San Antonio College students' network for the 2008 election
2008 Anti-Hillary Obama Ad.
2008 Anti-Hillary Obama Ad
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VHZ2kEgyjsM
The 2008 presidential campaign contains many forms of advertising for all of the candidates. Use of the internet has been growing a lot and is a very effective way to campaign. Youtube.com is a great website for people to gain opinions, and also to make their own ads. On this website I found a political advertisement for Barack Obama called “2008 Anti-Hillary Obama Ad”. The ad was published on Youtube on August 11th 2007 by a blogger who goes by the name “Aelkoran”. The ad focuses on Hillary Clinton being the “bad guy” and Barack Obama being the “good guy”.
The advertisement begins by playing Darth Vador music while showing Hillary Clinton speaking about supporting the president’s decision to go to war. It also shows her talking about extricating the U.S. from Iraq. The viewer wonders which way she really wants it since she voted for the war in the first place. The music suddenly stops and turns into the Bittersweet Symphony which is an uplifting song, and shows Obama saying, “Most of you know that I opposed this war from the start”. It demonstrates that Barack Obama knew that the war was a bad decision and is ready to clean up the mistakes made by our current president. The video shows Obama in the crowds with the people and reaching out to them. He says, “I haven’t been in Washington that long but I have been in Washington long enough to know that Washington needs to change and I think I can an agent for change in Washington”. He also says that he is a hawk when it comes to defeating terrorism which reaches out to the many people who have been sent or have had family members sent to war to defeat terrorists. The commercial then ends with the words “Vote for Hope… Vote for Change… Vote for Obama” on the screen.
The video has a goal, and that goal is to make Obama look like the better candidate and also a better decision maker. The ad makes Hillary Clinton look like she makes bad decisions when it uses as an example her approval of the war in Iraq at first, but then wanting to get the troops out now. She says “I hope that the president can extricate us from Iraq before he leaves office; but let me assure you if he doesn’t, when I’m President I will” showing that she supported the decision that has put so many in danger makes the viewer question her “moral bounds”. Obama is shown as a person with good judgment and who feels for the people who have lost loved ones. He demonstrates the “Morality as Nurturance” metaphor used in George Lakoff’s book Metaphor, Morality, And Politics, Or Why Conservatives Have Left Liberals In The Dust. The “Morality as Nurturance” metaphor is compared to caring for a child, “A child is helpless and to care for a child, you have to care about that child, which requires seeing the world through the child’s eyes as much as possible”. (Lackoff 14) Barack Obama portrays a caring individual, especially during parts of the video when he is reaching out to the people and touching hands and standing on their level.
Some key words that the video uses are “War”, “Terrorism”, “Hawk” and “Change” because the ad focuses on the fact that Obama opposed the war and Clinton did not. There is a part in the video when Obama says, “I’m a hawk when it comes to defeating terrorism” which appeals to the more conservative American. A “hawk” when referring to politics is defined as a: “Person who believes in the use of military action rather than mediation as a means of solving a political dispute… Those with moderate, or even pacifist, views were known as doves.” This might even show “The Strict Father Model” metaphor by Lakoff. The “Strict Father” protects his “family” from the evils in the world. Barack Obama knows that terrorism is something that we need protection from and that the term “hawk” will appeal to the conservative people in America. It is clear that Barack Obama does not support the president’s decision to go to war, however, and that he is not a violent person. This represents him as the “Nurturant Parent Role” that Lakoff discusses in his book. The Nurturant Parent protects the child from harm. “Protection is a form of caring, and protection from external dangers takes up a significant part of the nurturant parent’s attention. The world is filled with evils that can harm a child and it is the nurturant parent’s duty to ward them off”. (Lakoff 13) At the Barack Obama, Clinton, Iowa, September 12, 2007 debate; Obama stated,
“I made a different judgment. I thought our priority had to be finishing the fight in Afghanistan. I spoke out against what I called 'a rash war' in Iraq. I worried about, ‘an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences.’ The full accounting of those costs and consequences will only be known to history. But the picture is beginning to come into focus.”
