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Harvard's Election 2008 Blog

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Tag >> Comedy

"Me, me, me, I guess I should mention Barack Obama, me, me, me, Harriet Tubman"

 

Good job with the party unity there, Hillary. Really selfless speech, there.


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 McCain's campagn has come out with this new ad in order to highlight Obama's alleged arrogance, and sarcastically jab at his popularity and bombast as the root of a potential Messiah complex.

For McCain to do this would take advantage of early data that suggests that Obama's displaying presidential qualities this early on in the game causes some to percieve him as elitist/arrogant and would therefore energize them to support McCain, despite the fact that they might otherwise stay home.  I'll post that data when I have time to find it.

But I'm not sure it's effective.  John McCain's name appears at the end of it, but since it is not televised, McCain does not have to endorse this wholly sarcastic web ad himself.  Still, take a look at each of the claims:

  • "A nation healed, a world repaired."
  • "We are the ones we've been waiting for."
  •  "I have become a symbol of America returning to its finest traditions."
  • Obama has no doubts.
  • "A light will shine down from somewhere...you will recieve an epiphany...I have to vote for Barack!"
  • Something about the planet healing.

Then a clip from The 10 Commandments urging to "behold His mighty hand..."

And then it asks if this person "is ready to lead?"

Well, why the hell not?  It's sarcastic, but what about it suggests that Obama isn't ready to lead, even if he is jumping the gun?  Looking at the list, and then asking if Obama is ready to lead, makes me consider the converse of these things.  So McCain stands for "a nation wounded, a world in disrepair?"  Top-down politics?  America not returning to its finest traditions?

Maybe that's why McCain doesn't allow his face in there.  While this may help the short game, it is probably not a good idea for a Republican challenger who is trying to urge change in a different direction to confound proactive politics with arrogance.  That will paint McCain into a sharp contrast with Obama, which would put him in league with an unpopular status quo.