The Republican Governors Association has released a new web ad attacking President Barack Obama whose theme borrows heavily from a story glorifying domestic political terrorism.
This past weekend, the GOP group unveiled the website RememberNovember.com that gleans graciously from the symbolism of Guy Fawkes, the early 17th Century British radical who attempted to blow up the House of Parliament and kill King James I. In the RGA video, of course, Obama is cast in the role of King James and the Republican Party adopts the Fawkes cause.
The ad isn't explicitly or implicitly promoting the adaptation of political terrorism, just borrowing from a story that lionizes it (Fawkes was introduced to modern audiences in the film 'V for Vendetta' and popularized, politically, by the backers of then presidential candidate Ron Paul).
Nevertheless, the video reflects a willingness of Republicans to push the line when it comes to tapping into the anti-government populism sweeping the country. The RGA, as Time Magazine's Michael Sherer points out, is "stepping out of the stodgy, safe territory it normally inhabits" by putting it's name behind this spot. But that may simply be because the group is catching up with mainstream Republicanism.
In addition to the Glenn Beck-style greatest hits montage of controversial Democratic statements (a Fidel Castro compliment of health care reform thrown in, of course), the RGA ad suggests that under Obama, the apocalypse may very well be closer than ever before.
"We killed what made us a great nation," a voice cries out in the video, before a chyron is put on screen accusing Obama of ending the American Dream. This would normally be cast of as abject paranoia, if not for the fact that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) beat the RGA to the punch with this charge by several weeks.
The ad seems designed strictly to go viral, as it is well-produced but doesn't appear of length for a television commercial. That said, the RGA isn't allowing other sites to embed the video (which Sherer got permission to do) in an effort to ensure that as many activists as possible gravitate to their new web page. The Huffington Post downloaded a version of the ad, watch it below:
Get HuffPost Politics On Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz! Know something we don't? E-mail us at huffpolitics@huffingtonpost.com
There is no shame or conscience in the Republican Party. We all lose.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment