Over-produced. And again, no mention of poor people. All about the "middle class"
Posted by kurt at October 29, 2008 06:12 PMWhy does Barack Obama hate poor people?
What kind of godless Socialist is he?
Posted by snark at October 29, 2008 06:28 PMWhy would he mention poor people? They're icky.
I'll admit, I was sucked in. Someone in another thread said the same thing I was thinking, that it was cool he used bits from his speeches instead of filming new footage, then expanded on his theme with a personal story. Yes, it was totally produced, well scripted and well edited. And the live rally at the end merged in quite nicely. That's how you get people to watch, right? Good show, Obama! Kudos.
Posted by iamcoyote at October 29, 2008 06:41 PMWell, over-produced prettymuch sims up this entire election cycle in a nutshell.
I wish he would have talked about his time in the Kremlin a bit more though. I'm still a bit foggy on that part of his personal history.
Posted by snark at October 29, 2008 06:47 PMMentioning the poor and their concerns is not gonna get you many votes in our "compassionate conservative" country. The poor tend not to vote and are usually the principal subjects of the annual Repub vote supression methods when they do try.
If you are someone who is sympathetic to people and their concerns, you likely thought the Obama final argument show was compelling. But many people hate other people and mock their problems. Most of those types are already voting McCain.
In search of the political mentality of the "independent".....supposedly they are slightly backing Obama as of now, but the split remains alarmingly close.
The objective failure of the Repubs seems not to have changed very many votes from 2004.
Posted by euzoius at October 29, 2008 06:55 PMNo, no, he was a pan-arabian socialist/marxist in Nasser's Egypt before moving on to the victorious Vietnamese communist regime in the mid 70s, snark.
Get your facts straight, geez.....it's not like the infomation isn't available! Just check out mccainforprez.com, it has all you need to know about Obama's socialist/communist/fascist past.
Posted by euzoius at October 29, 2008 07:01 PM
The objective failure of the Repubs seems not to have changed very many votes from 2004.
Because postmodern Republicanism is not based on objectivity, it is faith based. It's the ultimate in irony, be it economic elitism or social control, they use postmodernist ways to promote premodern means.
Posted by herbal tee at October 29, 2008 07:03 PMI didn't see the whole thing - just the last half. But I must be getting sentimental. When they showed very brief footage of Obama shaking hands with a teen age african-american kid, tears welled up in my eyes. To think that that black kid can be shaking hands with the next President of the United States, who is also black - wow. I volunteer at a local, very poor elementary school, in a reading enhancement program. I see kids all the time who already look, in fifth grade, like they have been beaten by their circumstances and have no hope. But to see hope on that kid's face, shaking hands with Obama - again, wow. That's cool. That's the change we need.
Posted by swimyouidiot at October 29, 2008 07:04 PMNo, no, no.
He's KGB.
I know it.
Posted by snark at October 29, 2008 07:04 PMIn fact, I've seen photos of Josef Stalin that I've been told Obama was airbrushed out of!
Posted by snark at October 29, 2008 07:07 PMI'll bet you know someone whose brother's friend has seen a copy of the infamous "whitey" tapes, too, eh, snark?
Anyhow, what seems like overkill to us may feel like the spark of sincerity to the (what I think are) mythological "undecideds." This "closing argument" was not meant for us, obviously. McCain's challenge was "who is Obama?" and Obama pretty much answered in as much detail as the zeitgeist allows. I'm pretty impressed, myself - number one, that he had the money to do it on such a large scale; and two, that he did it so very well. Sometimes I get the feeling that his whole damn life has been storyboarded, and filming's just begun. It's kinda fun to watch.
Posted by iamcoyote at October 29, 2008 07:25 PMThat Stalin photo that Obama was supposedly airbrushed out of has been debunked, for Christ's sake!! Obama had been a Trotskyite and was long gone by 1948, when that photo of Stalin cutting the ribbon on the latest gulag was taken!
I'm tellin' ya, Obama was on the Chinese side of the ledger!
Posted by euzoius at October 29, 2008 07:31 PMIn fact, I've seen photos of Josef Stalin that I've been told Obama was airbrushed out of!
That is simply ridiculous and a smear! Obama was much too young...unless he is a vampire...the walking undead...
Get thee behind me Nosferatu-bama!
And again, no mention of poor people.
Well just what the hell are we supposed to make the Soylent Green from?
Seriously, the separation between poverty and middle class is damn thin these days. If the middle class can get back to being the economic engine it once was there will be plenty for those in poverty.
I'm still a bit foggy on that part of his personal history.
He's a communist wam-pier! (see proof above)
I'm tellin' ya, Obama was on the Chinese side of the ledger!
A Chinese communist wam-pier!! Vlad Mao Tse-bama! The only thing that can kill him is a chopstick driven through his heart! I'm lathering my neck with duck sauce just in case.
Posted by phidipidese at October 29, 2008 07:36 PM"unless he's a vampire...."
That robocall is blanketing AZ as we speak!
Posted by euzoius at October 29, 2008 07:47 PMThat robocall is blanketing AZ as we speak!
ROFLMAO...CODE RED!!!! My sides hurt...
BTW: Are laptop screens Chelada and saliva proof?
Posted by phidipides at October 29, 2008 07:56 PMBill and Barack up next in Florida. This will be a damned interesting night!
Are you popping a page for commentary, Erin?
