Go to YouTube and type in "Apple Ad 1984" or something similar. The Hillary spot is a direct descendent of that idea.

In 1984, Apple released its first PC. The advertisement it used (with the woman running into the grey room and throwing the hammer at the screen) is an allegorical reference to Apple shattering the status quo in the computing realm. It went over like gangbusters when it came out.

By paying homage to the Apple ad, Obama's office has basically insinuated that Hillary and her ilk are "holding the Democratic party back" or something similar and that the voting public needs to break free from that group in order to really be "free".

I'm with you. I thought stuff like that was posted all the time.

Other than the fact that it was visually stunning, I didn't understand why it was so damaging to her campaign. I mean...the Big Brother theory? That shit's been played out so many times, it has no real oomph to it anymore.

Karol--

I think the ad clicked because it played on what a lot of people don't like about Hillary. One could write a long essay explaining how she's a wannabe nanny-state dictator who wants to turn us all into children (or slaves) that the village (or government) could then raise (or control). Instead, the ad made the point by making her Big Sister, and by portraying Obama as someone who'd stop her.

Clever stuff. The guy who did it, Phil de Vellis, could make a lot of money if he keeps developing sharp ideas like that.

Karol,

Have you ever seen a conventional political campaign ad before?

That is all.

Tom

I agree with Hubbard. It touched all the chords of people on the left and the right who hate Hillary.

visually stunning? hardly. It copied a visually stunning video and inserted sound and other video.

What stuns me is Obama telling Larry King that his campaign couldn't have done it because it was techologically too sophisticated for them. Either he is ignorant, and admitting his people have no talent. Either way, for a young hip candidate, what he said was stupid.

But hey, right now the media wants a fight between Hil and Bambi. So they'll spin this story (videos come out every day) into something new.

They used the wrong video and audio of Hillary. ("Why is she smashing the video of the nice lady talking nicely about having a nice conversation?") It would have been much more effective if Hillary had been in full strident mode, e.g., "I can't be responsible for every undercapitalized small business in America."

A) I think it is visually stunning. If you watch the video closely, you'll see that it was done by a professional. Aside from the video of Hillary, note the fake Obama O Logo on the shirt is inserted seamlessly. (Also note that this is the 2004 version of "1984" ... how do I know? She's wearing an iPod)

B) This doesn't mean jack-squat. As has been pointed out by other commenters, this sort of thing (but on a much more hackish and amateur level) was done frequently in the last congressional election. And, aside from having more of a reach (and at 2 million hits, it's still a laughably small portion of the population), what's the difference between this and me running around Manhattan slapping "Obama's a Tard ... paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign."

C) Before old what's his face fessed up, I pointed out to my colleagues that no way it was a Republican operative because -- as pointed out here -- the video/audio bite would have been much more vintage Hillary.

D) This is a direct result of the Geffen brouhaha. Hollywood sorts got their knickers in a twist. Boo-fricking-hoo. And, yeah, others are right in saying that the media is looking for a fight between Hillary and Obama. It's the only thing resembling conflict so far in the early primary season.

E) Hillary played this one expertly for once. She didn't get defensive and came off as genuinely self-deprecating (wonder how long she practiced that one) ... when she said that any video that took people AWAY from the one of her singing the National Anthem is a good thing.

F) Most important... so what if it was Obama. This 'why-can't-we-all-get-along' shit is for the birds. The whole point of watching electoral maneuvering is to watch politicians destroy each other. Obama should have said, "That's right! I did it. And I hope she burns in hell!!!"

And of course, 1984 is especially appropriate because it was the last presidential election that didn't have a Bush or a Clinton on the ticket.

Think about that.

And of course, 1984 is especially appropriate because it was the last presidential election that didn't have a Bush or a Clinton on the ticket.

Think about that.

And of course, 1984 is especially appropriate because it was the last presidential election that didn't have a Bush or a Clinton on the ticket.

That would be news to George Bush Sr.