A Call To Selfishness

The Weekly Standard: MoveOn.org's Outrageous New Ad Plays On Heartstrings To Hide A Message Of Selfishness

(Weekly Standard)  This column was written by Libby Sternberg.

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IT'S EARLY IN THE presidential campaign to be getting all het up about outrageous ads that distort records or enflame passions. But a recent commercial sponsored by Moveon.org and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) has lit a fuse with me, maybe in part because it deals with military service, and I have a son who will be commissioned into the Air Force in a year.

In this ad, a young mother sits on the floor with her son Alex, whom she introduces to the viewing audience in general and John McCain in particular. In the tender, proud tone of mothers everywhere, she tells Sen. McCain and us about Alex, her firstborn--his sweet attributes and his effect on her own life. He is what makes her heart pound, she says.

And then, the money lines: So, John McCain, when you say you would stay in Iraq for 100 years, were you counting on Alex? Because if you were, you can't have him.

Please, Alex's mom, don't homeschool your child. Your social studies lessons might leave something to be desired.

It should be clear by now that Sen. McCain's "100 years" comment referred to peaceful base operations such as those we have in other parts of the world, not to a century-long war. So Alex's mom either doesn't pay attention to the news, has a problem with the military in general or with a President McCain in particular--or all of the above.

Whether it's a President McCain or a President Obama, though, military personnel swear allegiance first and foremost to protecting the Constitution, defending its values and rights against "all enemies, foreign or domestic."

If the majority of Americans decide the country's destiny is best directed by Sen. John McCain in 2008, then military personnel obey him as commander-in-chief. But they pledge to do so as part of their primary commitment to the rights embodied in the Constitution--our right to select the commander-in-chief being one of them.

It's true that sometimes we choose leaders unwisely. And sometimes even wise leaders make unwise decisions about foreign policy, with mothers everywhere paying the price. On that level, I completely understand Alex's mom's worry. Parents certainly have a right to be concerned about who their fellow citizens might choose to order their sons and daughters into harm's way.

But there are probably many military mothers who fret about what a Commander-in-Chief Obama might ask their sons and daughters to do. "President Obama, you can't have them," isn't a responsible answer to any orders he might give.

The Baby Alex ad's subtext is therefore strongly negative--ironic, considering its ultimate goal is probably to support the "yes, we can" candidate. Instead of appealing to the higher virtues of service to country regardless who's elected to lead it (embodied, by the way, in the life of the ad's target, Sen. John McCain), it plays on heartstrings to hide a message of selfishness: Count my family out of service to country unless perhaps I voted for the president in power.

Every time I see that Moveon spot, I start to fantasize about a response ad. It would feature that baby from the Etrade commercials, the one whose cool self-awareness is both odd and funny at the same time. He'd stare in the camera and tell viewers how he's signing up for the Armed Forces when he gets a chance. And then he'd say: "Hey--Alex! Don't worry, dude. I won't be hopping the next pram to Canada if my guy isn't elected 'cause, you know, it's not all about me."

Libby Sternberg, a school choice advocate, is the author of four novels, the first of which was an Edgar finalist.

[naturaltwo]

Of course this guy can preach. He isn''t in Iraq answering that call to ''his'' country. He is going to let his son do that. Lest he forget officers swear to the commander in chief, the enlisted swear to their country.

This ,man does not speak for me. If someone told him to jump off a cliff and that someone was the president he would according to his own statements in this article.

That makes him a fool.

[bmadeline-2009]

We do not want to trust the lives of our sons and daughters to a war criminal. I would gladly die for my country. I am not willing to die because our commander in chief was a warmonger.

[texanforlogi]

Posted by Element51 at 07:24 PM : Jun 29, 2008

I am so terribly sorry for your loss. Our young women and men, like your Chris, are, or should be, the foundation of the future of our country and it is an abomination that our future should be destroyed by the lies and bad decisions that led to this war.

R.I.P. Chris. Your country, as well as your family, misses you.

[texanforlogi]

Why is anyone so worked up in a ''''60''''s style anti-war protest - when

THE REAL ISSUE IS THE BLATANT RACISM AND SEXISM THAT WERE DISPLAYED IN THE DEMOCRAT PRIMARIES.

Really, seriously folks - we need to sit down and think about this. The votes were cast ALMOST ENTIRELY along race and gender lines.

How much progress have we really made in civil rights when there''''s still so much racism and sexism???



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Posted by txgrouch2006 at 07:52 PM : Jun 28, 2008


What a crock! If the voting was along gender or racial lines then Hillary would have won. Women account for 54% of America and blacks only 13%. The numbers just don''t add up--I''d say to do the math but obviously facts would only get in the way of your rhetoric. I''m a white female and I voted Obama. I''m going to it again in November. Stop the lies. It''s unseemly behaviour for an American.

Obama in ''08!

[joyous88]

brianbwb ,Right on!

to many people lose track of the FACR that the United States initiated the wars in Iraq and Afganistan, further,

these wars have been lost and we are now merely an army of occupation.

The conservatives are the new Nazi''s

[joyous88]

brianbwb ,Right on!

to many people lose track of the FACR that the United States initiated the wars in Iraq and Afganistan, further,

these wars have been lost and we are now merely an army of occupation.

The conservatives are the new Nazi''s

[brianbwb-2009]

Posted by JTait2

Get over it, Mrs. Clinton has conceded.

Were you one of those spray painting vandalism in her name?

[brianbwb-2009]

"And she''''d sure want someone else''s son or daughter to protect hers if we were attacked tomorrow. Selfish, elitist, and sickening!" Posted by Cydne35150

You are forgetting a couple of points, the countries our soldiers are dying in never attacked us, and what our military is doing has nothing to do with protecting the country.

In a real threat, volunteers will be plentiful, but our current "wars" are not against countries that are any threat to us.

[cydne35150]

Talk about "elitist!" Her son is no better to serve than anyone else''s. And she''d sure want someone else''s son or daughter to protect hers if we were attacked tomorrow. Selfish, elitist, and sickening!

[brianbwb-2009]

"If you do elect him and your 12 year old child has to go to Iraq in 6 or 7 years I only hope that you don''''t have to live with the anger that I will feel for the rest of my life." Posted by Element51

Well put, although I would hope that they do have to live with such anger, even more because they would vote for it.