My Mom's White! And I'm From America!

I feel like Barack Obama's new general election ad is a bit unsubtle.

The campaign says they're running it on a very aggressive 18 state play that includes Alaska, Georgia, Indiana, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Virginia. Obama's fundraising edge should give his campaign the chance to buy plenty of ads in cheap, depopulated, unlikely spots like the MT/ND/AK trio where Democrats don't normally campaign at all.

UPDATE: Look, I'm not saying it's a bad idea to release a hilarious unsubtle ad. But if everyone can just take their "meta" hats off for a second, I'm sure they'll see that this is a hilariously unsubtle ad.

Comments

Dude,

He's not trying to win an award at Sundance. He's trying to win an election. It is a very effective ad.

Posted by pjs | June 19, 2008 1:42 PM

Unsubtle? What choice does he have when the opposition is very unsubtly suggesting Obama is an anti-American Muslim extremist who would start a race war and institute sharia law? Obama has no choice but to hammer the American people over the head with the fact he's neither an alien nor a Marxist. That being said, the ad does an excellent job doing just that.

Posted by NHCt | June 19, 2008 1:44 PM

Hey, he's a patriotic guy, and his mom is white. Nothing wrong with showing reality.

Something tells me that if he were trying to draw attention away from the fact that he's black, he'd have left out the picture of him with the fro.

Posted by Noah | June 19, 2008 1:45 PM

I don't know Matt, I'm originally from rural Missouri, and I think this is the type of message that will win some votes back home. A lot of folks don't know his story...And this tells some important things about Obama while touching on values of ordinary Americans. I think it's a good ad.

Posted by Mike | June 19, 2008 1:45 PM

He's got your vote. You don't have to like his ads.

Posted by joejoejoe | June 19, 2008 1:48 PM

Harvard-educated trust fund blogger thinks its unsubtle ---> bingo!

Posted by goethean | June 19, 2008 1:51 PM

Obama's fundraising edge

Which he will have because he LIED about taking public financing.

Posted by Al | June 19, 2008 1:54 PM

Something tells me that if he were trying to draw attention away from the fact that he's black, he'd have left out the picture of him with the fro. - Noah

Some white people have 'fro's too. There's a name for us: Ashkenazim.

Posted by DAS | June 19, 2008 1:55 PM

Newsflash: Unsubtle don't feed the bulldog.

Posted by ed | June 19, 2008 1:59 PM

Unfortunately, Obama seems intent on proving some of his critics are correct, at least with respect to the FISA bill the Dems have just capitulated on. He IS an empty suit. Not only was he nowhere to be seen in the Senate during this critical week on this, but he also recorded an endorsement ad for one of the Blue Dog Dems from Georgia, John Barrow, who's been fighting for telcom immunity all along. What makes it worse is that Barrow has a primary opponent opposed to telcom immunity, and Obama has thrown in with a guy advocating for precisely what Barack has been claiming he's against. It's just like the Connecticut Senate election in 06 — Obama talks a nice game about being against the war, but when he had a chance to campaign vigorously on behalf of the antiwar candidate, Lamont, Obama sat on his ass on the sidelines. All talk, no action, it appears.

I'll vote for him because McCain is worse, but Barack Obama will not get one nickel or minute of my time. Nor will any Dem incumbent who voted for this Constitutional travesty.

And no, I'm under no illusion that Clinton would have been any better. They're all cowards.

Posted by bluestatedon | June 19, 2008 2:02 PM

I remember John Stewart shaking his head over a tastefully subtle Kerry ad in 2004. He had a good line about "Americans don't do subtle."

you have to hit them over the head with this stuff. its a good ad.

Posted by CalDem | June 19, 2008 2:03 PM

Some white people have 'fro's too. There's a name for us: Ashkenazim.

It's not just Ashkenazim. Gary Carter and Jack Sikma both had permfros.

Posted by joejoejoe | June 19, 2008 2:03 PM

Has anyone ever lost an election by underestimating the intelligence of the public?

Posted by blah | June 19, 2008 2:03 PM

Great ad.

With Manhattan, Cambridge and Northwest DC sewn up, he's trying to broaden his appeal.

Nice job, Team O.

Posted by SoCalJustice | June 19, 2008 2:05 PM

I'm against you on this one too, Matt. I think the ad is very effective in addressing the litany of lies and smears thrown at him, like being Muslim, the madrassa, not really being American, being a blacks only candidate, right down to not being patriotic due to the nonsense of a lapel pin and supposedly dissing the national anthem.

