OBAMA SAYS NO TO “PEPE LE BAM”
July 24, 2008
Not all of Europe is thrilled that Barack Obama is gracing their continent with his celestial presence this week. France’s paper of record, Le Monde, published a less-than-glowing editorial today about the globe-trotting Democratic nominee for President.
Le Monde hits Obama on multiple fronts, and our good friend Ben Smith has more on the piece HERE.
But I want to highlight one grievance in particular that the French mega-paper has: the lack of time Obama spends this week in France relative to Germany.
Le Monde’s editors write: “A speech in Germany, five little hours in France.”
But when you think about it, from a political standpoint, Obama choosing Germany over France for his major speech should come as a surprise to …let me see … oh that’s right… precisely no one.
MCCAIN WINNING CAMPAIGN FOR WORST PR STRATEGY
July 24, 2008
It seems like the only news we’ve been hearing about John McCain lately is him whining over Obama and how much the press “loves” his opponent. They’ve even got their little Love video contest going on with a Chris-Matthews-fueled montage of the press’ Bam affection.
Which, while funny, (at least it isn’t a rape joke), as well as an attempt to go viral, is just about the worst PR strategy ever because instead of taking viewers’ attention and focusing it on McCain, he deflects it right back to Obama. And they just keep doing this type of stuff — only their newest “ha ha” joke is even worse.
McCain’s camp issued fake press releases identifying their press corp. as the “JV Squad,” with the caption: “Left Behind to Report in America.” The reverse side features a Frenchman pouring a glass of wine with the same caption en francaise (“Laisse en arriere pour faire un rapport en Amerique”).
So in effect, not only did the McCain people throw the focus back to Obama by satirizing the media attention he’s getting overseas, but McCain also succeeds in disparaging the traveling media corps. that covers him.
Well played, sir.
(Via CBS)
Saint John McCain is having a pretty crappy week since his buddy Barack Obama left for the Middle East and Europe.
Obama’s globe-trotting around the world, shaking hands with heads of state, schmoozing with our troops, and preparing to give a speech tomorrow before a crowd that may grow as large as 1 million people in Germany…
Meanwhile, here in the United States no one is paying attention to John McCain. One reporter showed up to greet his plane in New Hampshire this week. ONE!!!
But the fact that no one cares what McCain does or says right now may end up being a blessing in disguise for the presumptive Republican nominee for president, since he’s been especially prone to completely moronic statements innocent campaign gaffes since Obama left the country.
(1) First, the Master of Foreign Policy can’t stop talking about a country that hasn’t existed in well over a decade (Czechoslovakia).
(2) Then his campaign acts like a bunch of whiny teenagers by releasing an ad about how the media “goes soft on Obama.” But in typical John McCain fashion, hours later he flip flops on the ad and says he’s in fact not complaining about the media coverage of this campaign.
(3) Then he gives an interview with Katie Couric where he gets the most basic historical facts wrong involving a foreign policy decision that he’s choosing to basically hang his campaign on at this point: The Surge in Iraq.
ABC covers up McCain’s embarrassing historical illiteracy on what’s supposed to be his signature issue (National Security) because, after all, they are part of the same media that’s “in the tank” for Obama.
(4) Then his campaign decides to take the lowest road possible and hit Obama for visiting a Holocaust memorial site in — of all places — Israel! Another classy move.
So at this point John McCain’s campaign is so desperate to make headlines of their own that they’ve had to resort to planting false stories with reporters about McCain announcing his VP choice this week just to create a news cycle buzz.
BUT, as shit begets shit, Robert Novak, the reporter who thought he was given McCain’s VP super-scoop, was so angry and frustrated over being used like a piece of prison ass by the McCain campaign that he zoned out and hit a pedestrian while driving his black Corvette this morning.
So now we come to this afternoon: John McCain had one press avail scheduled for today. Just one.
But realizing that he’s going to be hammered by reporters over the smattering of negative stories circling his campaign right now (see 1-4), he chose to do the honorable thing… and really show Americans why he’s the only man worthy of the title, “Mr. Straight Talk”: he canceled the freakin’ press conference.
