Avatar Ad "Outrageous Offense to John McCain"

By: Tyler Finn
Topics: Congress

(J.D. Hayworth Campaign)

A fundraising appeal posted on former Congressman J.D. Hayworth's Hayworth's campaign website today was the latest salvo in the increasingly contentious Republican Senate primary battle in Arizona between Hayworth and Senator John McCain.

The ad, which also appeared as the lead banner on the Drudge Report, depicts McCain in blue warpaint, in an apparent nod to Oscar-nominated film "Avatar."

Adjacent to the photo, McCain is mocked as "Nominee for Best Conservative Actor." Hayworth, running from McCain's right, has condemned the longtime senator as a "Republican in Name Only."

Questioning the conservative credentials of Republican candidates has been a popular pastime this election season -- the most memorable instance perhaps being California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina's "Demon Sheep" commercial, which referred to her opponent Tom Campbell as a "fiscal conservative in name only."

The image of McCain-as-Avatar-character spread across the blogosphere today as the McCain camp offered an angry response.

McCain campaign manager Shiree Verdone told the Arizona Republic, "Ex-Congressman J.D. Hayworth should immediately apologize and take down his latest online ad, which is an outrageous offense to John McCain's lifetime of honorable service to our state and nation, and insulting to Native Americans here in Arizona and across America."

"Ads like this have no place in the Republican primary, and J.D. Hayworth should immediately take it down and apologize," added Senate Minority Whip and strong McCain ally Jon Kyl (R-Ariz) in a statement released by the McCain campaign.

Representatives with the Hayworth campaign declined to apologize, though they did modify the ad. It was an apparent effort to make McCain look more explicitly like a character from "Avatar" in response to the complaints that the first version, shown above, insulted Native Americans.

Hayworth spokesman Jason Rose told the Republic that McCain should "get a sense of humor. After all, if Sunday's show did have an award for best election year flip-flopping and transparent conservative conversion, the incumbent would surely win the Oscar."

15 Comments Have Your Say
Email Story Send to a Friend
Share This Tell Your Friends
Tweet This Tweet This
More Share It

Add a Comment

See all 15 Comments


by HLulea40 March 26, 2010 6:30 PM EDT: Apparently John McCain has forgotten who was (in part) to blame for his lost to Barack Obama. As long as McCain associates himself with this side of the base of the Republican Party he is doom to defeat. What happened to the John McCain that used to cross the isle in the Senate to work on nonpartisan legislation? That McCain is gone and so is his political career. Just I predicted that Obama would win the White House, I predict that John McCain will give his good wishes to the other candidate. Au revoir MaCain!; Reply to this comment


by rightwinggyrl March 8, 2010 10:48 AM EST: Can't wait to get John McCain out of office. I've never liked him. I've never thought he was conservative. He is NOT a Conservative. He and Lindsey Graham and their "principled compromise" You can't have principles and compromise them. His stand on amnesty (Oh, that's right. He's seen the light on this issue.....), education, campaign finance reform, etc. He was an admirable soldier and his service in the Senate appreciated. But he is old, too much like the rest of Washington, and ineffective (Unless you consider his flapping jaw, effectiveness).

Now that I live in AZ, I can do something to get him out of office. Not sure if I care for JD Hayworth though......; Reply to this comment


by jonnyjalled March 7, 2010 11:07 PM EST: in response to silverer- McCain just received the award from the National Taxpayers Award for being the THIRD MOST FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE MEMBER IN SENATE!!!!! This award not only proves that McCain is conservative, but that we need him more then ever in Washington!; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso21 March 6, 2010 11:00 PM EST: Then again-was it a strike at him being a crippled vet too? Soooo many ways for this to go astray--John probably has nothing to worry about unless he tries to leave his campaign to save the bail out and lies to us again.; Reply to this comment


by toldyouso21 March 6, 2010 10:52 PM EST: McCains team should just laugh it off--better to be compared to Avatar (who at least saved a planet) than be depicted as maybe a zombie or looney from "The Crazies" or maybe like that spider woman thing in "Legion" Lord knows McCain looks and sort of acts like a walking cadaver.

Really, he just got a back handed compliment--there are so many other --not so complimentary things he could have been compared to....; Reply to this comment


by finndavis March 6, 2010 1:49 PM EST: "Meanwhile, Hayworth advisor Jason Rose said the ad was "moving the needle" on fundraising. But in the first hour it was up on Drudge, Rose tells Salon, it brought in about $3,000. Sure, that's only an hour, and McCain may well have helped promote the ad. But at that kind of fundraising pace, Hayworth should be competitive financially with McCain by 2015 -- maybe 2014 if he really steps it up." - Salon.com

I don't think McCain has anything to worry about. However, this ad is extremely distasteful and when I first saw it I immediately got the Native American connection. I can't believe his campaign was actually serious in going through with this. Shame on JD!; Reply to this comment


by Palin_for_Presidentess March 6, 2010 9:05 AM EST: But you look good! like that, John.; Reply to this comment

by ToolMangler1 March 5, 2010 10:35 PM EST

"GOP On Damage Control Over Fundraising Doc
Washington Post: Republican Leaders Distance Themselves From Presentation Advocating Blunt Fundraising Tactics"

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/05/politics/washingtonpost/main6270043.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

My my my!!!! what goes around, comes around.....

Reply to this comment


by ToolMangler1 March 5, 2010 10:39 PM EST: BTW: This story was front page news earlier today, (I commented in the forum about it) Now it is buried in the very back. Must be some GOP people working at CBS....... Ya rekon!!!!!

by silverer March 5, 2010 9:28 PM EST

Hayworth's camp didn't say John McCain failed to serve honorably. They said John McCain was not a Conservative. Frankly, I don't see why they waste that energy flinging mud towards each other when they should be focused on solving the wall problem. The wall being that thing we will crash into in a few years when the money runs out.

Reply to this comment


by toldyouso21 March 6, 2010 10:55 PM EST: There is no wall son--it is a cliff and the trajectory from the final launching point is straight down--a wall implies we come to a dead stop--history (and places like Brazil and Cuba) have shown us where runaway inflation and nondiscretionary and crazy spending will lead us--not to mention corrupt politicians too concerned with party and not enough concern for the country as a whole.....there are places lower than ZERO.


by noloyalisti March 5, 2010 8:39 PM EST: McSame IS the offense. One who is that slimy and corrupt cannot be offended. Any more than someone like Adolph Hitler. Or Bushoccio.; Reply to this comment