Here's an exercise for you. Make your own list of smears, starting with the ones above. Now try to write a 30 second ad that addresses them all without using that fast talking guy on the old Fed Ex ads. Serious extra points if you can actually make it remotely effective.

Posted by LFC | June 19, 2008 2:05 PM

I know as a former resident of Augusta Kansas the line about taking people off welfare and getting them jobs will work real well in the red midwest part of the country.

Posted by Ramza | June 19, 2008 2:06 PM

My Mom's White!

In other words, Obama is trying to appeal to racists. Nice.

That fits in perfectly with his campaign's blatant racism yesterday.

But that's what Obama's campaign is all about - trying to appeal to as many racists as possible. Surely that's why Matthew backs Obama.

Posted by Al | June 19, 2008 2:06 PM

bluestatedon, you forgot to mention that he didn't endorse the reformer forrest claypool against the stroger hacks in cook county board president election. that, to me, is really disappointing and shows a lack of courage.

that said, i still think obama's the best man for the job

Posted by Ryno | June 19, 2008 2:13 PM

What, Republicans are supposed to have a lock on "An American American for America"? I'm with Jon Stewart--we are not a subtle people. And the smears he's trying to counteract with this "hello, I'm Barack Obama, a great candidate and fellow American who shouldn't scare you" introduction are not subtle.

Posted by Deborah | June 19, 2008 2:13 PM

Al,

Go to the breakroom, grab your timecard and punch yourself out for the day. Take the rest of the day off from trolling. We can tell your heart just isn't into it right now. You need to save your energy for the busy part of the campaign season.

So get some rest and tell your supervisor that you'd like a new assignment- maybe trolling for McCain bucks at the CNN forums. When the coherent version of Al clocks in for his shift, take a moment to learn from a veteran troll.

Posted by Waingro | June 19, 2008 2:15 PM

For a long time, I used to think it was better to go second when facing off against someone in an argument. Now I think it's much better to go first. I remember several teachers saying that first impressions matter because it is very hard to correct a bad one. There's probably something to that in politics.

So yes, while the ad is a little forceful in reminding people that he's not an America-hating Muslim, it's probably important. I'd bet that a lot of people don't have firm impressions of Obama, and before we let the Republicans smear him as they undoubtedly will, let's play some offense. Perhaps I won't have to fend off my own mother, who is promising me that she's going to print out e-mails she gets at work that spew the same nonsense we've seen for months on end.

The same sort of idea applies for Michelle Obama. The earlier she gets out in front and defines herself, the likelier it is that she'll be more effective in fighting the garbage coming from the Republicans.

Posted by Brian | June 19, 2008 2:15 PM

Barack America: the American American American Americans have been waiting for in America.

Seriously, I think it's a nice ad and I like the geographic reach.

Posted by SDM | June 19, 2008 2:18 PM

It's a good ad. It stresses midwestern values, a hard upbringing, and spells out some of his personal beliefs.

More importantly, I love the aggressiveness of the buy. I love that he's offensively targetting Alaska, North Dakota, North Carolina, Indiana, Montana, and Georgia. I hope he keeps it up all summer and fall, too, because these are winnable states and the broader the map we play for, the better our win will be.

...but he also recorded an endorsement ad for one of the Blue Dog Dems from Georgia, John Barrow...

John Barrow went out on something of a limb and endorsed Obama during the primary. Nothing would hurt him more at a moment when he's trying to unite the party than to say, "You may back me, but I'll stick a knife in you and get you knocked out of office." I'm not a big fan of the FISA immunity (I hate it), I hate that the party is "compromising" when it doesn't need to. But you're insane if you think the right thing for him to do would be to turn on Barrow and try to bounce him out.

Posted by jbryan | June 19, 2008 2:20 PM

Uh...15% of Americans think Obama is a Muslim AND has a crazy Christian preacher.

I think subtlety would get lost on many Americans.

Posted by stevie314159 | June 19, 2008 2:21 PM

What, Republicans are supposed to have a lock on "An American American for America"?

Oooooh, yeah. Just watch this campaign introduction by John Cornyn of Texas.

This is the classic case of Republican overcompensation. You might recognize the same swagger, overinflated ego, self righteousness, and belief he's god's candidate in another better known Texas politician. What is it about Texas that breeds these flaming a**holes?

