure (media nowadays) telling them how ludicrous such a thing is supposed to be!
Love to believe the electorate will see it your way, Mr. Ridley. (My wife pointed out that people who missed the Alexanderplatz shot on the news can see it in McCain's ad!) But the McCain people are scoring if they're making the contest about whether Obama is ready to govern and not about what positions the two candidates are taking, what programs they propose to correct the Bush disaster. The newest "Moses" ad repeats this narrow question.
Obama needs to get it on issues, ONE of which is the shabby credentials that McCain brings to the table.
"But the McCain people are scoring if they're making the contest about whether Obama is ready to govern"
The Obama campaign is playing it smart by refusing to engage them on that issue -- which would give an appearance of legitimacy to the claim -- and instead calling the ads silly and childish. Which, of course, they are.
You rock, John!
Another great (and funny!) article, thanks Mr. Ridley.
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