"Hot chicks dig Obama," a new John McCain ad proclaims

Another day, another John McCain Web ad that depicts Barack Obama as an air-headed creation of celebrity culture.

References and images include Elvis, The Beatles, Bono, Wayne and Garth (of "Saturday Night Live" fame) and, most improbably, a Taco Bell (!).

[UPDATE: The use of Wayne and Garth -- the two stoner characters memorably etched by Michael Myers and Dana Carvey -- came to the attention of copyright lawyers and led to a slight re-editing of the spot, as The Times' Dan Morian relates here.]

Most controversially, the spot features one young woman complimenting Obama's "aura," and a second young woman singling out his "very soft eyes" for praise. And then there's a fellow saying of the 47-year-old U.S. senator and father of two who defied long odds to emerge as one of the two main contenders for the most powerful office in the world: "Hot chicks dig Obama."

The ad begins with an excited narrator saying: "You've seen him in London, Paris and Berlin. Now you, too, can join 'The One's' fan club in America."

Later, the narrator cheerily asserts: "We know he doesn't have much experience. And isn't ready to lead. But that doesn't mean he isn't dreamy."

McCain surrogates will light-heartedly defend the ad as simply another effort to inject humor into the serious business of running for the White House.

Others will wonder how much more demeaning the McCain camp can get toward its rival -- and whether the Democrat and his aides will figure out a way to effectively counter the ongoing assault.

The new ad surfaces on the same day that Mark Penn -- unabashedly continuing to offer his insights at Politico.com after helping guide Hillary Clinton from frontrunner in the Democratic race to also-ran -- gives his professional blessing to the much-discussed McCain "Celebrity" ad that linked Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

Writes Penn: "Clever negative advertising works. That is reality."

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Brian K.]

Wow. How deaming to women. Way to alienate those sore Hillary supporters.

[Anthony]

oh my god, this is ridiculous!
We're talking about the presidency here!
These guys are actually running ads that are below the lowest common denominator...
Not someone I would trust to run the country in a responsible way.

desperation shows MCain

[Enewc]

No doubt these guys have heard that negative ads discourage independents and voters who vote on substance. Unfortunately these tactics are part of an attack on our electoral system by those who can't win fairly, and who seem to count on the indifference of the majority of voters. They are doing everything they can to preserve the indifference and discourage participation. Don't let 'em!

[Debb]

McCain's obsession with young 'chicks' including Paris, Britney and Heidi has crossed over to creepy territory. What's next, Viagra commericals?

[horvath]

so mcCain is the only one one thats qualified to lead us--where? straight to hell--like the bush-chaney gang before him

[RoBoTech]

Fantastic ad!

"

This is a complete fabrication of Obama's tax plan. Total Lies http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/more_tax_deceptions.html

Someone needs to call him on these LIES

Posted by: katie"

It's NOT a lie. Obama is going to allow Bush's tax cuts to expire. And one of those cuts is taxes on $42,000.
Spin it all you want, but whether it's a deliberate tax increase, or letting a tax increase expire, the end is the same result. Higher taxes.

[Brian K.]

Maybe when Cindy McCain becomes terminally ill, he will have an affair with one of these 'hot chicks'? McCain sure seems to like degrading the female gender for his gain.

[hesingswithfrogs]

This is John McCain trying to pull the wool over the American People's eyes. Notice how he isn't laying out his own qualifications in this sneering ad and telling the American People why he should be President. Instead, McCain is trying to get people to simply assume that HE must be "The One" by claiming that Obama isn't.

It is becoming obvious that McCain is so weak that he cannot run on the issues and is left with trying to engage in psychobabble manipulation of the American People. This psychobabble manipulation employed by McCain is designed to bypass people's consideration of qualifications actually relevant to the presidency and get them to make decisions based upon unsubstantiated and mean-spirited name-calling instead.

Without a doubt, McCain's vile tactics do work and are supported by research as being capable of manipulating public opinion. For example, one study I recently read involves having a test subject hear another person call a third person an ugly name. Without even knowing anything about the person who was called names, the subjects tended to form negative opinions about the person who was called the ugly name. It's a strange phenomenon, but it works. McCain's team of psychobabble experts (Schmidt/Rove) are obviously well versed in these sort of manipulations and are attempting to manipulate the American People into selecting their President based upon these same types of manipulations.

American People, do not be fooled. When a candidate (McCain) chooses to resort to name calling instead of discussing the issues and what could make this Country better, there is a reason for it. He's trying to pull the wool over your eyes.

[funny bone]

This ad is not an attact, funny or ugly. It's silly and wasted contributors money. All that campaign money, and this is the work product of McCain's tactic. What a group of LOSERS..... Never let your grandparents have access to alot of money.

I wouldn't let these people run my out house....

[Brian K.]

McCain is dumber than a bag of rocks! Don't forget McCain's economic criminal past. He was a defendent in the 1980's S&L scandal, where he ripped off the american people for millions. He's a thief, adulter, and thoroughly reprehensible individual.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcdLO3jKkPo

[Obamaisbetter]

Obama graduated with a J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard, therefore smart hot women like him.

McCain, not the sharpest knife in the drawer, 894th out of 899 in his graduating class. Therefore unattractive unintelligent women like him?

[Maine Man]

McCain has a sense of humor - I like even more now.

[Watts]

McCain lacks ideas of his own? That's the whole point of this ad. People are awestruck by Obama for reasons OTHER THAN HIS ideas.