Posted by LFC | June 19, 2008 2:23 PM

For a long time, I used to think it was better to go second when facing off against someone in an argument. Now I think it's much better to go first. I remember several teachers saying that first impressions matter because it is very hard to correct a bad one. There's probably something to that in politics.

So yes, while the ad is a little forceful in reminding people that he's not an America-hating Muslim, it's probably important. I'd bet that a lot of people don't have firm impressions of Obama, and before we let the Republicans smear him as they undoubtedly will, let's play some offense. Perhaps I won't have to fend off my own mother, who is promising me that she's going to print out e-mails she gets at work that spew the same nonsense we've seen for months on end.

The same sort of idea applies for Michelle Obama. The earlier she gets out in front and defines herself, the likelier it is that she'll be more effective in fighting the garbage coming from the Republicans.

Posted by Brian | June 19, 2008 2:23 PM

Matt, I don't see the ad that way at all. He shows a picture of his mom and his grandparents and you think he's touting there whiteness? What, he should not show pictures of them? Other than those images, there is nothing that hints at pointing to race. I think you're just reading stuff into it that isn't there.

Posted by evan500 | June 19, 2008 2:24 PM

I know as a former resident of Augusta Kansas the line about taking people off welfare and getting them jobs will work real well in the red midwest part of the country.

Posted by Ramza | June 19, 2008 2:32 PM

He wears flag pins! He wears flag pins!

That said, I like the ad a lot. The pic of him with his grandfather was a new one, cute. It's such a minor point, but I still love how he's changed the whole "I'm Barack Obama and I approved this ad" line. You don't notice it because it's broken up and incorporated into the message.

Posted by evie | June 19, 2008 2:42 PM

Absolutely super ad! Subtle just doesn't cut it with a lot of voters. PS:Al, have you moved over from the Washington Monthly site?

Posted by beth | June 19, 2008 2:52 PM

Matt, of course the ad is "hilariously unsubtle" to us folks who appreciate subtlety. Us subtle folks -- we're the ones who are usually not laughing on election night as the hilariously unsubtle Republican claims victory.

Posted by CN | June 19, 2008 2:53 PM

... if everyone can just take their "meta" hats off for a second, I'm sure they'll see that this is a hilariously unsubtle ad.

I don't like to take my "meta" hat off, 'cause then everyone can see my "meta" bald spot.

Posted by Swopa | June 19, 2008 2:54 PM

This Ad is soft and appealing; but there is no doubt who he is appealing to here. I don't think any of the shots shows him with someone else other than a white person. I think he could have made a strong statement to show him whith a mixture of many different races. Just my take.

Posted by Tyrone | June 19, 2008 2:57 PM

It's only the meta hat that allows one to see this as hilariously unsubtle. How can one tell subtlety except at one level or more removed from the text?

Posted by dj moonbat | June 19, 2008 3:06 PM

There are a lot of people who still don't know Obama's story -- and this ad is a great way to introduce it. Yes, it's old news to political junkies. But we're not the target audience. I think it's a great ad, both in content and in timing.

Posted by TKD | June 19, 2008 3:11 PM

WOW, you so MISSED the point of that ad.

Please go back, listen and note the references to phrases like "Accountability", "Self-reliance", "Working hard without making excuses".

Are those phrases normally associated with Democrat?

Posted by The Other Steve | June 19, 2008 3:17 PM

Actually, I found the ad a little too subtle. The line at the end about "the country I love" did not explicitly say "the United States of America, the country I love." I would not put it past the wingnuts to start spreading a rumor that Obama is referencing a different country that he loves.

Otherwise, a great ad.

Posted by Ephus | June 19, 2008 3:24 PM

Senor Matt, how many subtle GOP ads have you seen in the last 8 years? Unsubtle works with Middle America. Sure, it's a shame we can't have real debates between philosopher kings, but, until then... unsubtle it is. What would you have chosen for the first ad for Obama?

Posted by morzer | June 19, 2008 3:30 PM

But if everyone can just take their "meta" hats off for a second, I'm sure they'll see that this is a hilariously unsubtle ad.

The only people who will see the "unsubtle hilarity" of this ad are those of us who are political junkies. So, you'd actually have to put your meta hat on in order to see the unsubtle hilarity.

I think it's a really strong and potentially effective ad. Unfortunately, he needs to hit the "Patriotism" and racial themes hard and heavy and I think this ad hits it out of the ballpark. The emphasis on traditional family values + personal responsibility (while also illustrating the truth of his ethnic heritage) hits all the right notes.

