I've been watching the McCain "Celeb" attack ad a few times now, trying to parse out the subtler meanings of the imagery behind it. Here's the ad:
First, a word on content:
"He's the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead?"
Attacking Obama's comparative experience will probably be McCain's bread and butter for this campaign. Fair enough. Just four years ago, we were introduced to the aspiring junior Senator at the Democratic National Convention. Compared to McCain, Obama doesn't have enough years of national politics behind him to impeach him on.
The energy stuff is ludicrous. Besides the erroneous analysis of the oil claim, discussed in another post, the McCain ad flat-out makes up the claim that Obama would tax dirty energy. According to FactCheck.org:
McCain relies on a single quote from Obama who once - and only once so far as we can find - suggested taxing "dirty energy," including coal and natural gas. That was in response to a reporter's suggestion that a tax on wind power could fund education. Obama isn't proposing any new tax on electricity or "dirty energy" as part of his platform, and he never has.
It's true that a coal/gas tax would raise electric rates, but so would a cap-and-trade program to restrict carbon emissions. Cap-and-trade is an idea that both McCain and Obama support, in different forms. Neither candidate characterizes cap-and-trade as a "tax."
So, in summary...McCain is attacking Obama on a policy they both claim to support? It wreaks of desperation.
I don't think the verbal content of this ad is what stands out, however. Read this considering older voters.
"Celeb" is meant to disorient. It's meant to confuse and scare. Screaming crowds, brightly flashing lights and quick, zoomed-in cuts (what gives the illusion of) rioting German fans by the Brandenburg gate simultaneously give the sensation of a paralyzing dizzyness that would come with an Obama presidency, while suggesting that Obama would be dizzied and drunk with his fame. We were, after all, primed with images of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, two attractive white women (hey--I wouldn't put this old stereotype past certain advertisers) who have been famously destroyed by attention.
The World War II/Hitler overtones would also scare older voters. They were a pretty tame crowd, really, but as mentioned editing would make it like they're rallying around a new Fuhrer.
Although I think the content is incredibly misleading, I must appreciate the artistry behind it. There's a lot of subtle psychology under the hood, and McCain's last two ads have been cinematically done. Compare this to Obama's latest defensive ad:
Snore. Any thoughts about the sound and imagery in each of these campaign ads? Send your thoughts and ideas in the comments and vlogs, once we get that working.
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