November 1, 2008

Liberal Nutritionists Against McCain

Not so long ago in this endless campaign, the liberal 527 group Bring Ohio Back was producing ads aimed at making voters chuckle their way to Obama's camp.

But humor has its limits. Now the group has a much more serious take on the Republican nominee. One new ad shows the state of Ohio being hit by a wrecking ball, which has his face on it -- because McCain's past support for deregulation "is wrecking Ohio's economy."

Another ad (below) actually implies McCain has lost his marbles. "When it came to dealing with our current economic crisis, Sen. McCain has been confused," it says. "What's wrong with Senator McCain?" Both ads cite the time he said he didn't understand economics as well as he should. Effective advertising perhaps, but not very funny.

So who is paying for all these ads? The main check-writer is Rachel Pritzker Hunter, of the politically active Pritzker family, which inherited the Hyatt fortune. Hunter used to live in Ohio but now has a Northern California address. She dumped $1.1 million into Bring Ohio Back for the ads. She's also listed as treasurer of Media Matters for America, a liberal media-watchdog group run by conservative-turned-liberal operative David Brock.

Outside of politics, Hunter is a nutritionist who co-founded a botanical medicine graduate program at a holistic health institute in Maryland, according to this article on food sensitivities that she wrote for Balanced Living Magazine.

Perhaps she appreciates Obama's affinity for eating his vegetables.

-- Will Evans

5:47 PM ET | 11- 1-2008 | permalink

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October 10, 2008

Using Humor Against McCain

Politics is more popular than ever on comedy shows these days. So why not bring comedy to politics?

A new ad series by an Ohio 527 organization tries using the funny bone to clobber McCain on the economy, health care and Social Security. The first ad, which debuted in Ohio during Saturday Night Live, mocks McCain's comments that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." A guy in a bar jokes, "So what Sen. McCain is saying is that, 'The recession is not real.'...Guess what? This beer gut - not real!" (The beer gut is real.) Then there's the obligatory unibrow joke, because every attack ad needs one. McCain, by the way, has said he was referring to American workers as the strong fundamentals.

The ad comes from Bring Ohio Back, a group last seen during the 2004 election blasting President Bush with TV ads and hosting get-out-the-vote celebrity bus tours staring Hilary Swank, Steve Buscemi, Robert Redford and Paul Newman.

The new ad series is suppossed to represent "a sitcom in 30 seconds," said co-founder Jeff Rusnak, a consultant who worked on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown's 2006 campaign. "The airwaves are so crowded...we wanted something to penetrate and get people's attention."

The series features two guys (Dave and Joe) drinking at a bar and riffing on McCain. They end with one of the guys asking the camera, "What's wrong with John McCain?" Watch them on the group's Web site, and laugh, or not?

Now for the group's leadership and funding...

Continue reading "Using Humor Against McCain" »

6:37 PM ET | 10-10-2008 | permalink

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Peter Overby

Peter Overby

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Will Evans

Will Evans

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