And with my meta hat on, it's not really THAT unsubtle to warrant describing it as hilarious.

Posted by Andrew | June 19, 2008 3:31 PM

All I know is that the music in that video fucking ROCKS.

Posted by tom c | June 19, 2008 3:35 PM

Cheer up, MY, I'm sure they'll have something soon to shore up the East Village cafe crowd and the Strand browser vote.

Posted by SqueakyRat | June 19, 2008 3:35 PM

By the way, the images that Obama selected actually have some nice dog whistle for the upscale-political junkies: 1) the picture of a young Obama with his grandparents is clearly taken on a park bench on Central Park West (note the wall behind - nothing else looks like that) and 2) the picture of student Obama posed against a column shows him clutching the first issue of the Harvard Law Review that he edited. It is nice for NYC and Harvard to be included in the visual images that America great.

Posted by ephus | June 19, 2008 3:37 PM

Why is lack of subtlety hilarious? MY isn't subtle either. He tends to be direct and occasionally gross, most often to good effect.

Posted by Kyle | June 19, 2008 3:38 PM

At the risk of being unsubtle, subtlety is for losers.

Posted by Econobuzz | June 19, 2008 3:41 PM

whose minds are changed by tv ads?

and you wonder why they didn't use subtlety. arghh.

Posted by david in norcal | June 19, 2008 3:45 PM

All I know is that the music in that video fucking ROCKS.

Posted by tom c | June 19, 2008 3:49 PM

LFC is right, that John Cornyn video is hilariously unsubtle. Many local politican ads are hilariously unsubtle.

Surrounding yourself with your family members is standard-to-trite, not hilariously unsubtle.

I watched it with the sound off to see how it plays. If a white guy was in it, for the most part it would look like every other "introduction to the candidate" ad ever made. Are all of those political ads hilariously unsubtle? (Maybe they all are!)

Besides being black, the differences are:
- Barack Obama talks to the audience at the beginning and not just at the end of the ad.
- Barack Obama uses a black & white photo of himself, which usually isn't done anymore.

Again, these have been done before, but they are the slight differences in a mock "introduction" ad I would make. What makes this one any less subtle than any other? "Here's my family!" "I love the political area for which I am running for office!" To quote George Harrison, "It's been done."

Posted by Aaron | June 19, 2008 3:51 PM

Man, I'm a straight dude who thought Obama was pretty damn good-looking in that ad.

Posted by 55 | June 19, 2008 4:07 PM

How subtle can you be in 20 seconds when you're introducing yourself in a TV ad? How subtle would you want to be?

I'm thinking not much.

He can be as subtle as he wants after he's elected.

Posted by Hawk | June 19, 2008 4:10 PM

Yet even in this deeply conventional ad (and that's *fine*), he does something unique---in this case, a much-appreciated incorporation of the "I approve this message" into the actual script! A blow against rushed invisitext is a victory for us all!

Posted by That Fuzzy Bastard | June 19, 2008 4:26 PM

An intro ad to salve the radical-elitist sting: Its message is tailored to heartland states (look where it's airing). Its non-hot button traditional values rhetoric is aimed at older voters - not just white ones. And its warm, calm, nostalgic look underscores the impression of "nice young man" to further reassure the oldsters.

Future installments introducing his wife and daughters and his faith will need more of the subtlety Matt misses in this one.

It will be interesting to see if Obama's message-massagers will keep him this mellow, with the conversational scripts and new-agey guitar music, throughout the campaign; and whether that counterracts McCain ads that ratchet up the anxiety level.

Posted by allbetsareoff | June 19, 2008 4:37 PM

Sorry, 60 seconds. The rest still applies though.

And to expand just slightly on what Fuzzy Bastard said, wouldn't it be nice that if the candidate actually speaks all the words in an ad, we could dispense with the "I approve this message stuff"?

I can't remember a recent candidate at the national level that has done so much voicing of his own commercials. It would be nice if everyone did so.

It's harder to imagine a lot of the HRC ads from the primary if she had been forced to voice all the scripts.

Posted by Hawk | June 19, 2008 4:39 PM

Subtle? No.
Informative? Highly so, for many voters.

And maybe, as far as just letting having Kansas values suggest not being Muslim, not so unsubtle after all.

Posted by Crowther | June 19, 2008 4:42 PM

Sorry, 60 seconds. The rest still applies though.

