Senator McCain: Take Down this Ad
Monday August 4, 2008
Thank you everyone for your emails and response to my earlier blog post on McCain's "The One" ad. The McCain campaign has said that they meant the ad to be humorous. But make no mistake about it: this ad...
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About Progressive Revival
Diana Butler Bass and Paul Raushenbush both stand firmly within the Mainline Protestant tradition and, along with guest bloggers of all religious backgrounds are dedicated to the revival of religious progressivism and its influence in American politics.
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Diana Butler BassDiana Butler Bass is a commentator and scholar in American religion. She is the author of seven books including A People's History of Christianity: The Other Side of the Story (HarperOne, 2009).
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Paul RaushenbushModerator of the Progressive Revival blog and the Associate Dean of Religious Life at Princeton University.
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Mara, chill out girl!
I wandered onto your site and clicked to the add and I thought it was pretty funny. Didn't Jon Stewart recently do a similar spoof about Obama on HIS TV show? You know, the one on Comedy Central?
You gotta lighten up there, girlfriend!
Your guy is good looking and all that ... but he takes himself a little too seriously for my tastes. He sort of reminds you of that old Carly Simon song: "You're so vain ... You even think this song is about you."
Here's the strange thing. The more you gripe about the ad, the more that people are going to pay attention to it. And, like me, a lot of those people are going to think that there's something to the idea that Obama is "just not ready for prime time" as President. Even though he's kind of cute and all that :-)
So, you're upset about McCain comparing Barack Obama with Paris Hilton in a TV ad?
Well, McCain apparently got the idea from ... Barack Obama himself !!
Back in February 2005, the newly-elected US Senator Barack Obama said this in Washington:
"Andy Warhol said we all get our 15 minutes of fame. I've already had an hour and a half. I mean, I'm so overexposed, I'm making Paris Hilton look like a recluse."
This was quoted in a February 24, 2005 Washington Post article.
It was also published in Time magzine's vertabim section for the week of Feb. 28 to March 6, 2005. You can see it here at: http://www.time.com/time/verbatim/20050228/5.html
Don't blame the Obama-as-Messiah theme on McCain. It was begun by the political LEFT -- almost two years ago.
Mara, perhaps you should start a petition drive against Slate, Mother Jones magazine ... and Senator Hillary Clinton.
After all:
(1) Slate ran a story BACK in February 2007 entitled, "The Obama Messiah Watch." Look for it here: http://www.slate.com/id/2158578/
(2) Mother Jones magazine did its own story in February 2008, "Barack Obama's Messiah Complex." Look for it here: http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/02/7209_barack_obamas_m.html
(3) Senator Hillary Clinton mocked Obama's "messianic complex" in Rhode Island on February 25, 2008: "The skies will open, the light will come down, celestial choirs will be singing and everyone will know we should do the right thing and the world will be perfect,”
(4) A comprehensive roundup of MSM treatment of Barack-as-Messiah is documented at: http://obamamessiah.blogspot.com/
Mara, what's with the selective outrage? Don't start a petition drive against McCain unless you start ones against Slate, Mother Jones and Hillary Clinton. After all, they're the ones who started this whole thing.
"Mara, why the selective outrage? Don't start a petition drive against McCain unless you start ones against Slate, Mother Jones and Hillary Clinton. After all, they're the ones who started this whole thing."
But Obama is no longer running against Clinton and never was running against Slate or Mother Jones. It's all calculated outrage. McCain will never level a criticism against Obama that won't be labeled racist, divisive, mean-spirited, a dog-whistle to the religious right, or blah blah blah.
As much as I dislike McCain's ad comparing Obama to Britney and Paris, I cannot ask him to take it down, as I value free speech too much. I may not like what John McCain has to say, but I will defend to the death his right to say it.
PhoenixOrion, be careful some future administration doesn't take you up on that offer.
I am an Evangelical and I have seen "the One" and don't see an issue with the ad at all. It's primary ethos is to criticize Obama's inherantly socialist messianic imagery (a common theme in socialist/communist historical messages). I do not doubt that some might try to make an anti-christ connection, but that is not the theme of the ad. This is another political ad - that is all.
Thank you for your work in bringing religious leaders together on issues of faith and the common good. Yes, I found the ad offensive and without substance. Rush Limbaugh is the only one I have heard call Obama "the Messiah" repeatedly. So I guess McCain is appealing to Rush's listeners? The jab was again present in Palin's crass speech at the convention. It is sad to see the Republicans, who claim to have religious values, sink to that level of degradation. Keep to the very important issues our nation is facing right now! That ad was completely without substance as to where McCain stands on any issues! It only attacks the very thing McCain cannot understand and fears the most...Obama's immense popularity with the American people. Instead of attacking it, maybe McCain should ask himself why so individuals look to Obama's ideas with sense of hope for the future of this great nation. There are many rational reasons for Obama's success with the American people. Just check out Obama's website...it's all spelled out!
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