Rudy Patootie
As you may have heard, Rudy Giuliani got up a fine dudgeon over MoveOn.org’s “General Betray Us” ad and took out an ad of his own in the *New York Times* attacking both MoveOn and Hillary Clinton, who had nothing to do with the ad but, in Giuliani’s view, failed to condemn it enough.
Okay, my take, very quickly: MoveOn really should leave the schoolyard name-calling to right-wing talk radio. The left should make every effort never to sink to Rush Limbaugh’s level. There were ways to make use of the same idea (and even the phrase “betray us”) without calling names.
On the other hand, MoveOn has now produced a TV spot on Rudy Giuliani that is pure brilliance (and all true). This is the kind of stuff they *should* be doing:
September 17th, 2007 at 12:24 PM
Funny…it was months ago that I read that the troops were calling him that…though I can’t find a cite at the moment.
September 17th, 2007 at 10:04 PM
The concept of this spot is fine, but the copy is far too dry and unpersuasive, and they don’t really make the central argument that “Rudy talks tough, but when he had the chance to shape critical public policy he blew off his duty to the nation.” This is something he deserves to be nailed on, and it’s irritating to see an easy score slip through their fingers. Frankly, the “Betray Us” ad was stronger.
September 17th, 2007 at 11:15 PM
Dear Steve
Don’t know if you like this sort of mail, and you must get it all the time but…
So, I am a 30 year old guy from Brazil who remembers growing up and reading your Howard and Zombie comics as some of my finest memories, some of the best times I ever had in my life really.
I read that you went through some personal and even financial trouble recently, and I just want to drop a line to say that you are one of the very few people in the world (that I don’t know) that has affected my life in such a personal way. I think you have a true gift as a writer and that’s rare. You have achieved what few can do.
Sorry for writing something so unrelated to this particular post of yours!
Very best and keep active! You make a difference. In my life.
Joaquim
P.S. In a completely not related note: who programs your website and blog? You do it yourself? The html programming?
September 18th, 2007 at 1:38 AM
Joaquim: Thank you. It’s always nice to read a comment like that.
The remnants of the web site were designed and programmed by my ex and her sister.
The blog — it’s running WordPress — does a remarkably good job of maintaining itself. There’s a link to the creator of the blog design (theme) below, and there are hundreds of such designs available for WordPress.
Why do you ask?
September 18th, 2007 at 9:31 AM
I agree with your post 100% Steve. MoveOn.org needs to stay away from actions that keep it a right wing talk radio punchline. Even though they were grossly misrepresented on the “Bush as Hitler” ad (it wasn’t theirs, it was an ad someone submitted for a contest they were running), I think they need to keep the inflammatory rhetoric to a minimum. That Rudy ad was totally dead on, and we just need to keep hitting the right with reason, not insults.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:53 AM
I think it’s amusing that the Republicans are complaining for MoveOn bandying about the word “treason” when the Right is doing exactly the same thing.
September 18th, 2007 at 1:03 PM
Yeah, I’m not sure if I agree. The name-calling has worked great for the Republicans, and I don’t think Petreus is anything but a politician.
September 18th, 2007 at 1:25 PM
Personally, I think that MoveOn.org heads should be putting guns in their mouths and painting the walls with their brains, but that’s just a personal nitpick.
I hate all PACs. They reduce any argument to juvenile namecalling and paranoid rantings.