McCain is using this ad to make it all about his ideas and tangible policy differences--not the soft stuff like feelings and tingles up the leg.

[Jake]

Is McCain jealous that he has no supporters who actually are excited about him?
McCain voted against voting rights for Washington DC. Weird how he wants to give foreign countries voting rights but not America.
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=15861&ca n_id=53270
McCain also opposes freedom of speech and expression.
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=V2692&ca n_id=53270
McCain would not even try to negotiate with others but would go straight to war.
McCain also wants to allow you to be locked up forever without going to trail.
http://www.votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=15833&ca n_id=53270
Mccain also voted against CIA oversight, despite the fact that the CIA over the years has illegally wiretapped thousands of Americans phones, illegally tested chemical weapons on Americans, overthrow dozens of Democracies, contributed to insider stock trading, and sabotaged private companies in order to get wealth for themselves.

[David]

McCain could father a baby llama, and I still wouldn't vote for Barack Obama!

[Dave]

Yet another low blow from the McCain campaign. Propaganda, whether dishonest, downright nasty, or both, seems to be their only hope.

[PulSamsara]

Barack Obama for President of the UNITED States of America.

[Cal]

Man, if this is McCain's idea of a policy debate I no longer think he is "just like Bush". He's worse! LOL

He should stay home and make a google in his Depends.

[Joe Public]

I was comfortable with the fact that things were bound to improve, that either candidate we are looking at in 2008 would be smart enough to gather the right people around him and begin the long haul to fix the mess that W made. I mean, no one can be a bigger imbecile than W has proven to be, can they?

Wrong . . .

McCain's camp is making McCain look like a bigger moron than W. I hope the Republican party keeps this strategy up, because it's bound to put Barack in the oval office.

Who in McCain's camp could possibly believe this ad was a good idea. LMAO.

[first step]

I have a question if America is majority Christian why does the McCain campaign think it's ok to have images of Obama as Moses in one of his ads is that Christ-like, why no up roar from the Christians. Why try using double talk when stating " The One". Which is another reference to being the chosen, and not for President as McCain and his camp would like for us to think. There are alot of so-called Christians making these kind of references to Obama all I ask is why. America where is the LOVE & RIGHTEOUS.

[hesingswithfrogs]

In a Country facing unprecedented challenges, record gas prices, unending war, soaring national debt, collapsing social security, a broken health care system, a struggling environment and a redistribution of wealth in favor of a privileged few unknown before republicon rule, there is ONE candidate who doesn't take his job seriously. That candidate is John McCain.

But not taking his job seriously is nothing new for John McCain. He slacked his way through college, graduating at the bottom of his class. He slacked his way through his job in the military, crashing five planes, costing millions in tax dollars. And despite spending almost thirty years in the legislature, and chairing the powerful Senate Commerce Committee, John McCain never bothered to learn about economics. When it comes to slacking, John McCain is as good as they get.

Now John McCain is at it again. He never bothered to learn about the issues facing our country. He wouldn't be troubled with learning the difference between Sunni, Shiite, and Al Qaeda. He never found the time to pull out a map to see that Iraq does not border Pakistan. Don't we expect more of our highest and most powerful leaders?

Rather than confronting our Country's serious problems head-on and helping lead our Country back to greatness, John McCain would rather run for Joke-teller in Chief than for President. But do you blame him? What would you do if you were a lifelong slacker and knew so little about the issues that really matter? We've had enough slackers in the Oval Office. Don't we deserve better?

Obama '08

My name is hesingswithfrogs and I approve this message.

[fromnj]

FactCheck.org clearly finds that McCain's accusations of Obama about tax increases are comple fabrications.

Thanks to the person who posted this link earlier - let me post it again -
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/more_tax_deceptions.html

I don't care if McCain's ads are juvenile, but they do need to be truthful.

[first step]

GOBAMA08GOBAMA08GOBAMA08. The future. NOMcCAINNOMcCAINNOMcCAIN. The past. Know your past to better your future.

[Avida Verde]

Yes, Hot Chix do support Barack Obama - because he is the best candidate on many issues, and more importantly has the moral integrity and good judgment to lead this country.

Let's turn negative ads into humorous support, check here:

http://hotchixdig.blogspot.com/

XOXO,
Avida

[Mr. Unite Us]

"Via Political Wire, it appears that McCain's vast policy experience and knowledge of international affairs is derived from wikipedia:

A Wikipedia editor notices some similarities between Sen. John McCain's speech today on the crisis in Georgia and the Wikipedia article on the country Georgia. They appear similar enough that most people would consider parts of McCain's speech to be derived directly from Wikipedia.

First instance:

one of the first countries in the world to adopt Christianity as an official religion (Wikipedia)

vs.

one of the world's first nations to adopt Christianity as an official religion (McCain)

Second instance:

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia had a brief period of independence as a Democratic Republic (1918-1921), which was terminated by the Red Army invasion of Georgia. Georgia became part of the Soviet Union in 1922 and regained its independence in 1991. Early post-Soviet years was marked by a civil unrest and economic crisis. (Wikipedia)

vs.

After a brief period of independence following the Russian revolution, the Red Army forced Georgia to join the Soviet Union in 1922. As the Soviet Union crumbled at the end of the Cold War, Georgia regained its independence in 1991, but its early years were marked by instability, corruption, and economic crises. (McCain)