[Newsbot]

Filibuster Cartoon
Title: Messiah Complex (click to view)
Date: August 06, 2008
A lot of people seem to hate it, but personally I like John McCain's latest anti-Obama ad, which basically takes Obama to task for having something of a messiah complex.

[xerxes]

To me it looks like a dog whistle ad for people who constantly worry about the anti-christ.

[Murray_Smith]

I thought the ad was stupid and mildly hypocritical. What is Barack doing that Jesus hasn't done?

If the opposition is comparing him to Moses, then, yes, the man is ready to lead.

[commanderkai]

I see this ad as a joke of how arrogant and how many religious type quotes Obama has said in his own campaign, wrapped up in one neat package. People really think they had some anti-Christ message? Please.

[Lumpy]

I don't get why Obama is being seen as arrogant as that. He makes a big deal out of Obama traveling internationally over the past two weeks, but at the beginning of July, John McCain went to Canada and Colombia. He said it was fitting that a presidential candidate get a head start with relations between world leaders he'd be meeting as president. Later, he begins speaking out against a presidential candidate touring Europe as arrogant.

Showing Obama speaking in front of a 70,000 to 200,000 person-strong crowd is a great tactic to make it look like he's doing it for his ego. Was he supposed to limit attendance to McCain's high school gymnasium size? There's another thing. The ad says Obama is a "celebrity" and people only see him because he's "The One." If they're not coming to him because of his politics, and the ad is not seriously saying those Germans think he's the second coming of Christ, then just what are they trying to imply about the cause of his popularity here? Not that difficult to see.

I think the text accompanying this political cartoon makes an error, though. That wasn't McCain's latest television ad. This is! The ad carries old comments from Joe Biden, Howard Dean, and John Kerry praising McCain, before he switched positions on Bush's "dangerous" tax cuts in "a time of war" when our deficit is "reaching a record high," on the kind of judges he would appoint (moderate on social issues, not "ones as fine as Scalia"), on the appropriateness of waterboarding, and after he had said that he wouldn't coddle extremists like Jesse Jackson on the left or Jerry Falwell on the right, but before he had given a speech at Liberty University hugging and praising Jerry Falwell...

John McCain has said that he "would not go negative" toward Obama. Fun game with McCain speeches: If you happen to see him on TV, you can tell what group he's speaking of in front of by how much what he says is differing from the usual. In that instance, it was in front of the NAACP.

Sometimes I think McCain looks arrogant when I see him speak; it was on June 3 when he said that the reason Obama says McCain is a third Bush term so much is "because he feels he has to repeat it because he knows it's not true." Grinning smugly, he looked across the crowd, blinked a lot, and proceeded to say things I perceived as lies, like "higher taxes for hard-working Americans," that I had heard him say in nearly every campaign speech up until that point.

I held respect for McCain back around 2003 and 2004, back when I regularly watched C-SPAN, and he was one of my favorite senators. Like Joe Biden and Howard Dean, though, I don't think the McCain of 2000 would vote for the scumbag McCain of 2008. I'll grant that Obama uses a speaking pattern as if he's a Kennedy or Lincoln by putting dramatic pauses on the end of certain phrases. On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart had him do it with a list silly phrases...

The comic itself has great artwork, as always, though.

[Jabrwock]

*shrug* I suppose it all boils down to who the ad is aimed at.

It's almost insulting to Obama supporters, because it implies they're all groupies or sheeple. So it's probably directed at the undecided, trying to stick the idea that Obama is only famous because... er... he's famous? Does that even work?

It almost seems a bit jealous, remember when McCain was the famous "maverick"? He was trying really hard to be the "cool old guy who sticks it to the man".

It's a light-hearted poke, but it doesn't accomplish much.

[Zipperfish]

Obama has that "statesman" appeal the likes of which the US hasn't seen since JFK. Clearly the Republicans fear this, and one response is ridicule. But the ridicule has a point--try to portray those smitten with Obama's message as blind religious adhernents(The Church of Obama). It's the same argument the right uses in global warming (or "The Church of Globalw Warming").

Which is odd, because the right is typically a lot more religious than the left; they're the ones that actually DO believe a man walked on water and rose from the dead.

[Wally_Sconce]

I don't think that I can make a post about Obama without mentioning that he is black. When I say nothing else about him, I get called every inflamatory name in the book.

[commanderkai]

Zipperfish wrote:

Obama has that "statesman" appeal the likes of which the US hasn't seen since JFK. Clearly the Republicans fear this, and one response is ridicule. But the ridicule has a point--try to portray those smitten with Obama's message as blind religious adhernents(The Church of Obama). It's the same argument the right uses in global warming (or "The Church of Globalw Warming").

Which is odd, because the right is typically a lot more religious than the left; they're the ones that actually DO believe a man walked on water and rose from the dead.

And you on the left ridicule the right and the religious for that all the time. So when somebody who is literally creating a personality cult, and we point it out, we're the bad ones, yes? The statements he, as in Obama, have religious overtones, yes or no?

[hwacker]

Zipperfish wrote:

Obama has that "statesman" appeal the likes of which the US hasn't seen since JFK.

You wait for the debates, the guy can’t think on his feet without a teleprompter. He’s a empty suit.


B-Ho’s not going anywhere. Hildabeast might kick his skinny ass at the convention.

[Lumpy]

I don't know; he fared well during the debates around February and March that I watched, though at the beginning until January he hardly ever mentioned policy. He straightened up when that in itself was brought up by the moderator in a Nevadan debate.

