Let's face facts: leading presidential candidate Herman Cain's new ad is totally awesome.
And by "awesome" I mean... Please don't burn me with the cigarette anymore, Mr. Block! I'll eat Godfather's Pizza! I mean, vote for Herman Cain! I mean, eat Godfather's Pizza when I vote for Herman Cain [sob, sniff].
If money is the disease eating at the body politic, then TV ads are the crack cocaine. Maybe meth. Maybe crack-laced meth. Maybe meth-laced crack. Maybe Godfather's pizza, look, I don't know.
Point is, this is bad.
I know what you're going to say: big liberal blogger doesn't like anything a Republican does.
Not true. Two of the best political ads I've ever seen have come from Republicans. Maro Rubio's "Who Cares?" is out of sight. It is exactly what a political ad should be. The message behind George W. Bush's "Wolves" ad in 2004 was deplorable, but as an ad, it was a tour de force.
Research has shown that ads aren't actually all that effective, here and here... mostly.
For what it's worth, I think everyone is misreading the fact that the guy puffs on a cigarette towards the end of his segment. Has nothing to do with sending a signal to tobacco companies or whatever.
It has everything to do with the fact that President Obama smokes (or used to). It says (or is trying to say), "You're not the only badass in town, Obama." Given that everyone I've read hasn't come up with that (albeit poorly communicated) message, maybe I'm missing something.
Still, it's a crappy ad. I mean, what's with Cain's creepy grin at the end? That is just... disturbing.
Is it as bad as Senate Candidate Christine O'Donnell's I Am Not A Witch? How about the robot Pam Bondi's terrible ad? Remember Jeff Kottkamp's terrible ad? Or this weird thing State Rep. Mike Weinstein did? Let's not forget Dale Peterson.
How about we just go ahead and rank it somewhere above Basil Marceaux and call it a night?
This post is a veritable LINK-FEST! I am gobbling these ads up like Flintstones Chewables, man, good posting!
Posted by: Dante Gee | October 25, 2011 at 10:05 PM
OK, this is outstanding. This cavalcade of silliness is a mixed tape of K-Tel's greatest politics. Nevermind that Pam Bondi is 23 years old with 15 year's experience as a prosecutor. Nevermind that she never blinks, even when comforting the earthquake victims from Nights in Rodanthe. Nevermind that the most frightening thing I'll see replayed in my Halloween nightmares is Christine O'Donnell repeatedly insisting that She Is Me. (Ugh, shuddddderrrr...) Forget Cain's Godfather lear at the end of his ad. Forget all of that. I am going to campain for Basil Marceaux. No. I AM Basil Marceaux. From now on, my new name is Basil Marceaux. Please do another installment of political ads. Please?
Posted by: Basil Marceaux | October 25, 2011 at 10:25 PM