Here, he discusses the fact that he was the only candidate who voted against the war, and that he was looking out for the lives of our people. On October 26, 2002, Senator Obama said, “I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war”. Obama explained that he is not an anti-war activist hosting an anti-war rally and that the Civil War, although one of the bloodiest in history, was necessary; “it was only through the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this union, and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil. I don't oppose all wars.” When the video shows Hillary Clinton saying, “I can support the president; I can support an action against Sadam Hussein” it is trying to show that she is violent, irrational, and voted to support this war that has gotten us into so much trouble then; and still might approve the war now.
The 2008 Anti-Hillary Obama Ad. is used to make one candidate look superior to the other and the internet is a great way of advertising. I believe that the creator of the ad accomplished what he was trying to do and the only thing that I would add to it would be to cover more areas of conflict other than the war. The advertisement got the point across to the viewers that Barack Obama will be a “nurturing” president when it comes to war and will make rational decisions to protect us.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VHZ2kEgyjsM
The 2008 presidential campaign contains many forms of advertising for all of the candidates. Use of the internet has been growing a lot and is a very effective way to campaign. Youtube.com is a great website for people to gain opinions, and also to make their own ads. On this website I found a political advertisement for Barack Obama called “2008 Anti-Hillary Obama Ad”. The ad was published on Youtube on August 11th 2007 by a blogger who goes by the name “Aelkoran”. The ad focuses on Hillary Clinton being the “bad guy” and Barack Obama being the “good guy”.
The advertisement begins by playing Darth Vador music while showing Hillary Clinton speaking about supporting the president’s decision to go to war. It also shows her talking about extricating the U.S. from Iraq. The viewer wonders which way she really wants it since she voted for the war in the first place. The music suddenly stops and turns into the Bittersweet Symphony which is an uplifting song, and shows Obama saying, “Most of you know that I opposed this war from the start”. It demonstrates that Barack Obama knew that the war was a bad decision and is ready to clean up the mistakes made by our current president. The video shows Obama in the crowds with the people and reaching out to them. He says, “I haven’t been in Washington that long but I have been in Washington long enough to know that Washington needs to change and I think I can an agent for change in Washington”. He also says that he is a hawk when it comes to defeating terrorism which reaches out to the many people who have been sent or have had family members sent to war to defeat terrorists. The commercial then ends with the words “Vote for Hope… Vote for Change… Vote for Obama” on the screen.
The video has a goal, and that goal is to make Obama look like the better candidate and also a better decision maker. The ad makes Hillary Clinton look like she makes bad decisions when it uses as an example her approval of the war in Iraq at first, but then wanting to get the troops out now. She says “I hope that the president can extricate us from Iraq before he leaves office; but let me assure you if he doesn’t, when I’m President I will” showing that she supported the decision that has put so many in danger makes the viewer question her “moral bounds”. Obama is shown as a person with good judgment and who feels for the people who have lost loved ones. He demonstrates the “Morality as Nurturance” metaphor used in George Lakoff’s book Metaphor, Morality, And Politics, Or Why Conservatives Have Left Liberals In The Dust. The “Morality as Nurturance” metaphor is compared to caring for a child, “A child is helpless and to care for a child, you have to care about that child, which requires seeing the world through the child’s eyes as much as possible”. (Lackoff 14) Barack Obama portrays a caring individual, especially during parts of the video when he is reaching out to the people and touching hands and standing on their level.
