I saw President Bush's latest campaign ad tonight, and guess who is a featured player? Ronald Reagan! What a surprise. I am shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, that the GOP would capitalize on Reagan's death by putting him in a campaign ad (pause here to fire up the sarcasm-o-meter), though I am sure that this ad was in production at the time Ronnie shuffled off to Simi Valley.
The ad begins with a shot of John Kerry testifying in the early 70's saying that the US cannot fight terrorism all over the globe, then morphs into Reagan speaking his "Tear down this wall!" line, finally seguing into a shot of GW standing atop of the rubble of the World Trade Center, bleeting into a bullhorn about what is going to happen to the people who knocked the buildings down. The ad ends with the shot and soundbite of Kerry again.
Funny, isn't it, that the GOP screams bloody murder about what happened thirty years ago being completely irrelevant when the subject of GW's missing National Guard service is brought up, yet they are eager to use a Kerry soundbite from that long ago. It's absolutely hypocritical.
I'd like to say that it is disgusting that the GOP would trot out Reagan so soon after his death, but I expected this. I know this will be the "Summer of Ronnie" with the convention in NYC the epitome of Bush-to-Reagan comparisons.
Everyone knows that this election is going to be determined by the small group of undecided voters. It is my hope that they see this tripe and that it affects their decision.
I have said before, when I have addressed the questionable strategies of GOP campaign ads, that I will be just as hard on Kerry and the Democrats if they put out stuff like this, and I will hold them to the same standards. I have not seen any new Kerry ads for quite a while, which leads me to believe that both sides think that Illinois will not be a factor (this new GW ad was national, on Fox News-go figure-but someone might want to let them know that they really don't have to worry much about your average Fox News viewer).
Maybe I need to get that satellite dish after all.
1 comment:
When Henry Hyde carried on a lengthy affair outside his marriage, it was passed off as a youthful indiscretion. When Bill Clinton engaged in inappropriate behavior, his adversaries managed to extract every little detail of a sexual nature and have it plastered all over the media. Whose behavior was worse? Clinton's or his enemies who engaged in this extreme coverage using sexual information and terms that insulted mature adults and influenced young people who drank up all this information like a sponge from which we are still seeing fallout. When Eisenhower, Kennedy and many other former presidents engaged in such behavior at least their enemies had the good sense to NOT splash all this pornography all over the media. Now Democratic opponents are starting the same slimy approach in personal attacks on John Kerry. How does President Bush reconcile such tactics with his proclaimed religious beliefs. Time this country got off the personal attack approach and concentrated on the issues that impact Americans in every walk of life. All this negativity will surely serve as a turn-off in attracting disenchanted Americans to the voting booths in November. Does anyone care or realize the importance of the voting booth as the key to open the door to a healthy functioning democratic process.
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