The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

What Did I Tell You About Her?

Posted on | October 4, 2010 | 32 Comments

Christine O’Donnell’s first TV ad of the general election campaign:

The American Spectator, July 27:

“[C]onservatives in Delaware have the benefit of backing an indisputably telegenic candidate. O’Donnell . . . has the kind of 100-watt smile that lights up a room.”

With a smile like that, she’s awfully hard to hate. The Castle campaign tried to demonize her and it backfired. Maybe Baldy the Tax-Hiking Wanker will have better luck. I doubt it.

She may not be a witch, but you can’t deny she’s got magic.

Photoshop by Carol at No Sheeples Here.

UPDATE: My filmmaker friend Ladd Ehlinger Jr. hates the ad — absolutely hates it. But he’s looking at it from a filmmaker’s point of view, whereas Ace of Spades sees the human side:

She has a useful amount of sadness in her, of whippedness, that pushes the right emotional button. She was beaten up — hard not feel sympathetic for someone beaten up.

Exactly. My point, however, is that TV is about images.

Forget the words. Just turn off the sound and look at it. The moment she flashes that first smile, the average person likes her. They can’t help it. It’s an autonomic response.

Whether “I like her” translates into “I want her to be Senator,” I can’t say. But we’ve recently elected a president whose chief politic assets are a resonant baritone voice and a vague resemblance to the Allstate man, so I think it unwise to underestimate the superficiality of voters in the Age of Image.

UPDATE II: Three Tweets:



As with everything else about O’Donnell, this simple ad seems destined to be controversial. If she wins on Nov. 2, all the criticism of her and her campaign will be forgotten. Victory has that effect in politics.

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Category: Christine O'Donnell, Delaware, Election, Senate, Video

Comments

  • http://twitter.com/RightKlik RightKlik

    In Tennessee, Bill Haslam has been running ads EXACTLY like this one. He won the GOP nod for guv with those ads. The close, personal, homespun, halting style…apparently it works.

  • http://twitter.com/RightKlik RightKlik

    I have to give myself a pat on the back…

    Fred Davis…Strategic Perception Inc…Bill Haslam, Christine O’Donnell…

    http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/09/fred_davis_sign.php

    http://www.strategicperceptioninc.com/samples.php

  • http://twitter.com/RightKlik RightKlik

    I was right!

    Fred Davis…Strategic Perception Inc…Bill Haslam/Christine O’Donnell

    http://hotlineoncall.nationaljournal.com/archives/2010/09/fred_davis_sign.php

    http://www.strategicperceptioninc.com/samples.php

  • nicholas

    “I’d do what you do” is killer. To tell you the truth, I have know idea where these clowns are blowing all this money, nor where they think they are going to get it to pay for anything. Nothing that goes on up there makes any sense.

    Nice to know we have a chance to send someone up to Washington who would understand that 1.5 trillion is a lot of money, and someone has to earn it before Barry and the boys can spend it..

  • nicholas

    Anyway, we sure need someone who knows what ‘no’ means.

  • Pingback: The American Spectator : AmSpecBlog : Christine O'Donnell Ad: She’s Awfully Hard to Hate

  • http://thatmrgguy.wordpress.com/ Mike

    Well, the latest thing is to go after her family. The latest “get Christine O’Donnell” is called “Bozo-Gate”. Evidently on Miss O’Donnell’s profile, she wrote that her father was Bozo the Clown at a Philadelphia TV station. Some dumbass who had nothing better to do, did a Wikapedia search on it and couldn’t find his name as one of the “official” Bozo’s. Come to find out, he was a fill-in for the “real” Bozo at different times. Since he didn’t go to the “official Bozo School” in Texas of all places, his name isn’t in the list of “official” Bozo’s. The article is on http://www.memeorandum.com/

    I like the TV spot and if I lived in Delaware, I’d vote for her.

    Mike

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

    Good ad. If I’d been the writer, it would read “I’m one of you” instead of “I’m you,” but that’s picking the nits pretty closely.

    The biggest challenges here are to paint Coons as what he is, which is a miserable tax-and-spend Pelosi toady, and to get Castle to endorse her. If she can do these two things, she has an excellent chance to pull this out.

  • ltw

    Media can’t help going after O’Donnell, so ad will be effective over the month until election. Every time there’s an attack…this ad will come to mind as the reference point. Now she can spend her time talking about the issues.