Some key words that the video uses are “War”, “Terrorism”, “Hawk” and “Change” because the ad focuses on the fact that Obama opposed the war and Clinton did not. There is a part in the video when Obama says, “I’m a hawk when it comes to defeating terrorism” which appeals to the more conservative American. A “hawk” when referring to politics is defined as a: “Person who believes in the use of military action rather than mediation as a means of solving a political dispute… Those with moderate, or even pacifist, views were known as doves.” This might even show “The Strict Father Model” metaphor by Lakoff. The “Strict Father” protects his “family” from the evils in the world. Barack Obama knows that terrorism is something that we need protection from and that the term “hawk” will appeal to the conservative people in America. It is clear that Barack Obama does not support the president’s decision to go to war, however, and that he is not a violent person. This represents him as the “Nurturant Parent Role” that Lakoff discusses in his book. The Nurturant Parent protects the child from harm. “Protection is a form of caring, and protection from external dangers takes up a significant part of the nurturant parent’s attention. The world is filled with evils that can harm a child and it is the nurturant parent’s duty to ward them off”. (Lakoff 13) At the Barack Obama, Clinton, Iowa, September 12, 2007 debate; Obama stated,
“I made a different judgment. I thought our priority had to be finishing the fight in Afghanistan. I spoke out against what I called 'a rash war' in Iraq. I worried about, ‘an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs, and undetermined consequences.’ The full accounting of those costs and consequences will only be known to history. But the picture is beginning to come into focus.”
Here, he discusses the fact that he was the only candidate who voted against the war, and that he was looking out for the lives of our people. On October 26, 2002, Senator Obama said, “I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war”. Obama explained that he is not an anti-war activist hosting an anti-war rally and that the Civil War, although one of the bloodiest in history, was necessary; “it was only through the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this union, and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil. I don't oppose all wars.” When the video shows Hillary Clinton saying, “I can support the president; I can support an action against Sadam Hussein” it is trying to show that she is violent, irrational, and voted to support this war that has gotten us into so much trouble then; and still might approve the war now.
The 2008 Anti-Hillary Obama Ad. is used to make one candidate look superior to the other and the internet is a great way of advertising. I believe that the creator of the ad accomplished what he was trying to do and the only thing that I would add to it would be to cover more areas of conflict other than the war. The advertisement got the point across to the viewers that Barack Obama will be a “nurturing” president when it comes to war and will make rational decisions to protect us.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Hilary Franceschini on -
I thought it was really interesting when you broke down the word "hawk" as Obama used it, defined it, described it, and related it to the Strict Father Model AND the Nurturant Parent Model in Lakoff. That really made me think. I like how you broke down the strategies used in the video: how the makers of it made Obama look better than Hillary by saying how he would be a better decision maker and how he did not flip-flop on issues. Using quotes from different dates to show uniformity in Obama’s opinions was also helpful on your part. The music choice for the piece was also interesting- evil Darth Vader Hillary to Bittersweet Symphony Obama. This especially accentuates their differences and how the creators relate each candidate to the future. I think it’s important to note, however, that the video is, of course, biased to Obama’s side, and is probably tilting the opinion scales to favor him.
-
Permalink Reply by Leslie on -
The Darth Vador music was hilarious. it's great how you used quotes from a different years not just from this election. I liked his quote about Washington, “I haven’t been in Washington that long but I have been in Washington long enough to know that Washington needs to change and I think I can an agent for change in Washington”. A “hawk” when referring to politics is defined as a: “Person who believes in the use of military action rather than mediation as a means of solving a political dispute…This was interesting how your defined Hawk. I didn’t know that he doesn’t oppose all war just the dumb one’s. Obama will be a nurturing President
-
Permalink Reply by Matt on -
I'm going to respond but after reading your responces already posted I must say everything I was thinking Hilary Franceschini already said. The "hawk" definition was very enlightening. I found myself wondering why Obama chose the word "hawk" there untill you went on to explain what a "hawk" meant in a political atmosphere. Your essay (whether on purpose or not) is very biased much like the video. You seem to be an avid Obama supporter. I support Obama too but am open-minded enough to realize not all other candidates are evil and completely wrong. Just for political debate (not trying to shoot down your views) but Hillary changing her mind on the war is not neccesarily a bad thing. If you look at all the circumstances brought before her when she voted, it was a hard decision to make. I honestly don't know how I would have voted in a similar situation. But after seeing her decission was wrong atleast she had the guts to say she was wrong and go for the right (unlike Bush). Once again, I'm not supporting Hillary (she has plenty other downfalls) but just offering food for thought.
About
Badge
© 2010 Created by Lennie Irvin on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
