The Wright Ad (video)

[Lunar]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/08/mccains-unaired-wright-at_n_149298.html

[paul718]

I wonder if they would've run had the race been closer in the end.

What's really amusing is the comments following the article at the bottom of the page.

[So the Heroes Fall]

"Long before anyone knew who John McCain or Barack Obama were, one was working to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizens, while the other was murdering innocent Vietnamese."

I completely agree with basically all of the comments by the way.

[Boris]

I wonder how well this would have worked around June. Launch this ad on the airwaves the day after Obama officially clinches the nomination in an attempt to nullify his polling bump and put him on the defensive immediately.

[Stranger in a strange land]

A Republican PAC ran a massive Wright ad blitz the night before the election. Of course, running ads on Olbermann is equivalent to running ads in Vermont. Running ads on Olbermann in Texas, is well, basically dumping money down a pit.

In all, however, I think McCain made the right decision not to make Wright a major issue. If he ran a bunch of ads of Wright shouting "God Damn America" and people started throwing bombs into black churches, it would have looked pretty bad.

[President Marokai]

Somehow I thought that would have been more powerful.

[Lief]

"Long before anyone knew who John McCain or Barack Obama were, one was working to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizens, while the other was murdering innocent Vietnamese."

^^^^

[ucscgaldamez]

"Long before anyone knew who John McCain or Barack Obama were, one was working to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizens, while the other was murdering innocent Vietnamese."

^^^^

I find that quote very offensive.

[angus]

"Long before anyone knew who John McCain or Barack Obama were, one was working to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizens, while the other was murdering innocent Vietnamese."

ouch.  that's harsh, man.  Seriously.  Jane Fonda is so 1968.  Even the most radically subversive of the elected Democrats (though not the most radical elements of the party in general) probably don't want a return of the anti-nationalist stereotype that helped elect Nixon and Reagan.

And it's a demonstrably false proposition, containing at least three errors.  You could argue that both were "working to improve the lives of the country's poor," if by the phrase "the country" you don't necessarily mean this country.  But even then you'd have to admit that by the time Obama was "working to improve the lives of the poor" many folks not only knew who John McCain was, but some had decided he was fit to represent them in congress.  Either way, neither of them were murdering Vietnamese people.  One was being confined and tortured by innocent Vietnamese people, and the other was probably too young to murder innocent Vietnamese people during the time when you could get away with doing that.

[GMantis]

"Long before anyone knew who John McCain or Barack Obama were, one was working to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizens, while the other was murdering innocent Vietnamese."

I'm putting this in my signature.

[??????????]

"Long before anyone knew who John McCain or Barack Obama were, one was working to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizens, while the other was murdering innocent Vietnamese."

I'm putting this in my signature.

Innocent Vietnamese? Is that kind of like innocent Nazi?

[paul718]

Innocent Vietnamese? Is that kind of like innocent Nazi?

Uh-oh.

[GMantis]

"Long before anyone knew who John McCain or Barack Obama were, one was working to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizens, while the other was murdering innocent Vietnamese."

I'm putting this in my signature.

Innocent Vietnamese? Is that kind of like innocent Nazi?

Comparing an entire people to the nazis? Well, for a racist like you, probably all non-white people are evil.

[Old Europe]

Of course all Vietnamese were evil. Even Especially the ones allied with the U.S.

[??????????]

"Long before anyone knew who John McCain or Barack Obama were, one was working to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizens, while the other was murdering innocent Vietnamese."

I'm putting this in my signature.

Innocent Vietnamese? Is that kind of like innocent Nazi?

Comparing an entire people to the nazis? Well, for a racist like you, probably all non-white people are evil.

Not surprising coming from a total soviet cheerleader. You call me a racist because you have no argument. Go to hell, fool.

And since I doubt you know anyone that actually fought in Vietnam you really can't say much. I know people who had friends killed by Vietnamese children with bombs strapped to them.

[GMantis]

"Long before anyone knew who John McCain or Barack Obama were, one was working to improve the lives of the country's poorest citizens, while the other was murdering innocent Vietnamese."

I'm putting this in my signature.

Innocent Vietnamese? Is that kind of like innocent Nazi?