Posted by phidipides at October 29, 2008 08:08 PMSeriously, the separation between poverty and middle class is damn thin these days.
Bingo. Practically everyone knows people who have been bankrupted during the past 8 years, usually by medical costs.
Posted by Anonny at October 29, 2008 08:17 PMjesus christ! Bill will hog every news report from here to the 4th. Wow, wow, wow. I thought the 30 minute ad was something. Bill is smokin!
Posted by phidipides at October 29, 2008 08:23 PMThe target audience for this was, of course, the swing voter. There are a small number of people, more women than men, who are not news junkies but do care about the election. They typically postpone making a decision until the last week or so, at which time they start paying close attention. There are also those who just have trouble making a final decision. This ad was aimed squarely at those two groups.
Was it effective? We'll be looking for evidence over the next few days, but early samples are extremely positive.
While McCain and Palin are calling Obama every name in the book, Obama crafted a 30 minute demonstration of what he'll do if elected President, without once mentioning or putting down his opponent. There can be no doubt that he deeply understands the struggles of the American middle class and that he has detailed plans to address it. Any doubts about his experience, influence, or his supposedly radical associates were crushed by the impressive set of endorsements. For someone not paying close attention until now, one obvious response is going to be "now I understand why he's so popular".
This was probably not needed to seal the deal, but I expect it will provide a nice additional margin.
Posted by Anonny at October 29, 2008 08:26 PMHe addressed every issue/lie the McCain campaign has thrown at him. It hopefully helped put the final nail in Palin/McCain ticket. It sure didn't hurt him.
Posted by Judith at October 29, 2008 08:46 PMPhid, You got it right, it's Che... he was running with Che "Hussein" Guevara.
Posted by Seven of Six at October 29, 2008 08:52 PMThe Democratic brand is about building people up: "we can do this". The Republican brand is about resentment and tearing people down: "the other guy shouldn't have it because I don't." It's been that way for as long as I can remember. If McCain had done that infomercial, it would have all been about resentment, envy and fear.
Posted by joel dan walls at October 29, 2008 09:05 PMThe middle class is the part of society that is most often overlooked - so much so that the middle class is shrinking. The middle class are the ones who often do not have enough money for what they need and yet cannot qualify for assistance. Therefore, I think it is very good and appropriate to talk about the middle class.
Posted by Shirin at October 29, 2008 09:23 PMI actually think this was more about mandate-building than it was about just winning. When he wins, he'd like to be able to say, "hey, I told y'all what was coming."
Posted by dj moonbat at October 29, 2008 09:41 PMAnonny got it right with the target audience.
This was probably not needed to seal the deal, but I expect it will provide a nice additional margin
I really didn't' view it that way. I saw it as targeting those few, but more importantly reassuring those that have/will vote for him. As dj sez:
I actually think this was more about mandate-building than it was about just winning.
Bingo
Posted by Simp at October 29, 2008 11:10 PMNot long ago I came across a website which had a long essay about McCain's prisoner-of-war experiences. Of course websites are around which push the most utterly lunatic stories, and equally, the fact that this site was written by an apparently established author (remember books?)doesn't make it reliable, as there are some loony books.
Anyway, the burden of the essay was that the severity of the torture has been exaggerated, and that once he did crack, McCain continued to help the enemy for the rest of his term of imprisonment. Now, I am the biggest coward you could meet, and would never snipe at someone who cracked under torture, but the point is, McCain's whole public identity and even his suitability as a President, are based largely on his heroism. The story on the website may well be nonsense, but it is there. Imagine if it were Obama! The Republicans would have it all over the media long ago. Anyone know the story, and the identity of the author, which I neglected to note? By the way, I'm glad the Democrats haven't mentioned this story, which they must know .
Colin: I believe the Rolling Stones Article - links to that website and Book...
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I enjoyed the Infomercial.
Did anyone else notice this Big Change (okay maybe only a small change) Up to this point it has always been anyone making under 250 thousand would be getting a tax cut. During the informercial the quote was anyone under 200 thousand would be getting a tax cut.... Now I am a long long way off from any of those figures, but I do question why the jump from 250 to 200? Maybe cause only the 5% need to worry about it... but it did make me wonder.... Anyone else notice this?
Up to this point it has always been anyone making under 250 thousand would be getting a tax cut. During the informercial the quote was anyone under 200 thousand would be getting a tax cut....
I believe there has always been a distinction between individuals making $200,000 and households making $250,000. But I may be mistaken.
Posted by at October 30, 2008 07:43 AMNo, $250k is where your marginal taxes start to go up.
$200k is where they get cut -- the bottom 95%.
The in-between you will probably not see taxes change.
Posted by Anonny at October 30, 2008 08:17 AMThanks, Anonny, I was wondering about that myself. I knew there had to be an explanation.
Posted by iamcoyote at October 30, 2008 08:35 AMOops, that unnamed comment was mine.
And I see that I was indeed mistaken.
There's a first time for everything. ;)
Posted by snark at October 30, 2008 08:53 AMAnd I see that I was indeed mistaken.
OMG! I'm gonna have this thread bronzed! *smirk*
Posted by iamcoyote at October 30, 2008 09:15 AMOMG! I'm gonna have this thread bronzed! *smirk*
Much like his penis. ;)
Posted by Seven of Six at October 30, 2008 12:31 PMHuh uh. That was Jimmy Page in the '70s and it was plaster. For the record...
Posted by iamcoyote at October 30, 2008 12:54 PM