Someone should change the new campaign slogan on John McCain’s poster from “PEACE IS BORN OF WISDOM” to “PEACE IS BORN OF…DUCKING THE HARD QUESTIONS.”
Meaningful Distraction says to John McCain: Come back and face the music, cause your shit is WEAK right now!
…AND SPEAKING OF MESSIAH IMAGERY
July 23, 2008
Note the ethereal glow coming from McCain’s forehead.
“PEACE IS BORN OF WISDOM.” What a load of BS coming from John McCain. The GOP favors neither Peace nor Wisdom.
Related: NEW JOHN MCCAIN CAMPAIGN POSTER!!
MD EXCLUSIVE: OBAMA’S BERLIN FLYER NOT “MESSIAH COMPLEX,” PAYS TRIBUTE TO FAMED GERMAN DESIGN ERA
July 23, 2008
The above left graphic is Barack Obama’s campaign poster which publicizes (in German) the major address he will make tomorrow in Berlin.
Predictably, once the flyers came out looking “different” from what we’re used to seeing, the Republicans started to throw around their new favorite attack word for Obama: “arrogant.”
They love using it — these days Obama can’t brush his teeth in the morning without the Republicans telling us how the flavor of toothpaste he uses somehow reveals how “breathtakingly arrogant” he is.
“Arrogant,” after all, is the new “uppity.”
But here’s what the Republicans and even some moderate voices are missing: this campaign poster isn’t evidence of a “messiah” complex; it pays homage to a pivotal era in graphic design history: the German Bauhaus movement during the early 20th century (see above right for example).
As I’ve noted elsewhere, Obama’s design team is very, very good — they would know the history of German graphic design. Obama’s Berlin poster contains the same bold, diagonal lines and sanserif type which typifies 1920s -era German “industrial design.” Another example here.
So before the pundits and professional GOP douchebags operatives try to point to Obama’s German flyer as evidence of arrogance, they should take a minute to stop and think whether or not his design team sat down before creating yet another elegant image and said: “When in… Germany, do as the Germans do.”
Many Germans will recognize this little tip-of-the-hat, and those that recognize it will appreciate it. This type of move wouldn’t even occur to the McCain campaign, despite the fact that McCain was born around the time when German Bauhaus was all the rage.
OBAMA’S VIZ MAKES GRAPHIC ARTISTS SWOON
BAM 1 MILLION STRONG IN GERMANY?
Barack Obama and John McCain will soon be immortalized in comic books.
On October 1, a group called IDW Publishing will release two graphic novels called Presidential Material designed to “take advantage of one of the true American art forms, the comic book, to explore the histories of both presumptive nominees for the Democratic and Republican parties.”
Since Lark and me get enough entertainment from the real-life events of this campaign, Meaningful Distraction will take a pass on buying the comics. But I must say, in terms of cover art alone, John McCain won out big time here — just look at the difference between the two men’s hands alone!
Leaving aside the fact that everyone knows Obama has much bigger hands than McCain, without question the illustrator took some creative liberties with the diminutive Republican nominee: he slimmed down McCain’s stomach, filled him out with a bulging chest and arms, and gave him Barack’s signature Colgate Smile — which everyone knowns McCain doesn’t possess.
Meanwhile Obama looks small and angry (dare I say bitter?) in a deceptively misleading cover that does nothing to showcase his enormous height advantage over McCain, which you’ll see in the upcoming debates stands at nearly a full foot.
CAN YOU FEEL THE THRILL RUNNING UP YOUR LEG?
July 22, 2008
John McCain’s campaign released this compilation video to show how “in love” the media is with Barack Obama. I suppose the video would be more effective if 90 percent of the clips weren’t of Chris Matthews — someone we’ve all determined by now is a complete and utter tool.
But I think the larger point is: the McCain people are acting like a bunch of whiners right now. And it’s sad.
They’re having to fight for attention because exactly no one is excited about the prospect of a McCain Administration and they’re bitter over it. They resent their situation; they resent the fact that McCain doesn’t attract ratings and can’t get it up even with the Republican base.
