Do You Approve This Message?

   I was recently watching political advertisements on the Washington Post website's Political Ads archive, when I saw a video that immediately caught my attention. With elections right around the corner, this is one method candidates can utilize to influence the views of the public. But we must ask ourselves, to what extent should these videos be limited? Below is the Advertisement supporting 2008 presidential candidate, John McCain, and a link to the Washington Post's Political Ads archive.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/politicalads/

I want to first explain a few messages I saw in this video that I found significant:

1.) Obama is a Celebrity, and Celebrities are not equipped to protect families

     This was incredible to me. This video is implying that Obama is a Celebrity in the sense of the "Hollywood" term. He is not a serious political candidate, but instead an "actor" who lives in the spot light. The advertisement then takes a sharp, serious turn when the screen turns black and white and the question is posed: Is Obama (the Celebrity) ready to help your family? When the lives of family members are put into question, Americans start to take a serious look at the potential culprit.

2.) Facades

     The advertisement focuses on revealing who the "real" Barak Obama is. Tying into our discussion of the masks people wear during class I found this message particularly interesting. Is Obama wearing a facade? Is he a fake? These are all points emphasizing that the American citizens should doubt his character.

3.) Vote McCain, Get a job and thriving economy

     The most emphasized and significant point of this political message. The dramatic shift from a somber black and white tone, to the colorful uplifting tone helps give the American citizens a feeling of hope and optimism. In my opinion the basis of all political campaigns are the important changes promised by each candidate. Especially in times of economic peril, these promises are exactly what the American people want to hear. Similar to my last post, whether or not the chances of delivery are high or not, it is the hope and optimism associated with these promises that gains supporters.

    This political advertisement clearly makes some bold statements about Barak Obama. Most of which make him out to be a fake "celebrity" who craves the spot light. I am not siding with one party or the other, but I think that it is an important issue in American society. Is it appropriate for these bold assumptions and descriptions to be made about the opposing candidate? In times where these messages can be displayed throughout an abundant amount of media sources, I feel that there needs to be restrictions on what messages can be displayed in these advertisements.

What do you think? Should there be restrictions on what messages can be displayed in these political advertisements?