Imperious Entertainment

Make Imperious Your Homepage

You are here: Home

Home

All News

Is there sinister subtext in McCain ads?

Written by Foresight
Wednesday, 06 August 2008
Advertisements There was never any chance that it would be a placid affair, a presidential race free of mud-slinging and shabby attack ads. It will surprise only the political naif that Sen. John McCain’s promised campaign of high-mindedness is entirely dependent on favorable polling data, or that Sen. Barack Obama’s platitudinous calls for “hope” and “change,” his admonition that we must knock down “walls” and erect “bridges,” are tactfully short on specifics. But it is with a certain amount of puzzlement that many observers have watched the issue of race injected into the campaign. Last week, after the McCain team released two seemingly innocuous, though pointed, advertisements — one accusing their opponent of vapidity, the other of messianism — a steady stream of mainstream, Obama-friendly commentators and bloggers cried foul. In a video titled “Celeb,” McCain juxtaposed Obama with famous paparazzi quarry Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. To most, the message was clear, if a little ham-handed: Like Hilton and Spears, Obama is famous for being famous; he's more flash than substance. But was there a deeper message? In the past week and a half, the liberal blogosphere has become a virtual Bletchley Park of racial cryptographers teasing out the sinister motives and subtexts of McCain’s campaign advertising. In a web-only column, The New York Times editorial page charged that the ad was a “racially tinged attack” like the one that “ran against Harold Ford, a black candidate for Senate in Tennessee in 2006. That assault, too, began with videos juxtaposing Mr. Ford with young, white women." The American Prospect’s Ezra Klein huffed that the McCain campaign is “running crypto-racist ads.” Bill Press, former co-host of CNN's Crossfire, proclaimed that the “Celeb” spot was "deliberately and deceptively racist." Polk Award-winning blogger Josh Marshall wrote that “the McCain campaign is now pushing the caricature of Obama as a uppity young black man whose presumptuousness is displayed not only in taking on airs above his station but also in a taste for young white women." Is there sinister subtext in McCain ads? Comments (0) Write comment Name Email Website Comment Copyright 2007. All Rights Reserved.

< Prev		Next >

Member Login

Submit News

Submit relevant news, video, etc. at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or contact us on AIM at ImperiousTV

Donate to Imperious

LinkShare Referral Prg

Questions?

If you have suggestions or questions contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Resources For

Aspiring Law Students

Law Students

Aspiring Grad Students

Grad Students

Guest Contributors

If you feel that your views or the views of your group, organization, school, etc. are not represented on this site and should be, please inquire about being one of our monthly guest contributors at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Advertising With Us

We offer several advertising packages. Please contact us for more information and a detailed price list and cost per click sheet.