If he can catch John McCain making mistakes like confusing Shi'ite and Sunnis, saying Iran funded al-Qaeda, talking about an Iran-Pakistan border, Czechslovakia, forgetting how many American troops were in Iraq and Afghanistan at what time, like he has done on the campaign trail, without the help of campaign aides combing through McCain's every move, it should be easy. He needs to come across as "tired," "confused," and "forgetful" as these mistakes make him look when the news articles are read in succession, without coming across as "ageist," because really, if he were making these mistakes while younger, he weren't a war veteran, and Obama were a lot less respectful, they'd just be made out to be stupid Bush-like gaffes.

Quote:

And you on the left ridicule the right and the religious for that all the time. So when somebody who is literally creating a personality cult, and we point it out, we're the bad ones, yes? The statements he, as in Obama, have religious overtones, yes or no?

How and why do you think he is he creating a personality cult? Do you get the idea that "liberals think he can do no wrong"? I look around and see criticisms on his abortion, FISA, and NASA policies on all the sites I find. I've never heard a line in an Obama speech that suggests to me that, except when he's trying to ward off "atheist latte-drinking, Prius-humping, tree hugger" names by talking about his spirituality.

[Zipperfish]

commanderkai wrote:

Zipperfish wrote:

Obama has that "statesman" appeal the likes of which the US hasn't seen since JFK. Clearly the Republicans fear this, and one response is ridicule. But the ridicule has a point--try to portray those smitten with Obama's message as blind religious adhernents(The Church of Obama). It's the same argument the right uses in global warming (or "The Church of Globalw Warming").

Which is odd, because the right is typically a lot more religious than the left; they're the ones that actually DO believe a man walked on water and rose from the dead.

And you on the left ridicule the right and the religious for that all the time. So when somebody who is literally creating a personality cult, and we point it out, we're the bad ones, yes? The statements he, as in Obama, have religious overtones, yes or no?

First off, I don't recall ridiculing religion so please don't ascribe your generalizations about the left to me personally. I just find it curious that they (the "Church of Obama" proponents) would use the religious analogy (to Obama, or to supporters of anthropogenic climate change) in a pejorative sense. Although I do grant that the fundamental tenets of Christinity and secular humanism are quite similar.

I would imagine his speeches have some religious overtones, because the US is a very religious country. All candidates in every US election I've ever seen use biblical symbolism and Christian imagery.

Obama is a young, eloquent and charismatic speaker. A lot of people find him a vessel for their hopes. I don't think that, in and of itself, makes him guilty of trying to start a "cult of personality" with all the negative and totalitarian connotations that phrase elicits. On the contrary, I see that as a good thing. People are actually excited about a candidate as opposed to the "hold-your-nose-and-vote" mentality that I find common in Canada.

Obama is fresh and new--or at least perceived as such. Obviously those traits have a limited shelf-life. His warts will become apparent soon enough. And when that happens McCain will be standing there saying the things he's always said, but more people will be listening.

I think it's a problem with American politics right now--possibly due to all the round-the-clock news coverage--is that these presidential elections become such a media circus that issues cease to matter. It's all tactics and no strategy. There's so many political handlers and media advisors etcetera that, as one wag put it: "Barack Obama is a near-perfect political package. I’m still not sure, though, what’s in it."

[Zipperfish]

hwacker wrote:

Zipperfish wrote:

Obama has that "statesman" appeal the likes of which the US hasn't seen since JFK.

You wait for the debates, the guy can’t think on his feet without a teleprompter. He’s a empty suit.


B-Ho’s not going anywhere. Hildabeast might kick his skinny ass at the convention.

Maybe he can wear a receiver in his suit like Dubya did in his debates!

[Scape]

McCain flip flops on Hilton

[Tiler]

The thing about making mistakes and flubbing on facts; it doesn't really matter. Shocking, perhaps, but I can't recall the last time a politician being wrong has ever stopped them. There are two things at play here; being right doesn't matter as much as saying that you're right; W. Bush, in his debates with Kerry and Gore, got facts wrong, but he accused his opponents of using 'fuzzy math'. On the flip side, being right does you no good if you come off as impersonal, angry, or haughty; yet again, both Kerry and Gore got facts right, but they came off as a robot and an indecisive elitist, respectively.

The point I'm reaching here is that, even though McCain gets his facts wrong and is forgetful, the problem for Obama is that he does in in an endearing, human manner. He's acting like anyone's Grandpa would. And who doesn't trust their Grandpa? Sure, you can prove his brain is pudding, but that won't do much except for the voters that actually care more about positions and facts than gut impulses (i.e. jack squat). Bush was wrong, but he acted human. Regan was wrong (and confusing reality with movies), but he acted human.

Now, McCain has some personality faults besides being wrong that could be exploited; namly, he's a very temperamental and unfriendly old man a lot of times. But if the Democrats insist on fighting over positions instead of fighting over who is the better person, they'll likely let that slip by.

Obama, on the other hand, has a lot of good going for him. He's charming, warm, and has that 10-watt smile. But my main concern about him at this point is exactly what the ad was targeting and exactly what the cartoon is over; I'm afraid that he's starting to buy into his own propaganda. Ironically, McCain has been through similar straits; in the 2000 election he called his campaign a 'Crusade'. What happened afterwards for McCain is that he turned angry and personal, while Bush kept up his 'friendly but dumb' persona. Obama seems to be starting on his own dark path to Hubris and a subsequent downfall. This is where his inexperience could hit him hard, if he continues to let himself get caught up in the moment.