Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Writer's Strike, a new thought

Why can't the Writer's Strike affect presidential campaign commercials?

This comes from John McCain's recent commercial for South Carolina.

"One man sacrificed for his country,” says the announcer in the new spot, "Never Surrender," over footage of McCain as a military officer and prisoner of war, and later images of the Arizona senator walking with President Reagan.

"One man opposed a flawed strategy in Iraq. One man had the courage to call for change. One man didn't play politics with the truth. One man stands up to the special interests. … One man does what's right, not what's easy. John McCain."

McCain himself speaks briefly in the ad, telling a crowd to "Stand up. We're Americans, we're Americans and we'll never surrender, they will."

It's slightly less than a year away, but still, really? Only one guy did this? Maybe in this presidential election, maybe only one of the candidates went to war, fine, but he stood up against the Iraq strategy? He was very anti-war and left-leaning, but when it got time for presidential elections, he was all up on the Republican bandwagon.

And so that both sides are accurately portrayed, here's something from John Edwards campaign commercial in New Hampshire.

“What will our next president do with the enormous power that comes with the office?,” Edwards asks in the spot, titled “Power.”

“I’ll restore America’s moral authority in the world. Confront people who exploit their power for personal advantage. Stand up for poor people whose voices are ignored, just like I’ve done all my life. Be honest about the challenges we face and the choices we have. Keep the promises I’ve made. Work every day to restore the American dream. Because I know that the power that comes with the presidency comes from you.”

One man cannot restore our "moral authority" in the world alone. Nor should they try. Nor should that be part of someone's campaign. I get a little tired of people forgetting there should be a separation of church and state, and when someone brings up moral authority, doesn't that slap of religion and religious beliefs? Do you think an atheist, or even someone who truly believes in the separation, will speak about our moral authority?

It all smacks of catering to the people, of the same things we all did when we ran for Student Council. The teachers don't want soda machines, but there will be a Pepsi machine in every hall. And a Coke machine in every other hall.

It just gets old. I really wish the Writer's Strike would affect campaign ads like it's affecting all my favorite shows. I'm all about the Writers getting paid for their work, but if the strike could affect the oncoming onslaught of presidential television spots, I would keep my fingers crossed that the strike lasted long into next year.

Anyways, my top ten favorite movies and music lists are next. Should be sometime today or tomorrow hopefully. Keep reaching for the stars.

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