Wednesday, June 20, 2007

About That New Hillary Ad...

I've seen the ad, and frankly I thought it was cool. I suspect that there are various reasons why Hillary chose to do the ad, and various interpretations of its meaning. In case you haven't seen it, it's a spoof of the final scene of The Sopranos, with Bill and Hillary sitting in the diner, eating, picking songs in the jukebox. Ann Althouse has an interesting analysis, but I think she reads a bit too much into it.

I think the problem of non-Sopranos watchers is interesting, but it's fair to say that Hillary made a safe judgment in assuming that the average person who would watch the ad probably watched, or at least heard of the show, and with the coverage of the finale, the reference was already out there. Of course, assumptions are by their nature fallible. I suspect the only ones who would think using a Sopranos reference is elitist, are those who probably won't vote for her anyway.

Ann's second point is entirely valid. Let us not forget that in the midst of this great story about these complex characters, that we're dealing with hardcore criminals. Tony Soprano is the protagonist, but he is the boss of an organized crime family, and Carmela turns a blind eye. We love these characters, but they aren't exactly role models. Such associations could backfire. You know full well how this could be spun.

The rest of it I'm not touching, because it reeks of reading too much. As one commenter put it, sometimes an onion ring is just an onion ring (BTW, the carrot really is a phallic symbol? I didn't know that!).

At the end of the day, just as the show was a show about family, that happened to involve mobsters, this ad was a clever way for Hillary to try to be hip, current, and edgy, I suppose.

And Johnny Sack was in it. That was cool.

Oh, and the comments are getting ugly on her blog, BTW.

6 comments:

DaveG said...

I remain (prehaps blissfully) unable to determine what the purpose of the ad was. She already has name/face recognition, so what meaningful message was imparted to me? That her staff can create "cool" ads? That after months of deliberation she was finally able to decice on a campaign song?? I gotta tell ya, that doesn't do anything to convince me that she can handle the job she's asking for.

Help me out here: what was the point of the ad? Or is it now the case that there doesn't even need to be a point? Was the whole thing just conspicuous consumption of campaign dollars?

Certainly trying to convey a "hip, current, and edgy" persona is a waste of time for her; one only has to listen to her speak for a few seconds to see that that is certainly not the case. Why pose in the first place when it's going to be obvious to anyone that it was, in fact, nothing more than a pose? Isn't Gen-X known for its visceral dislike of posers?

Anonymous said...

Thanks, daveg

how is "hip, current, and edgy" going to:
1) solve the war on terror
2) solve the oncoming Social Security crisis
3)create a better America???

why do the Clintons feel like they have to be patronizing to get votes? I'm sorry Rafique, but I get the feeling that they think Americans are *that* shallow and that will be all they think about. I guess even worse since I don't watch the Sopranos. And I don't think it worked. A radio/gossip dj named jackson blue mocked the ad. If a dj mocked it, maybe everyday Americans saw through it too

Rafique Tucker said...

Rachel,

Don't get me wrong, I'm saying the ad was kind of clever, not that I'm somehow persuaded to vote for her, or like her more. Frankly, the whole thing has to with her new campaign song, and at the end of the day, it's all tripe. KInda funny, unexpectedly clever tripe, but tripe.

DaveG said...

I will say that Hillary's ad is a lot slicker than this, from the almost-candidate Fred Thompson:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwKE4z3l2jg

Apparently the campiagn for POTUS is now nothing more than a pale copy of American Idol. That, or I'm just getting too old.

Anonymous said...

I apologize for sounding so cold, Rafique. I *do* have a sense of humor. I just think that Hillary should show us her own 12 points (heck, I'll settle for four) like Guiliani before she starts with the self-parodies.

Rafique Tucker said...

True enough, Rachel. Clever campaign ads aren't going to get it done in the long haul. Oh, and don't worry, I didn't take it being cold, and your tone was entirely appropriate.