And to expand just slightly on what Fuzzy Bastard said, wouldn't it be nice that if the candidate actually speaks all the words in an ad, we could dispense with the "I approve this message stuff"?

I can't remember a recent candidate at the national level that has done so much voicing of his own commercials. It would be nice if everyone did so.

It's harder to imagine a lot of the HRC ads from the primary if she had been forced to voice all the scripts.

Posted by Hawk | June 19, 2008 4:45 PM

This notion of "marital alliances" as a harbinger of peace among rival extended families seems terribly outdated today. Who would think any longer that dynastic marriages could solve anything? In our enlightened times, it seems silly to imagine that a prince combining Russian and German ancestry could keep the peace between Russians and Germans.

And yet, that is exactly how Barack Obama successfully sold himself in his now-famous keynote address to the 2004 Democratic convention. By beginning with 380 words about his family background, Obama positioned himself as the promised prince, the offspring of a marital alliance between the black and white races: He is the one we've been waiting for, the mutual heir who will unite black and white.

As the Earl of Richmond (Henry Tudor, now Henry VII) declaims in the last speech of Shakespeare's Richard III, announcing his dynastic marriage that will end the War of the Roses between the Yorks and Lancasters:

We will unite the white rose and the red:
Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction…
All this divided York and Lancaster,
Divided in their dire division,
O, now, let Richmond and Elizabeth,
The true succeeders of each royal house,
By God's fair ordinance conjoin together!
And let their heirs, God, if thy will be so.

Similarly, Obama has positioned himself as the prince, the Henry VIII, whose conjoined bloodlines will end the War of the Races.

(That his parents' actual marriage was a short-lived bigamous fiasco that happened because his already-married father had impregnated his 17-year-old mother—well, Obama glosses over that part.)

http://www.vdare.com/sailer/080615_race.htm

Posted by Steve Sailer | June 19, 2008 4:50 PM

Showing family members in political ads is hardly new. Bi-racial candidates can't show theirs? As a member of a bi-racial family, I find neither the ad, or your headline and comments, hilarious at all.

Posted by David Uglow | June 19, 2008 5:02 PM

God, Steve Sailer is a vile racist.

Posted by rea | June 19, 2008 5:07 PM

MY,

I think if we hadn't been through 18 months of this silliness already, we would all think it quite subtle.

As it is, given what Obama's facing (see, e.g., your own trolls), I really don't see anything funny here.

Posted by southpaw | June 19, 2008 5:13 PM

Popeye really does spin a purple-dyed ball of shite, doesn't he?

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

I can't remember a recent candidate at the national level that has done so much voicing of his own commercials. It would be nice if everyone did so.

If you believe the NYT piece from this week -- and there's no need not to -- he also a lot of control over the language too. It'll be interesting to see if we get the standard 'deep older white man voice' negative ads from Obama. Having seen two waves of ads during the primary (for SC and NC) my suspicion is that the campaign's loathe to go in that direction.

Posted by pseudonymous in nc | June 19, 2008 5:17 PM

I love the ad. It's beautifully made -- very positive and upbeat.

Posted by happy camper | June 19, 2008 5:39 PM

"this is a hilariously unsubtle ad."

He really was raised by his white American mother. I'm wondering what alternative ad could have been produced that made reference to his actual relations in a more subtle way. I think "unsubtle" in this case means that Obama is making a point MY knows he has to make but which makes MY uncomfortable. But the ad goes straight to the core of that Obama's campaign is about.

"I can't remember a recent candidate at the national level that has done so much voicing of his own commercials. It would be nice if everyone did so."

Yes. Then we'd be spared the cheesy "Moring in America" the GOP uses every 4 years.

Posted by Colatina | June 19, 2008 5:50 PM

I won't be voting for him, but that is a good ad.
Very good, I think.

OT, I am curious about something. 15% of americans think that he is a muslim. OK, I am guessing that a larger percentage of people pay no attention whatsoever to politics.
Personally, I feel that a person who knows nothing about a person other than that his name is Barack Obama (even without Hussein, which said person probably wouldn't know)can be forgiven for thinking that he is Muslim.

If all I had was the name Mick O'Doherty, it wouldn't be outlandish to guess that he was an Irish Catholic.

Frankly I am impressed that only 15% are so ill-informed.

Posted by geofferygellineck | June 19, 2008 6:40 PM

But if everyone can just take their "meta" hats off for a second, I'm sure they'll see that this is a hilariously unsubtle ad.