Well, MD has a message for the McCain campaign: “boo-fucking-hoo.“
A recent poll conducted by Match.com and Happen Magazine, asks people which candidate they would rather lock lips with. Unsurprisingly, 77% of people think Barack would be a better kisser than cyrogenic wonder McCain.
Match wants everyone to know that “Neither Michelle Obama, Cindy McCain nor any babies were polled as part of this survey.” Ha ha.
Also-McCain is old and not sexy. Ha ha ha, again.
Let’s take this further with another pointless, basically predetermined poll: Who would you rather sleep with?
OH IT’S TIME FOR SOME CAMPAIGNIN’
July 16, 2008
I can’t decide which visual I like best: the prissy, unicorn-riding Barack Obama or the swollen-faced, bikini chasing Bill Clinton; one thing’s for certain though — this video is the most we’ve seen of Hillary Clinton in weeks.
(JibJab)
There’s an old saying: the bigger the lie, the harder people believe.
John McCain is just a bad guy. Period. And the biggest lie of this election is that he is an honorable, straight shooter.
We already know that McCain was a serial adulterer who left his first wife for a rich trophy blonde after a horrific car accident resulted in part of his first wife’s leg needing to be cut off.
And my girl Lark already wrote about the impolite joke John McCain made about having stopped “beating his wife” only a few weeks ago.
Then he makes light of killing Iranians — which in addition to being a huge feather in the cap of American Diplomacy — also forced a response from the Iranian government.*
And of course, under no circumstances did McCain ever even dream about calling his wife a, QUOTE, “trollop-faced cunt.”
Now we come to a joke McCain is said to have told involving rape and an ape.
This one featuring The McCains was rejected.
Either “satire” about alcoholism, drug addiction, old age and insanity is a “no no,” or the folks at The New Yorker reasoned (correctly) that since no one is paying attention to John McCain this year it would be better to satirize the Obamas on race, religion, and the murder of millions of Americans.
(from 2 Political Junkies)
Related:
Remember that underwhelming response John McCain gave to a question about why he supports health insurance companies covering Viagra but not birth control? Well, apparently his embarrassing display didn’t sit well with the gals over at Planned Parenthood, who just cut an ad targeted at women who use(d) birth control informing them of McCain’s (non)position on the matter.
As far as political attack ads go, this one is pretty tepid. BUT, check out where Planned Parenthood is running this spot — during Project Runway on Bravo, Army Wives on Lifetime, and Oprah in some markets. Planned Parenthood must figure this will be red meat for those audiences.
Related: SOME ISSUES HIT TOO CLOSE TO HOME: JOHN MCCAIN DODGES VIAGRA QUESTION
This party is going to be hot!
So far the list of performers include: Kanye West, Wyclef Jean, and N.E.R.D. Because of new ethics rules, the concerts must meet certain rules that make it a “reception.”
Other stars set to appear: Ben Affleck, Obama email buddy Scarlett Johansson, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Forrest Whitaker, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Cheryl Hines and Edward Norton.
There are also several corporate sponsors including United Airlines, Google, Coors Brewing Company, Anheuser-Busch, Xcel Energy and telecom giants Motorola, Qwest and AT&T, who will be hosting a number of parties over four days.
As for the GOP convention in MN, there is no news yet on what A-lisers (if any) will be in attendance. Fingers crossed though for known McCain supporters Rip Torn, Dick Van Patten and Heidi Montag.
Related:
BAM TO SCAR-JO: ABOUT THAT “AMAZING DIALOGUE”… UM YEAH… NOT SO MUCH
“TASTELESS AND OFFENSIVE” PART 2?
July 15, 2008
OBAMA & MCCAIN REACT TO NEW YORKER COVER
July 14, 2008
People are in a frenzy and it has been the talk of the day. What does all the discussion boil down to? Offensive and tasteless.
Related:
How many people do you know actually have a land line anymore? How many under 40? Under 30?
