Tuesday, October 02, 2012

PAUL WHO?

You all know the standard structure of a political ad, or at least one kind of political ad: attack your opponent with scary charges and off-putting images, then change the music, show the sun (metaphorically) coming out, and reveal the glorious image of the candidate or team that will lead us to the Promised Land.

So watch this ad (via Greg Sargent and Mark Halperin). What's going on?





Hmmm ... Obama and higher taxes, Obama and government-run healthcare, Obama and Evil Nancy Pelosi, Obama and higher taxes, Obama and Evil Nancy Pelosi...

And then...

Our saviors! The people who are going to lead us out of the wilderness! Mitt Romney and ...

Rob Portman?





Where's Paul Ryan?

Apparently he's been disappeared. The script says, "Mitt Romney and common-sense conservatives will cut taxes on the middle class," but Ryan seems not to be one of those common-sense conservatives -- he's not in the next shot, either. (That shows Mitt with two female Republicans, Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina. See? Republicans love women!)

Now, maybe Portman gets pride of place in the ad because Romney's going to run it primarily in Ohio -- but then why did Romney's campaign alert national media guys like Sargent and Halperin to the ad?

Ryan is remanded to a brief appearance with Romney at the very end of the ad, behind the closing credits, as Romney says he approves this message. Yeah, I know -- Joe Biden doesn't figure prominently in Obama ads. But this is Paul Ryan, dammit! The intellectual giant of the GOP! Wasn't the point of picking him to harness his sex appeal and persuasiveness, his mighty powers of thinkology and youthful leadershippiness?

I guess Mitt's first big decision as the GOP nominee is working out about as well as his 2008 predecessor's.

3 comments:

Victor said...

Poor Paulie - Palin'd already.

And now, The Cheese Curd Turd joins Snowbunny Snooki, in being airbrushed out of politics early - just like they've airbrushed George W. Bush out of history.

You know, for people whose roots come from being virulently anti-Soviet Russia and Red China, these guys sure love 'Cults of Personalities (until that person fails Conservatism)' and then airbrushing people out of their pictures when they don't succeed.

Danp said...

Of course, people don't go to Obama rallies and yell, "Biden, Biden". This is more like the PGA running an ad showing all their top talent, but leaving out Tiger Woods.

Jack said...

Oh dear god, the suspense is killing me. Down to just over a MONTH until the election.

I honestly cannot wait.

And still I don't really see how the Democrats are going to overcome all the combined effects of all the various efforts Republicans have made -- and will make, on election day -- to steal this election.

I think we're going to probably see a difference between polls and results in key districts of as much as 5%, in one swing state after another.

On the other hand, if Obama does win, and if by some miracle the Democrats keep the Senate, I might have to take a week off work just so I can bask in the hysterical reaction of the wingnuts.