Matt, no one is being meta except a couple of trolls. By and large your comment section is making two points: 1) We are an unsubtle people. Know your audience. 2) This is a good general election introduction ad. In fact, given the attacks on him, an ad that says he's worked with white people, is even related to them, and also loves America, pretty much hits the main attack points. Unsubtley, but I don't see that subtle would work to make these points.

If you want subtlety, look at those commercials that show, say, a tree, and a dog, and a guy in a hardhat, and a dragonfly, and then say "Cotton." Or "Mazda." Or "Ron Paul." No one likes those ads.

Posted by Deborah | June 19, 2008 7:15 PM

Hey Yglesias, do you think the Willie Horton ads of 1988 were subtle? Do you think those Internet chain mails I've been getting about Obama being a Muslim radical have been subtle?

Posted by Charles | June 19, 2008 8:15 PM

Random thoughts on the Obama ad:

1. Why is almost everyone shown in the video white? The only photo shown with any blacks in it at all is when he references his job as a community organizer. Even then, it's only a very few.

2. Photos of Mom and the grandpartents when talking about family. Why no photos of Dad and all the various and sundry step-siblings? It's like he's saying "Except for the color of my skin, I'm as white as you!"

3. Loved the line about eschewing a big time law job in order to work as a community organizer. Given his desire to go into politics, stated as early as while an undergraduate in college - duh!
A job in a white shoe law firm is not exactly a stepping stone to a political career in Chicago. Why not be honest and say "hey, I did whatever was necessary in order to further my political career, and every bit of it was carefully calculated to push me up, rung by rung." Self-sacrificing this guy is not.

Posted by Lynne58 | June 19, 2008 10:01 PM

Why not be honest and say "hey, I did whatever was necessary in order to further my political career, and every bit of it was carefully calculated to push me up, rung by rung." Self-sacrificing this guy is not.

Breaking news! Barack Obama is a politician! Film at 11!

Posted by Charles | June 19, 2008 10:38 PM

Even though I hear Obama's oratory praised often, the mellow, conversational mode he uses in this ad has always seemed to me clearly his strong suit. He sounds so reasonable and reassuring. I'm old, white, and Midwestern myself, and this ad is perfectly designed to make people who haven't been paying too much attention to the race so far, but who otherwise resemble me, say to themselves, "That Obama fella seems okay." What more could he want at this stage, with the primaries over, trying to make a fresh start with independents who have not made up their minds. The nice guy quality that comes through may also help some disappointed Clinton supporters decide they like Obama personally well enough, even if they're still angry with some of his supporters, staff, and friends in the press. The close-up, intercut with photographs that trace his upbringing, emphasizes his youthfulness, and by implication McCain's age. His voice likewise is in stark contrast with McCain's excitable, high-pitched speaking style.

I have one question. Other pictures of Obama's mother don't give this impression at all, but the famous profile shot of her early in the ad with her young son always makes me think of Carolyn Kennedy. Does anyone else see a resemblance?

Posted by Paul Turner | June 19, 2008 11:32 PM

"I'm subtle! And I'm from Harvard!"

Posted by Cello | June 19, 2008 11:49 PM

An amazing number of people don't have "'meta' hats." I think the ad is aimed at them.

Posted by Jon | June 20, 2008 12:04 AM

Mike Gravel had subtle ads.

Just sayin....

Posted by danimal | June 20, 2008 12:05 AM

Yglesias thinks a black candidate has to have a hip-hop soundtrack or he's lying.

Posted by Charles | June 20, 2008 2:05 AM

Accountability & Values

Matt

You are probably too young to remember this, but the famous phrase from Watergate was "follow the money." This Obama ad about his "community organizing" leads to a radical group called Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now - ACORN. There are allegations that Obama sat on charitable boards such as the Woods Fund and the Joyce Foundation and may have directed "substantial foundation money" in grants to diverse liberal groups such as ACORN. Why is this important? ACORN provided volunteers to Obama's early political campaigns.

How is Obama connected to ACORN? He ran leadership sessions for them and was part of the legal team that assisted with a federal motor-voter case. Obama represents change and honesty? This group and Obama deserve scrutiny and vetting.

Follow the money - Part II

Most of the Illinois bills that Obama takes credit for passed in one year. The Republicans had control of the legislature until 2002. Obama's mentor Emil Jones Jr. became the Senate Majority Leader when the Democrats regained power. "Jones appointed Obama sponsor of virtually every high-profile piece of legislation." In effect, Obama took credit for bills that other politicians had fought for. He rewarded Jones with earmark requests which included "tens of millions in pet projects for Jones's Senate district."

