Obama Infomercial Drew 33 Million Viewers

By Ari Melber 10/30/08 5:20 PM

Sen. Barack Obama’s infomercial attracted 33.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen, making the pricey programming an effective message tactic.

Obama is on TV a lot. (Credit: Bert MB Flickr)

The Wednesday night audience equaled about 63 percent of total viewers for this year’s first presidential debate. The infomercial did not have Jim Lehrer or Sen. John McCain to drive ratings.

Obama’s broadcast also bested the last major presidential campaign infomercial, by Ross Perot, which drew about 23 million viewers in 1996.

The infomerical’s prospects were never assured — the ratings could have bombed, pundits could have slammed it — but even anemic interest would not have hurt Obama’s campaign. With money to burn, this was a no-risk call for Obama’s team.

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Independent Mind 2 months ago 1 point
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Purl - Could not agree with you more. When a man has to try so hard to convince me he's "The Guy" and his actions cannot speak at all to his point, it's pretty obvious he has no ability to do the job. He is the perfect "Manchurian Candidate".

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Purl Gurl 2 months ago 1 point
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I view Obama's advertisement as political propaganda, of the worst sort. All politicians, Democrat, Republican, Independent, all politicians pander to the public. We all know all politicians lie. Obama is a liar. McCain is a liar. Ralph Nader is a stringless yo-yo too stupid to lie.

Readers are to accept this premise, all politicians are liars. What this leaves us with is odds of a politician effecting stated policies. We know Democrats are tax and spend just as we know Republicans are cut taxes and spend less. Those are the true issues upon which we are voting. All else, all the words and promises, are simply lies which are designed to "sell" us on a specific politician.

Obama is selling himself to America. Obama is buying the presidency rather than earning the presidency. This is well evidenced by Obama spending almost a billion dollars selling himself.

My vote cannot be bought, no way, no how. My vote has no price tag.

During my college career, during my earning a Ph.D. in English, specifically creative writing, I attended classes in "film literature". This is a study of film being used to "write" literature. Two of my classes presented political propaganda films related to Germany circa 1930-1940. No, I am not suggesting Obama is new age Nazi thing.

Obama's advertisement employed almost all of the historical methods of political propaganda. This is the use of symbolism, sound and situation to convey a "feeling" rather than a message. A waving field of growing grain -- American heartland. Lots of background American flags -- symbols of patriotism. Disadvantaged families -- emotional compassionate appeal. Elderly having problems -- appeal to responsibility for elderly care. Children having to do without -- appeal to maternal instinct. Music, all of the music is aimed at setting a mood of great sadness, compassion, tragedy and shocking, guilt, lots of guilt music.

What is truly shocking and what truly angers me to no end, some of the scenes were quick flashes of Obama with a "halo" around his head. Easy to miss with our eyes, nonetheless this subtle technique is burned into our subconscious minds through our mind's eyes. Obama presented himself as a messiah, as the Son of God. More simply, a person's mind connects Obama to Jesus Christ through subtle imagery. This is subliminal suggestion which is unlawful to use in commercial advertisements.

No, I am not writing Obama violated the law but I am writing our Federal Communications Commission has banned subliminal usage for advertisement being such a powerful and suggestive tool.

How many viewers of the Obama advertisement now unconsciously associate Obama with Jesus Christ? I suspect, millions.

This notion is well evidence by Obama being labeled the "Black Messiah" very early in our election process. Further evidence is Obama campaign posters depicting Obama with a halo around his head. This is easy to see being a static view, and this also causes viewers to associate Obama with Jesus Christ.

This both scares me and angers me. Obama is not the Son of God nor is Obama a messiah. Obama is simply another lying politician.

There is a cultural aspect to this, as well. My words are not to be construed to be racist. Black America, about 95% of blacks are voting for Obama. Many are fearful to discuss this. Whispered reason for this is blacks are voting skin color. This is a truth most will not speak. There is something else. Black America is typically very religious, fervently religious. Like many minority groups, and I am a member of the smallest minority group, there is always a search for a messiah to "save the people," to deliver the people to freedom and justice. This is the Moses Complex.

What effect does depicting Obama with a halo around his head have upon Black America?

I watched this advertisement twice and penciled notes while I watched. I also paused this video, rewound this video, watched some scenes multiple times to be sure I am seeing correctly.

Obama's advertisement is political propaganda of the worst type. Obama is working at brainwashing America just like the Germans were brainwashed so long ago. No, again I am not writing Obama is another Hitler. No, Obama is a decent man but he is buying the presidency, not earning the presidency. Some of his methods are highly objectionable, specifically his propaganda techniques used in his advertisement.

Personally, I would vote for Lucifer before I would vote for Obama. Lucifer can be trusted to do wrong, to lie, to trick. We know about Lucifer. We know almost nothing about Obama the man other than he is working at brainwashing America through political propaganda.

I cannot and will not vote for Obama; I fear him but I do not fear the Devil.

Okpulot Taha
Choctaw Nation

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Jim Dandy 2 months ago 1 point
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Sen. Jim Webb , D- Va. , told the audience in Roanoke , "They say, 'That person's not like you, that person doesn't understand you,'" but " Barack Obama is like you. He knows what it's like to struggle."
Webb said much has been made of "certain ethnic issues" but while Obama's father was born in Kenya , his mother was from " Kansas by way of Kentucky ." Webb said that meant if Obama were elected he would be the 14th president whose family ties go "back to the mountains of this area."

Barack’s American Ancestry includes ancestors from not only Hawaii and Kansas, but
also Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Virginia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and across the Atlantic: Ireland, Wales, Netherlands, and much more.

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