Chess World
Deeply Held Beliefs - For Sale!
August 21st, 2008
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpmFd25tRqo
Much has been written lately of Sen. Barack Obama’s new “negative” TV commercials, the very latest of which is featured above. Some decry this as “politics as usual” and not what Obama had promised going into the campaign.
I’m taking a different view… (surprised? - didn’t think so). There’s a huge difference between ads like “Seven” and the negative ads of prior campaigns. Ads like Seven don’t “Swift Boat” John McCain, they take a simple, albeit unflattering fact, about the opponent and feature it prominently. Swift Boat ads take a fact and twist it completely out of context.
The famous ad featured soldiers who said “I served with John Kerry” which while technically true they were in the service at the same time as John Kerry, the same could be said for a million other guys. The Swift Vets used that language to twist viewers perceptions into believe they served together, when in fact they did not. (Source) In the Swift Boat ads, veterans of Viet Nam who did not serve on John Kerry’s boat, openly questioned his military valor, and worthiness of earning his Purple Hearts and Bronze and Silver Stars.
Even John McCain agreed that the Swift Boat ads were wrong:
“I deplore this kind of politics,” McCain said. “I think the ad is dishonest and dishonorable. As it is, none of these individuals served on the boat (Kerry) commanded. Many of his crew have testified to his courage under fire. I think John Kerry served honorably in Vietnam.” - Source
But now that’s all water under the bridge, you might say, because for his 2008 campaign John McCain has accepted $70,000 in campaign contributions from the SwiftVets financiers. (Source). One of the SwiftVets has even appeared in a McCain TV ad. (Source)
But really we shouldn’t be surprised by this flip flop of McCain’s deeply held position, because he’d already taken $10,000 from the Wyly brothers of Texas. (Source) The Wyly brothers you may remember ran an anti-McCain ad in 2000 when they were backing George Bush. McCain at the time called them “Wiley Coyotes” and urged:
“Are we going to allow George W. Bush to hijack this election? Tell them to keep their dirty money in the state of Texas, my friends.” (Source)
Now I guess we all know what it means to be the “original maverick”, you just sell out your deeply held beliefs in order for a shot at the White House. I guess Obama was right, that is one house we can’t afford to let McCain occupy.
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Tags: Election 08, McCain, Negative Ads, Obama, Politics, Swift Boats, SwiftVets
Posted in
Election 08, Politics |
August 21st, 2008 at 10:25 am
This was a very stupid move on the part of the Obama campaign. Obama is the last person who should be mentioning real estate in this campaign.
He’s done a pretty good job up to now of not having to repeatedly address his questionable real estate dealing with Rezco. This ad just made that bit of bad judgment - Obama’s own words - news again.
The responses are already under way.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:39 am
I’m pretty sure that the fact that McCain has so many houses he can’t even remember them all, and the fact that he’s flip flopped so many times at this point in a desperate attempt to get elected is pretty compelling.
I’m sure McCain will try to Swift Boat Obama on the Rezco thing but that’s pure desperation. I trust the voters to figure out what’s going on, and who really has their backs, and it sure ain’t the original maverick.
August 21st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
It doesn’t really work that way. The purpose of negative campaigning is to force the opposition to defend against it. Every word defending one’s self is a word not spent furthering your views, agenda or attacking the opposition.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:35 am
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September 16th, 2008 at 12:11 pm
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