One of the things no one talks about when discussing the polling data we receive for this election is the fact that, generally speaking, pollsters only call land lines when conducting surveys… which means, if you own only a cell phone chances are you’re not getting a call.
Why? Because pollsters are prohibited from calling cell phones by automatic dialing system and most pollsters use an automatic dialing system because its cheap. Therefore, if a poll was to include cell phone only voters it would have to be conducted via hand-dialing those numbers, a process which increases both the time and money required to complete the poll.
Salon observes that the number of “wireless” adult Americans is about 30 percent right now. In the 2004 election 7.1 percent of all voters were cellphone only… however recent data suggests that this percentage could be twice as high in 2008!
When you consider the demographic of Americans who are cell phone only, it tilts overwhelming in favor of Obama, which means he may be doing even better than the 5 to 6 points which most polls show him leading McCain right now.
So, if for some reason this election gets closer than many are predicting, I’d say between the (sleeper) cell phone only crowd and the white supremacists, Barack should have a powerful ace up his sleeve which no one’s betting on going into November.*
The full Salon.com article is worth reading HERE.
MCCAIN BELIEVES IF YOU’RE GAY YOU SHOULD BE CHILDLESS
July 14, 2008
Or perhaps go with artificial insemination?
In an interview with the NY Times, McCain, who has an adopted child, stated, in the most ill conceived way possible, that he opposes gay couples adopting. “I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in gay adoption.”
As to who “we” is and what form “proven” takes, no one and nothing is identified. This, coupled with the statement, “both parents,” as if this automatically implies and a male and female, illustrates just the kind of old school thinking McCain is known for.
Having a child is a basic human right. Family values=the love and strength of a family whether it be traditional or composed of a same sex couple. But if you want to live in a country where two people with plenty of love to give to a child are denied that right simply because either a penis or a vagina is lacking, McCain is certainly your man.
For more from McCain’s interview, click here.
THE NEW YORKER’S OBAMA COVER
July 13, 2008
Standing over a burning American flag with Osama bin Laden looking on, Muslim terrorist Barack Obama fist-bumps radical black militant Michelle Obama in the Oval Office. (Note how bin Laden and Obama are dressed the same).
The New Yorker says their July 08 cover is meant to be “satire”… making fun of all the caricatures of the Obama family that right wing critics have tried to create.
But the Obama and McCain campaigns aren’t laughing, they’re calling the cover “tasteless and offensive.”
ABC’s Tapper has it right: “It’s a recruitment poster for the right-wing.”
For a bunch of “serious thinkers” the folks at The New Yorker showed surprisingly little regard for the fact that every time the mainstream and/or left-leaning media pulls this kind of stunt it pseudo-legitimizes those animals at Fox News and every other right wing filth-peddler out there.
UPDATE: David Remnick, The New Yorker’s editor, holds his ground.
“Obviously I wouldn’t have run a cover just to get attention — I ran the cover because I thought it had something to say. What I think it does is hold up a mirror to the prejudice and dark imaginings about Barack Obama’s — both Obamas’ — past, and their politics…
EUROPEANS ARE THE NEW GAYS
July 10, 2008
Republicans LOVE to demonize people. It’s generally what keeps them in power devoid of any inspired leadership… which their side almost always is.
One thing they’re especially fond of is pointing to a marginalized group (immigrants and gays are their favorite) and telling Americans: “You see, they’re the reason why your life and your marriage sucks.”
Well, I think we can now add Europeans to the list of, QUOTE, “those people.”
Perhaps you weren’t aware of this, but America is under grave threat of losing its national identity right now. Seriously! Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani told me so.
Failed GOP Presidential candidate and McCain supporter, Mitt Romney:
“I do think that, frankly, Barack Obama looks toward Europe for a lot of his inspiration. I think John McCain is going to make sure that America stays America.”
Failed GOP Presidential candidate and McCain supporter, Rudy Giuliani:
“Well this is why [Obama] is a popular candidate in Europe, because there is such an anti-American feeling and he is sort of capturing that.”
Why such hostility aimed across the pond right now?