  • nice venn

    O’Donnell is to the Delaware election what Sarah Plain is to a 2012 Presidential run.

    Imagine if GOPers somehow manage to pull a defeat from the jaws of victory this November (lose the upper and lower houses) , and imagine the sort of freak out from right wing bloggers. I suspect ToM and other venues would also be telling us how its all a blessing in disguise for 2012 and beyond. I would be great to have RSM on record on this matter, just in case.

  • nice venn

    With apologies to Godwin… Hitler wanted to implement all his plans ASAP rather than wait for the right time in part due to his paranoia about his health and him getting old. You can’t expect Sarah Palin to wait till 2016, she is going to do it in 2012 if she thinks she has the slightest of chances at the big prize.

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  • nice venn

    Barbara Morrill: O’Donnell says, ‘I’m not a witch … I’m you’

    And while Wiccans everywhere breathe a sigh of relief, the rest of us aren’t so lucky because her tag line is:

    I’m you.

    Unless you masturbate. Or you don’t think being gay is an identity disorder. Or you don’t think telling teenagers to practice safe sex reduces them to the level of a dog. Or you believe in evolution, even if you can’t see monkeys turning into humans before your very eyes. Or you don’t believe there are mice with fully functioning human brains. Or you’ve never used campaign contributions to pay your rent and go bowling. Or you haven’t lied about your education over and over and over and over again. Or the college you attended didn’t sue you. Or you don’t have top secret information about a Chinese takeover of America. Or, or, or …

    Otherwise, she’s you.

    Any questions?

  • nice venn

    “Now she can spend her time talking about the issues. ”

    Like about the Chinese plot to takeover America…

    The Beauty Part of the O’Donnell “Chinese Plot” Remark

    Several readers have helpfully pointed out that she made the remarks in a primary-campaign debate — and directed them to a primary opponent who beat her (handily) and another candidate (narrowly) to win the Republican nomination. He is a Harvard Law School graduate and Temple University Law School professor named Jan C. Ting. [...]

    Stay classy, Christine!

  • buddhabop

    she’s got a nice smile? that’s good enough for me. sign me up!

  • Beagle8boy

    It’s a terrible ad IMHO. I want this woman to win and now, with this, it looks worse. She should combine her great smile with the issues. She’s right on with the issues so state them and then smile and say that’s the kind of magic I want to bring to Washington on your behalf.
    What?? Is she running against Bill Maher?

  • http://twitter.com/jhtrico1850 John

    SE Cupp (conservative) and Kirsten Powers panned the ad just now on Fox.

  • Pingback: O’Donnell: “I’m You”. Unless You’re a Witch, in Which Case, I’m Not You At All.

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  • No

    Is that a tingle I see running up your leg McCain?

  • Anonymous

    Oh, RSM, a excellent post marred by comparing President Obama to President Palmer (never mind Allstate and “The Unit”). “Vague resemblance?” Try nonexistent!

    A serious offsense, but not enough for me to push the 10:10 Red Button. Carry on!

    p.s. “If she wins on Nov. 2, all the criticism of her and her campaign will be forgotten. Victory has that effect in politics.” It will have that effect on RINOs and a certain subset of Beltway Verbal Wankers (I’m looking at you Dr. Krauthammer). For most Journalists and liberals, an O’Donnell win will have the same effect as a 10-gram intracranial dose of RDX.

  • Anonymous

    The ad just proves that instead of standing on content she stands on image and is getting serious professional backing. So let’s see… is she something new or more of the same…. doesn’t matter because regardless of the image portrayed in a single ad she is still a nut and unqualified for anything but a photo op.

  • Anonymous

    How do you know she’s a witch? Well she turned me into a Newt!

  • Michigan Mark

    Me too… I got better.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_W5VJV2BNHAZAFCV3M3S3KQPQXA EricL

    I love the last line “I’m you” with the caption to her right.
    Great stuff.

  • http://twitter.com/sdo1 Steve in TN

    The first couple times I saw Haslam’s ad I thought it was Dana Carvey.

  • ltw

    This Jan C. Ting?

    http://temple-news.com/2008/09/02/delaware-gop-ousts-professor/

    Coons and O’Donnell debate is what…Oct. 19th..uh…2010.

    I’m interested in that matchup.

  • HaHa

    Thank GOD you don’t live in Delaware, loser.

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