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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Picture of the Day - 4














This is the Dem ad to go up around the Twin Cities next week on billboards, buses, everywhere.

(Bigger if you click it.)

posted by mikevotes at 5:56 PM

8 Comments:

  • The local Republican chair was on MPR this morning, and when asked about it said that nobody pays attention to billboards anyway.

    In other words, they didn't refute the basic premise McCain=Bush.

    I can't really recall the last time I heard any kind of campaign stooge or prominent Republican deny McCain=Bush. It puts them in an awkward position, after all.

    By Blogger Todd Dugdale , at 6:49 PM  

  • Well, it's a losing argument for the McCain folks any way they try to frame it.

    First, they can't be too vociferous about Bush or they anger that half of the Republican party that still loves Bush.

    Second, if they get caught in that argument, they automatically lose because everybody is then repeating the meme, and the debate is "how much" McCain is like Bush.

    The only way that it works is if outside forces, like media sources, make the argument, but really, there's not enough there to even string together a story.

    So, they're just going to ignore it.

    Hence, the Dems are papering Minneapolis with the message.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 8:43 PM  

  • I like the fact that they didn't say "Does this look like a Maverick to you?" That would be acknowledging the term. It's much better they stick with positioning around the theme of "change" which evokes Obama and the Dems... Using "Maverick" wouldn't put the change-message or Obama into the thought equation.

    By Blogger -epm, at 9:10 PM  

  • Good point.

    It's the opposite of the second argument I made above. If they use the word "maverick," even in trying to define it negative, they de facto accept it as a reality.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:06 PM  

  • And that's just one funny picture.... There's a whole closet gay vibe to the thing. I'm sure it makes a lot of up tight right wingers uncomfortable, even if they can't quite figure out why.

    By Blogger -epm, at 11:16 PM  

  • I've kinda stayed away from trying to describe that vibe.

    To me, it doesn't seem "gay," but it does seem creepy.

    It's something in the total commitment in the hug and the attention ignore by Bush. It's a lopsided power relationship. It's the hug of a child on an adult, or the irrational devotion of a supplicant.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 7:16 AM  

  • You're right, Mike. I regretted my phrasing right after I posted the comment (what to the politicians say? I was inartful in my phrasing) and I almost deleted it.

    I think "creepy" is a much more appropriate word. McCain looks weak. With his eyes closed and what looks like a contented smile, he appears almost child-like in the relationship. I know it's just a snapshot of a moment, but it's weird.. creepy.

    By Blogger -epm, at 9:04 AM  

  • Yup.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:43 AM  

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