Comparing an entire people to the nazis? Well, for a racist like you, probably all non-white people are evil.

Not surprising coming from a total soviet cheerleader. You call me a racist because you have no argument. Go to hell, fool.

And since I doubt you know anyone that actually fought in Vietnam you really can't say much. I know people who had friends killed by Vietnamese children with bombs strapped to them.

I have no argument? You are saying that 80 million people are evil. This maybe doesn't make you a racist, but it certainly makes you a raving xenophobic.
These stories are highly doubtful. Have you any evidence to back them up? Anecdotal stories don't really count. Have you also thought, that if this really happened, the children might not have been tricked?
You seem to be resorting to ad hominem attacks yourself. Whatever I may be, I don't believe that you can condemn an entire people for the actions of some of them. I don't believe, for example that all Americans (or even a significant part) are evil, though if I used your criteria, i certainly should have thought so.

[angus]

now, now boys.

Yes, little children walked up to soldiers with strap-on explosives and blew everyone to smitherenes.  And no, that doesn't mean that every Vietnamese person is a jerk.  Obviously there are some nice, law-abiding Vietnamese people.  Frankly, there were some pretty nice Nazis as well.  Look at Oskar Schindler.  This guy was a war profiteer, an exploiter of child labor, a philanderer whose wife positively hates him, a drunk, and a card-carrying member of the Nazi Party.  But not only did the Israelis plant a tree for him along the Avenue of the Righteous, but Stephen Spielberg also made a movie about him with a decidedly positive spin.  So, yeah, there were some nice Nazis too.  Not many innocent ones, though.  Let's be honest.

Stop arguing like children.  This is pointless.

And let's all recognize the fundamental underlying fallacy expressed in the originally posted quote, which involves not only chronological errors, but also a demonstration of ignorance about the decorated lieutenant commander's involvent in the conflict.  There's also a bit of recriminatory aggression, I suspect, which is a bit weird when you get right down to it.  Everyone's heard of sore losers, but to be a sore winner takes serious Chutzpah, doncha think?  One thing's for sure:  The Audacity of Hope can't hope to compete with the Audacity of Bitter Recrimination.

Give peace a chance.  Especially you, BRTD.

[ShadowOfTheWave]

I thought that I could't hate McCain and Rick Davis anymore until I saw this. I hate Obama, and I had almost forgotten why I had chosen to support him. Now I remember.

Mccain is scum.

[Lunar]

I thought that I could't hate McCain and Rick Davis anymore until I saw this. I hate Obama, and I had almost forgotten why I had chosen to support him. Now I remember.

Mccain is scum.

Um, McCain refused to air this ad and vetoed it despite his advisers telling him they liked it.

You're ridiculous

[ShadowOfTheWave]

McCain couldn't air it because he had already pledged not to use Wright. This ad's tone is perfectly insinct with McCain's message in the last month.

[Lunar]

McCain couldn't air it because he had already pledged not to use Wright. This ad's tone is perfectly insinct with McCain's message in the last month.

It's in tone with McCain's message because that's what media people do, they take a situation and change the tone to match with your message.

McCain could have easily used the ad, otherwise why would it have been created?  McCain saw it, still wasn't comfortable with it, and refused to air it.  Thus you "hate" that "scum?"  Like I said, ridiculous.

[Scam of God]

It wouldn't have mattered, anyway. By the time November rolled around the Rev. Wright non-issue had already dominated a month's worth of the news cycle in April and May. Nobody who saw it pop up once again would have been less inclined to vote for Obama if they weren't already.

[ShadowOfTheWave]

McCain couldn't air it because he had already pledged not to use Wright. This ad's tone is perfectly insinct with McCain's message in the last month.

It's in tone with McCain's message because that's what media people do, they take a situation and change the tone to match with your message.

McCain could have easily used the ad, otherwise why would it have been created?  McCain saw it, still wasn't comfortable with it, and refused to air it.  Thus you "hate" that "scum?"  Like I said, ridiculous.

So McCain, instead of coming right out and saying it, went through the way of scare tactics and subliminal messaging. McCain had already pledged not to use Wright, so he couldn't go along with it. Anyway, there's plenty other reasons that McCain is scum besides this.