Because Republicans knows that in a few short weeks Obama will be received in Europe like no American politician since JFK; so in order to blunt the impact of that visit here at home, they have to shift the narrative about Europe in the run up.
Specifically: try to shift public opinion by convincing Americans that Europeans are to blame for America’s problems and you make Obama’s trip seem like a tainted victory, if not something to be ashamed of altogether.
That’s the strategy. Unfortunately for them, it’ll prove a loser.
Related:
OBAMA CAMPAIGN SET TO DELIVER SUMMER’S BIGGEST BLOCKBUSTERS
A SUNDAY MORNING HANGOVER MEANS YOU GET SUNDAY MORNING BLURBS
BEHOLD, a new piece of literature from The Christian Defense Coalition (who you may remember from their “Barack Obama Wants YOU to Pay for Abortions” ad.)
Here the Coalition makes the case that it’s perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, for Catholics to make abortion the sole issue which determines how they vote in November. Catholics would even be justified in doing so on the grounds that abortion is like slavery: if you oppose one you ought to similarly oppose the other.
Before taking in the Coalition’s “logic,” we’ll assume they’re aware neither John McCain nor Barack Obama are running on a pro-slavery platform.
Q: “Should Catholics Vote on a ‘Single Issue?’”
A: “Yes, if that issue involves a fundamental right, such as the right to life for a certain group of human beings, and there is only one morally legitimate position on that issue. For example, no faithful Catholic would vote for a candidate who, although ‘personally opposed to slavery,’ supported ‘a white man’s right to choose’ to own slaves. Similarly, Catholics have a moral obligation to withhold their voter from any candidate who although ‘personally opposed to abortion,’ supports a ‘woman’s right to choose’ to have her child killed before birth by abortion.”
More proof that John McCain is as serious a thinker as they come on matters of War and Peace. (And you wonder why they hate us.)
Transcript:
Responding to a question about a survey that shows increased exports to Iran, mainly from cigarettes, McCain said, “Maybe thats a way of killing them.”
He quickly caught himself, saying “I meant that as a joke” as his wife, Cindy, poked him in the back.
UPDATE: Sargent has more on how the press “fluffs” John McCain when he does this type of crap (great word for it, by the way). I guess if you’re John McCain and you figure that the press is your best friend, using locker room humor with reporters is A-OK.
(hat tip: TPM)
Related: JOHN MCCAIN: JOKES ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ARE HILARIOUS
Since the whole “gas tax holiday” farce, it’s become in vogue for presidential candidates to brag about the number of “experts” who’ve endorse their plans.
It’s kind of like bragging about the number of women you’ve slept with: the higher the number, the cooler and more experienced you’re assumed to be.
A few days ago John McCain took his 5th or 6th stab of this campaign at unveiling a “Major Economic Plan.” And credit where credit is due, McCain’s latest is probably one of the greatest works of literary fiction to come out in a decade.
I’ll spare you the creative liberties the McCain campaign takes with how things like deficits and our federal budget works, BUT I will point out that when McCain released the plan, he boasted that it had the support of 300 economists from around the country.
300! What a number. That would make John McCain the envy of almost any man I know.
Except, as we know all too well, men “lie up” about their number, women “lie down” — and John McCain’s “number” is ridiculously overstated, possibly even as fantastical as his economic plan itself.
Dear God. I know we said that Meaningful Distraction wouldn’t be watching the Obama v. McCain daily poll numbers, but after seeing this my eyes started to bleed — and so it merits an exception to this rule.
According to an AP-Yahoo News poll released today, McCain is shown beating Obama 42 percent to 37 percent.
Hours ago, while unleashing his most blistering attacks of this campaign, John McCain dropped the “c-word” when speaking about Barack Obama and the economy, in a move that is sure to create a political firestorm and prompt a great deal of backtracking by the presumptive Republican nominee.
During what appear to be prepared remarks for a town hall event in Denver, John McCain said the following:
BARACK OBAMA WANTS YOU… TO PAY FOR ABORTIONS?
July 7, 2008
Behold the new ad from an evangelical group called “The Christian Defense Coalition.”
