Is buying advertising “sort of Soviet”?
posted at 12:30 pm on October 28, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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Well, far be it from me to interrupt MS-NBC when they’re actually sounding critical of their favored candidate, but this is somewhat silly. Willie Geist and and Courtney Hazlett debate the significance of Barack Obama’s prime-time informercial buys, and come up with a silly verdict:
GEIST: Coming back to the Obama thing. Does it strike anyone else as creepy? Obama’s taking over every network? It’s sort of like when you imagined the Soviet invasion, it would take over the airwaves. Something weird about it.
HAZLETT: Seriously. Exactly, exactly. I mean, it’s even going to be on Telemundo – Spanish television. It’s everywhere — except for ABC. Now, I do want to be fair, ABC said that they offered their air to Obama and for whatever reason, he declined.
GEIST: Ok. It makes me a little uncomfortable.
If anything, the ad buys represent the free market at work. Obama has the money to purchase air time, and he’s using it to promote himself and his politics. If he can buy simultaneous network slots to do it, why not? It’s his money, and he’s making business decisions that he sees in his best interest. There’s nothing Soviet about it. If MS-NBC wants an example of creeping socialism, there are a lot better places to look than this.
We can certainly question the business decision, though, and analyze it for what it says about Obama. He has repeatedly demonstrated an odd predilection for pomposity and grandeur, whether it be his juvenile Vero Possumus faux presidential seal, the Barackopolis at Invesco Field that cost over $5 million extra for a convention already struggling to pay the bills, or a rally in Germany for people ineligible to vote for Obama. Now he wants to launch The Barack Obama Variety Show. Maybe he should call Sid & Marty Krofft to produce it.
Who does Obama imagine will watch these infomercials? Most voters have tired of the 30-second campaign spots that interrupt their favorite programs and beer commercials. Only the deeply committed will bother to tune into a stump speech they could easily download off of YouTube. The rest of the public will just skip to another channel until the infomercial ends.
It’s worth pointing out that under the Fairness Doctrine, Obama could never have bought the time. It would have forced the networks to give John McCain an equal amount of time for a rebuttal — which would have meant that they simply would have refused Obama’s offer at any price.
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When did the Soviets ever buy anything?
Lehosh on October 28, 2008 at 1:13 PM
40 days of night, rivers running red with blood, cats and dogs living together…Who is having buyers remorse?
In a room full of television industry executives, no one seemed inclined to defend MSNBC on Monday for what some were calling its lopsidedly liberal coverage of the presidential election.
The cable news channel is “completely out of control,” said writer-producer Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, a self-proclaimed liberal Democrat.
She added that she would prefer a lunch date with right-leaning Fox News star Sean Hannity over left-leaning MSNBC star Keith Olbermann.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i28df3fc9f6707d1478700b7bc78273ae
Dr Evil on October 28, 2008 at 1:13 PM
It would have forced the networks to give John McCain an equal amount of time for a rebuttal — which would have meant that they simply would have refused Obama’s offer at any price.
No. They would have wanted double price.
Obama would not have made the offer in the first place, because he would be paying for McCain’s ad.
daryl_herbert on October 28, 2008 at 1:18 PM
We need a cutaway to Arte Johnson in a WW II German uniform, smoking a cigarette, and saying, “Vedddddyyyyy inteyesting.”
After sacking Obama, especially on capital-gains taxes, in the ABC debate in the primaries, even Gibson’s gutting of Palin in his interview didn’t get ABC out of the Obama doghouse.
If I were ABC, I’d say, “Screw Obama,” and run a nice puff piece devoting half the time to McCain, say his heroism as a POW, and half the time to Palin and her family.
“Gold, Jerry, pure gold.”
BuckeyeSam on October 28, 2008 at 1:19 PM
Could this backfire on Obama, showing him as overly self-absorbed?
Maybe I’ll watch the end:
“But wait! There’s more!”
“If you call in the next ten minutes, you’ll get double the Obama for free!”
“We accept credit cards. If you spend $200 or less, you receive the “No valid Name or Address required” discount.”
SouthernRoots on October 28, 2008 at 1:19 PM
I still think McCain should be given equal time.
Sir Andrew on October 28, 2008 at 1:26 PM
If it is all jsut about the money, then what is wrong with Obama buying votes? A young guy told me yesterday that he was voting for Obama because Obama was going to send out checks. So is that just the free market at work? People selling their votes to the highest bidder?
I am sorry, but I find all this money spent on this campaign to be not only a waste, but downright depressing.
Terrye on October 28, 2008 at 1:27 PM
Osama Obama is a genuine communist, ernesto. By his own admission he favors definite communist solutions to our “problems.” And he has totalitarianism down better than any president we’ve yet had.
The only other words to adequately describe what Obama has in the works for us, IMO, would get me banned.
MrScribbler on October 28, 2008 at 1:28 PM
I think this buy raises another issue
If the cost of this TV time buy is a legitimate campaign expense, why can’t the cost of the air time networks like CNN spend on their 24 x 7 Obama commercials be considered a donation in kind?
And the campaign charged accordingly?
