The inside joke behind the new Romney-McCain ad fight
By Charlie Savage
My colleague Michael reports below on the Romney and McCain campaigns attacking each other with web-only ads that hearken back to the memorable anti-John Kerry "windsurfing" ad by the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, portraying the Massachusetts senator as a flip-flopper. Romney's was set to the same Blue Danube Waltz, just as the windsurfing ad did. McCain's response ad went one step further, not only using the same music but putting Romney's head on a picture of a windsurfer and then flipping the image back and forth and concluding with the line tthat he went which ever way the wind blew -- conceits lifted directly from the 2004 ad.
There may be a hidden inside joke in this dual. The 2004 windsurfing ad was made for the Bush-Cheney campaign by GOP media strategists Russ Schriefer and Stuart Stevens. A year ago, as the 2008 primary campaign was heating up, McCain hired Schriefer and Stevens to make ads for his campaign. But they left last summer, when McCain's campaign temporarily appeared dead and he was out of money. Not long after, they signed on with the Romney campaign.
It's a safe bet that Stevens and Schriefer played a role in crafting the anti-McCain ad that used the theme music from their famous 2004 work -- and that the McCain camp was tweaking their ex-colleagues back by making a heavier-handed homage to their old masterpiece.
The McCain waltz was produced by Rightotheright group. Check it out at rightontheright.com. Oopss. I gues their goes your article.
Hi Anna, Look a little more closely. The blogger just embedded the campaign's web ad in his blog -- he didn't produce it.
http://rightontheright.com/node/3045
As a windsurfer racer, playing the shifts is an important tactical skill and the sailors who play the shifts the best, usually win the races. The reality is that the wind changes on the race course and in the race to win elections so changing with those shifts is an important part of the strategies windsurfers use to win. Characterizing tacking as some sort of weak flip flopping indicates a serious lack of understanding of our sport and the real reason we tack, to gain tactical advantage. The video also indicates the good sense of Kerry tacking since he appears to be in a busy harbour.
The part that really bothers me is that these people use an honourable sport such as windsurfing to play out their petty partisan politics. Please don't drag our fine sport into the realm of squabbling over who gets to run a country. Why not pick on lawn bowling, luge, or tossing the caber to settle these arguements!
It is well known by now that Dr. Paul (who has written 6 books on economics) and stands head and shoulders over the other candidates as an economist. Why do you think the 'cool' candidates denigrate him (except for Huckabee who copies his homework)? Every other candidate speaks in vague generalities.
Dr. Paul WILL put thousands of REAL dollars in YOUR pocket. Wanna see how?
Dr. Paul's 4 point economic stimulus plan even includes legislation and is viewable online. Just click on my name!
I would never vote for Mr. McCain because he is a flip flopper. Consider that he equivocates on two of the most important issues of our time: (1) immigration, and (2) taxes. He attempts to label Mr. Romney as such, but in reality, it is precisely the opposite.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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