Those McCain web ads keep getting worse ...
... and Mickey Kaus draws an apt comparison:
« Alas, Von Stauffenberg | Main | National Greatness Liberalism (II) » Real McCains Of Genius09 Apr 2008 10:55 am Comments (21)
I think that comparison is an insult to the Budweiser marketing team. Those ads are ironic--mocking the smarmy, windy style that this ad earnestly adopts. I'd say this ad is more like a high pressure sales video for Bose speakers or maybe a very slick cult indoctrination piece. In any case, I can't stop nervously looking over my shoulder for someone coming at me with a clipboard and a contract. 
I almost fell asleep...boooooooooooooring.
Apropos of nothing, it occurs to me that the pre-9/11 tagline in those Bud Light commercials was "Real American Heroes." Prior to being politically-correctified, those ads very specifically mocked the sort of twits who promote vacuous "national greatness" narratives. Which makes the comparison even more amusing.
Cheeeesy. "Mr. Really Bad Toupee Wearer!"
Aw, it's not that bad. It's just too long. It would have been better as a 60 second commercial, and even better as a 30 second commercial and even better as a 0 second commercial.
well, it may be bad for the younger generations who are apathetic towards anything that goes beyond their 7 minute attention spans and actually causes them to think, but that ad will will resonate with a lot of people.
well, it may be bad for the younger generations who are apathetic towards anything that goes beyond their 7 minute attention spans and actually causes them to think, but that ad will will resonate with a lot of people. Think about what? The ad wasn't just long and dull, it completely lacked anything resembling a point. It shouldn't take two minutes to express the bold idea that tolerance is good.
Is that Powers Boothe doing the narration? If so I wish he'd improvised his lines while in character as Cy Tolliver.
Crap, I posted the above thinking this was the last ridiculous McCain ad, the one about how McCain is the Americanist American hero America has ever had the privilege to elect to the American Presidency of the United States of America. I think the narrator of that ad was Powers Boothe; this one doesn't even have that oddity going for it.
If McCain's running behind Obama in the polls in October the "McCain - He's White For America" ads may be rolled out...
I can't believe they couldn't spell his name at the end!!
There's much more to this ad than just being too long and other production issues. And, I only scratched the surface.
When will this narrator stop lecturing to me? Is this not the wordiest political ad of all time? Their major screw-up is that they have this in an ad, read by a narrator instead of McCain himself. And they're late to the game - Obama co-opted this message YEARS ago at the '04 convention. This is the equivalent of Obama coming out with an ad talking about military service. And lastly - how can McCain be the arbiter of these "disagreements" when he's willing to appear with people at his events that use coded racial language against Senator Obama? The "Tiger Woods" comment yesterday was not the first time that happened. I'm not saying it's a huge deal, but isn't that a little hypocritical?
Oh, JOHM JOHM JOHM TYPO alert! At the very end, it says... Paid for by JOHM McCAIN
It's a post-partisan ad, but it's not a change ad. Post-partisanship is not a winning message when coupled with a defense of the current policy in Iraq (or the economy), both of which McCain is tied to. It tries to co-opt Obama's appeal, and fails miserably.
Foremost, the ad reminds me that unlike W., McCain is a hard man to flat out despise. Second, the ad is so over the top syrupy, cornball patriotic it almost, (almost) makes me feel sorry for McCain. Third, the ad reminds me of why we will have an African-American President come 2009.
This is subtly different from Obama's message. It focuses on disagreement over core principles, while Obama argues that despite our differences there is fundamental agreement on core principles and that those core principles should lead to progressive policies. The McCain people recognize that public opinion is against them on the big issues (for now anyway) and that the Republicans risk being seen as partisans and idelougues for opposing Obama's unity message. This ad attempts to counter the unity message with one that is equally high minded but that gives McCain room to make his case. I think it's a smart idea, if a little ham handed in the execution.
"if they keep that level, the campaign will be really a high level one. What's wrong with that?" For journalist or bloggers I think "what's wrong with that" is it'd be somewhat dull. If you're doing news you don't want high-minded tolerance and wonkery. Even people who like that might not be too find it very actiony. People like bunnies, but put a bunny a few yards/meters away from a burning car and they'll probably be watching the car. Anyway if you're a journalist I think you really want anger, revenge, scandal, and polarization more. It makes for more excitement, ratings, and stuff to write about. Journalists right now are already reporting financial problems and worries about fragmented audiences. If McCain vs Obama really would mean an election of civility and idealism it would probably be their worst nightmare come true. (In fairness I think both the Right and Left have enough loony activists that the election probably will have its share of slime or rage)
The best available candidate produces a silly ad. I'm trying to think of an election in the last 100 years when that wasn't the case.
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It is very Bud Lite, but it also remindes me of the sex education films I was shown in 6th grade.
Posted by cw | April 9, 2008 11:38 AM