Paul Murphy on October 28, 2008 at 1:32 PM
Read Lenin’s What Must Be Done” and “Democracy and Dictatorship”. That gives you a good idea of exactly what Obama’s got planned for us.
Matt Helm on October 28, 2008 at 1:33 PM
It’s like in Venezuela, when Hugo Chavez gets on all the networks and rants for six hours.
This is not only pathetic, but scary.
Pcoop on October 28, 2008 at 1:34 PM
This was part of CFR too, wasn’t it?
lorien1973 on October 28, 2008 at 1:38 PM
Why?
right2bright on October 28, 2008 at 1:41 PM
It will be a 30-minute show trying to make him and Michelle look as white, middle class and non-threatening as he can be.
Michelle shopping at the mall with the girls, Barack making his own breakfast of bacon, eggs, pancakes, the girls playing with Barbie dolls, Barack raking the leaves in the backyard as Michelle comes back from Target after doing her Halloween decoration shopping, the family carving Jack-O-Lanterns together, a family bicycle ride, Barack polishing the picture frame with his father, mother and grandparents in it as he puts it on the mantel above the fire place.
Then later in the show:
“Daddy, when can we get a puppy!” cry the girls.
“When we move into the new house”, says Barack.
“But we want it now, Daddy”, say the girls.
“Wellll…..your mother and I wanted to keep it a secret”, replies Barack, “but…Honey…bring it in”.
And in runs the cutest or cutest black and white spotted puppy.
“Oh, Daddy, you are the greatest”.
albill on October 28, 2008 at 1:50 PM
Soviet? No. Creepy? Definitely. I predict this will backfire big time. Whether that is enough to get McCain elected, I don’t know. But a lot of people are going to be turned off by Obama’s hubris.
JackOfClubs on October 28, 2008 at 1:54 PM
Check out the new Obama merchandise from DNC! RED STAR within an O!
http://www.democratnationalcommittee.com/candidates/barack_obama.htm
Peter_P on October 28, 2008 at 2:19 PM
Just like he is paying all those tens of thousands to show up at his “Barack concerts”. Never hear how his speeches come after free rock concerts, in the MSM.
That’s how he got 200k people to show up in Germany, where people can’t vote, and can hardly be expected to have the same excitement or interest in a US election.
People show up when they get something for free. And that includes free food at these “events”. Billy Joel had a concert in New York’s central park a while back – 500k people showed up.
BUYING AN ELECTION.
Agrippa2k on October 28, 2008 at 2:19 PM
The fact that you still think Obama is anywhere near the center is beyond hilarious.
*eats*
Grue in the Attic on October 28, 2008 at 2:24 PM
Wow, Obama is still mad at ABC for the Stephanopoulos thing, huh? What a baby.
Seixon on October 28, 2008 at 2:24 PM
ADVERTISING IDEA.
Take Apple’s classic 1984 MAC ad and digitally correct it. The overshadowed face on the screen is Obama’s.
Now guess who is the woman in the orange short who throws the Olympics hammer into the screen…
Someone out there has the digital moxey to pull this off. ThePeoplescube.com ?
kurtzz3 on October 28, 2008 at 2:37 PM
I think by “Soviet,” the hosts are referencing totalitarian rule, not an economic system.
Taken by itself, it’s not creepy. Presidents periodically command all networks for speeches. However, when you add up all of the things Obama has done to indicate a tendency toward megalomania, the purchasing of 30 minutes of network time for a speech kinda pushes it over the top.
It feels controlling and reeks of self-importance; like something that Castro, Chavez, or Kim Jong-il would do. I think that’s what they are getting at.
So, nothing to worry about…
blueguitarbob on October 28, 2008 at 2:40 PM
Obama does indeed have the right to spend his money as he chooses, but someone ought to point out that the main reason he has all those bucks to spend is that he has collected a couple hundred million in illegal campaign contributions from foreigners, unidentified small contributers and bundlers. The genius of Obama’s campaign has been to take the guiding principles of corrupt Chicago politics and expand them to the national arena.
djaces on October 28, 2008 at 3:41 PM
I’ll shout it until we become a choir. The MSM is a cancer you need to cut them out of your life if you wish to live without your soma.
Angry Dumbo on October 28, 2008 at 3:45 PM
But who, thanks to creative use of security features, can donate to his campaign. Hence, problem #2 solves problem #1….
MikeTheLibrarian on October 28, 2008 at 3:52 PM
They didn’t say the ads were communist, or even anti-capitalist.
They fear the blatant propaganda; a US presidency for sale.
eforhan on October 28, 2008 at 4:55 PM
Debateable, as fraudulent funds should not be used in political campaigns.
But whatev. Is this really any different from the mouth love he gets from CNN MSNBC ABC NBC et cetera every day of the week?
VolMagic on October 28, 2008 at 5:22 PM
“It would have forced the networks to give John McCain an equal amount of time for a rebuttal
No. There will be a “for Democrats only” loophole which will only be invoked when Republicans try to invoike the Fairness Doctrine.
davod on October 28, 2008 at 6:06 PM
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