Posted by EWard | June 20, 2008 2:53 AM

Mike Gravel had subtle ads.
Just sayin....

I saw one of those on the post-primary mashup! He picked up a large rock and threw it in a pond.

Posted by Deborah | June 20, 2008 8:56 AM

EWard, you're back! Nice to know that you were not, in fact, a devoted Hillary Clinton supporter but were actually a Republican troll. I feel much better now.

Posted by Persia | June 20, 2008 11:06 AM

Only a jackass reporter with good health insurance, a six figure salary, and a home paid for could write such a post. Obama's ad is effective precisely because it doesn't speak to the arrogant chumps in the news media.

Posted by The Bag of Health and Politics | June 20, 2008 1:13 PM

He's Mom is White, because...he's Mom IS White! What else should he do, replace his mother with someone else? I don't get the problem people have with this ad.

Posted by Rainy | June 20, 2008 1:19 PM

TWO OBSERVATIONS

1) IS HUSSEIN ASHAMED TO ADMIT HE'S BLACK. WHY DOESNT HE ALSO PROMOTE THAT FACT AND SHOW HIS FATHER AND BROTHERS?

2) AFTER SEEING THE ADD CHRIS MATHEWS MUST NOT ONLY BE GETTING TINGLING UP HIS LEG BUT HE MUST HAVE HAD A CLIMAX

Posted by Rican | June 20, 2008 1:32 PM

Guys, don't you see? He's totally setting up the classic Superman narrative: alien boy with special powers raised right by salt-of-the-earth Kansans. You can't get more American than that!

Posted by David Morris | June 20, 2008 2:00 PM

Muchacho! CAPS = Yelling!. Mateo tu, y el otro, si sabes a joder con el cerebro.

Posted by Rafael Hernandez | June 20, 2008 2:15 PM

I think it's a good ad--and a very necessary one. I'm a white male, and I've been an Obama supporter since February, but even I didn't realize until a month ago that his white Kansas-bred grandparents raised him for many years. Once you realize that, it's much more difficult to paint him as some sort of black radical intent on enslaving the white race and appointing Osama bin Laden to the Supreme Court. It may not be subtle, but he needs to hit this point again and again over the next several months.

Posted by Geomancy | June 20, 2008 2:21 PM

I think it's a good ad--and a very necessary one. I'm a white male, and I've been an Obama supporter since February, but even I didn't realize until a month ago that his white Kansas-bred grandparents raised him for many years. Once you realize that, it's much more difficult to paint him as some sort of black radical intent on enslaving the white race and appointing Osama bin Laden to the Supreme Court. It may not be subtle, but he needs to hit this point again and again over the next several months.

Posted by Geomancy | June 20, 2008 2:23 PM

I think it's a good ad--and a very necessary one. I'm a white male, and I've been an Obama supporter since February, but even I didn't realize until a month ago that his white Kansas-bred grandparents raised him for many years. Once you realize that, it's much more difficult to paint him as some sort of black radical intent on enslaving the white race and appointing Osama bin Laden to the Supreme Court. It may not be subtle, but he needs to hit this point again and again over the next several months.

Posted by Geomancy | June 20, 2008 2:25 PM

Sorry for the multiple posts.

Posted by Geomancy | June 20, 2008 2:30 PM

Yo Dude.. TheAtlantic Apache server or PHP "chokes" when you guys/gals 'agitate' responses from readers; leading to accidental multi-posts.

Posted by Rafael Hernandez | June 20, 2008 2:34 PM

Good for Obama. Don't let the bastards use 527's to slander you while your sitting their without the resources to respond, see John Kerry, and don't sit back and let them say you are un-American when, by any standard, you are as American as John McCain. (Except, of course, from the stand point of private morality the GOP like to talk about, Obama is a lot more moral because he's only been married once and didn't dump wife number one to marry somebody richer and younger). Being a good guy doesn't mean that you aren't tough and don't play to win. No doubt David Broder and his ilk will have trouble with Obama playing hard ball, but the Broder crew will then turn around and say the Democrats just aren't as tough as the Republicans when it comes to fighting in both domestic and international politics. Don't bring a knife to a gun fight. Sorry Republicans, the Democrats are playing to win this year.

Posted by RP | June 20, 2008 3:14 PM

He's playing the hand he's been dealt.

Why does he need to be subtle about it?

Posted by Craig Hickman | June 20, 2008 5:26 PM

"Unsubtle" or not, the fact is, that those of us who've followed the primary for seven months have a veritable microscope on this sort of subject, but millions of American voters don't necessarily even know his mother was from Kansas.

Posted by John Laney | June 20, 2008 7:04 PM

I'm really offended by seeing a picture of a white woman with a black baby. The least Obama could have done would be to hire a black model to photo shop into those pictures of his mom. This whole interracist thing has gone way too far. Unsubtle? It's scurrilous.

Posted by warsaw | June 20, 2008 7:27 PM

"At the end of the day, the United States is a pretty tacky middlebrow kind of country."

--Yglesias, 11 March 2008

Matt:

Obama is going to perform some shamelessly on-the-nose political theatre over the next five months. And some of its most cloying elements will make the unsubtleness of this spot seem like Hal Hartley, okay?

I realize this offends your sensibilities, but that's the price you pay for living in a liberal democracy where "Wipeout!" is the summer television season's most anticipated series.

So get your aesthetic wits together and learn to deal with it.

Posted by Scott | June 20, 2008 8:25 PM

It is a very effective ad.

Only to Obama sycophants who don't want to see how absurd the guy can be -- at time the definition of self-parody.

Posted by eh | June 21, 2008 3:23 AM

It's scurrilous.

Absolutely. Just disgusting.

And his claim of 'family values' vis-a-vis his own upbringing is absolutely ludicrous.

Posted by eh | June 21, 2008 3:29 AM

He has to do something. After knowledge of his black liberationist church got out, and after his famous Selma speech to black preachers in which he equated black leaders (including himself)to "Joshuas", it is understandable that we non-black, non-Christians are uneasy.

Joshua (a hero to Obama and an example of what black leaders should aspire to) was a psychopathic genocidal maniac who exterminated at least three different peoples -- men, women, children and all their animals -- because "God told him to".

If that is Obama's leadership model for black people, please understand that it makes us non-black heathens more than a little nervous.

Joshua 6:16,17,21 -- "Joshua said to the people, shout for the lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction ... then they utterly destroyed all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and asses, with the edge of the sword."

If Obama's and Rev. Wright's black people's God has sent Obama to be a "Joshua", that leaves nothing but extermination for those of us who do not have a black skin.

I did not choose his metaphor or his church. He did. Forgive me for being skeptical and wary. As someone who is neither white, nor black, nor Christian, Obama's choice of historical heroes and ministers seems more than a little deranged.

Surely there must be a Presidential candidate who does not model himself on a genocidal nut.

But don't take my word for it. Search for "obama" and "selma speech" and read for yourself.

After having trumpeted genocidal leadership, he had better calm down those of his subjects-to-be who are not part of his black Joshua-led chosen people.

Posted by Emily Zhang | June 22, 2008 4:25 AM

The thing wrong with the add isn't that its unsubtle, its that its patently false. He is not a poor but hard working boy steeped in All American values from Kansas, he is a prep school kid from Hawaii (and Indonesia) raised by a radical leftist Mom, knocked up at 17 by a polygomous exchange student who promptly abandoned them. True, he was raised in part by his white grandparents from Kansas, because his radical lefty Mom ran away to do limosine liberalism stuff in the romantic third world.

He is a man as profoundly at odds with mainstream America as the youtube clips of Wright indicate. But, he's a smooth talker, and is able to get everyone to think he's a post racial Tiger woods, not the acutely racial Chicago pol he is.

Plus the statements regarding his resume are just lies.

Posted by regularjoe | June 23, 2008 1:12 PM

The thing wrong with the add isn't that its unsubtle, its that its patently false. He is not a poor but hard working boy steeped in All American values from Kansas, he is a prep school kid from Hawaii (and Indonesia) raised by a radical leftist Mom, knocked up at 17 by a polygomous exchange student who promptly abandoned them. True, he was raised in part by his white grandparents from Kansas, because his radical lefty Mom ran away to do limosine liberalism stuff in the romantic third world.

He is a man as profoundly at odds with mainstream America as the youtube clips of Wright indicate. But, he's a smooth talker, and is able to get everyone to think he's a post racial Tiger woods, not the acutely racial Chicago pol he is.

Plus the statements regarding his resume are just lies.

Posted by regularjoe | June 23, 2008 1:12 PM