If Obama's A Celebrity, What's McCain?

Politico: As McCamp Camp Tries To Brand Obama A "Celebrity Politician," It's Worth Considering McCain's Own Media Status

(Politico)  This story was written by Carrie Budoff Brown.

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If Barack Obama gave new meaning to the term “political celebrity,” then John McCain helped define it.

He emerged as the most popular Republican in Hollywood following his 2000 presidential primary defeat, winning more screen time than the rest of Congress combined. McCain made cameos in “Wedding Crashers” and “24,” saw his memoir turned into a popular biopic on A&E, and appeared more than 30 times on late night comedy shows.

So this week, when McCain cast Obama’s celebrity as a disqualifier, it seemed like a curious turn.

Just one day before McCain released an advertisement interspersing pictures of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears with footage of Obama addressing 200,000 people in Berlin, actor Jon Voight told Variety that McCain had “many great, intelligent, talented Academy-winning actors standing by, awaiting a major press conference to show their support.”

“[The ad] is a bit ironic given that McCain has been the most pop-culture savvy Republican candidate in quite some time,” said Ted Johnson, managing editor of Variety and editor of the blog Wilshire and Washington, which monitors the intersection of celebrity and politics.

The McCain campaign continued to hammer at Obama on Friday with the release of a very sarcastic Web ad that at one point cuts to an image of Charlton Heston as Moses parting the Red Sea before posing the question: “Barack Obama may be The One, but is he ready to lead?”

The Spears-Hilton ad hits a similar note, describing Obama as “the biggest celebrity in the world.”
The Republican National Committee piled on, launching a Web site Friday called Who Said It? Celebrity Edition that features a multiple-choice quiz in which people must identify whether Obama or a celebrity made certain, often vacuous, statements.

It’s a striking line of attack for McCain, who’s accepted without complaint the “celebrity” epithet from journalists for four decades.

“John’s been a celebrity ever since he was shot down,” former McCain strategist John Weaver told The Atlantic earlier this week, “whatever that means.”

Yet, like the way fresh starlets push aside aging actors, political hot shots from years past (think former President Bill Clinton, often described as a “rock star” in his day) have been overshadowed by the newest crop of talent in this election year. This sort of churning is typical during presidential campaigns, said Matt Bennett, communications director for Gen. Wesley Clark’s 2004 presidential campaign and co-founder of Third Way, a progressive policy group.

“McCain was famous for a politician,” Bennett said. “Obama has almost transcended that, and has become famous as a famous person which is why they are comparing him to Paris Hilton.”

Since 2000, Bennett went on, McCain has enjoyed “enough fame and authority and celebrity” to aid candidates and organizations with ads that simply involve him speaking into a camera.

McCain started on the public stage with the pedigree of a family whose name graces a naval ship and a Mississippi National Guard training center.

With his father serving as a top admiral, John McCain first became a household name when he was captured in Vietnam, and even more of one upon his release five years later. The New York Times featured him on its front page. He wrote an acclaimed 12,000-word, first person account for U.S. News and World Report. President Richard Nixon feted him.

Hollywood warmed to him in 2000 as he ran against one of its least favorite people, George W. Bush. He endeared himself with liberals, including Warren Beatty, by taking unconventional stances for a Republican presidential candidate, such as favoring campaign finance reform and challenging the Christian right. His open-door approach with journalists made him the darling of the media elite.

“You can definitely makes the case that McCain stands out among Republicans for his associations with Hollywood and his celebrity status,” Johnson said. “The fact that he was in ‘Wedding Crashers,’ it underscores the fact that he does have a lot of friends in the entertainment industry that Bush can’t claim.”

In the years that followed, he became a near-regular on the late-night comedy circuit, appearing eight times on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," 12 times on the "Late Show with David Letterman," 10 times on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," and three times on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," according to imdb.com.

He hosted "Saturday Night Live" in 2002. "Faith of My Fathers" pulled in 3.7 million viewers on A&E in 2005, making it the network’s most popular program in over a year. He appeared on “24” in 2006.

And he made a brief cameo in “Wedding Crashers,” offering congratulations to the father of the bride, a senator played by Christopher Walken.

As a then-likely Republican presidential candidate, McCain’s appearance in the film stirred a mini-controversy when the Drudge Report labeled it a “boob raunch fest.” But McCain laughed it off - during a visit on Leno’s show.

“In Washington, I work with boobs every day,” McCain joked.

McCain has received support this year from boldfaced names such as SNL creator Lorne Michaels and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. But the Republican's circle is far smaller than the one around Obama, and less robust than 2000, when lifelong Democrats including Harrison Ford and Michael Douglas signed checks for McCain.

So far, Obama has raised $4.7 million from the movie, television and music industry, while McCain has received $815,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan campaign finance group.

A liberal blog noted this week that the McCain campaign had scrubbed its website of an Associated Press story from last year that described him as a “political celebrity.”

Dismissing claims circulating in the liberal blogosphere, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said the article was removed as part of routine housecleaning of the website several weeks ago.

But Rogers skirted the question Friday of whether he considered his candidate a political celebrity.

“John McCain is a widely respected and admired political leader in our country and the world,” Rogers said, adding that Obama is in a “different stratosphere.”

“Who else could get 200,000 people in Berlin? Those aren’t voters. Those are fans.”

The campaign, he added, was not attempting to make “celebrity” a pejorative term. “It is not a dirty word,” he said of the spot that juxtaposes Obama with Britney and Paris, calls him “the biggest celebrity in the world” and then asks, “but is he ready to lead?”

“We are celebrating his fame,” Rogers went on, “and the reality that this guy has entered Tom Cruise-type of fame.”

Bennett said the heightened sensitivity around "celebrity" was unlikely to cause a full-scale pull back from the entertainment industry by either candidate.

Indeed, on Friday night in Panama City, Fla., McCain basked in the glow of Nashville - not Hollywood - as country singer John Rich of the duo Big and Rich hosted a "Country First" concert for the presumptive nominee and debuted a new song: "Raising McCain."

Obama’s star even shines in Nashville, though - last year “Big” Kenny Alphin, the other half of the act, contributed $2300 to the Obama campaign.

[G H M]

A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin. by Henry Mencken

[G H M]

It''s not that he a star, it''s he''s the only alternative.
PS C ROVE BELONG IN JAIL!

[vastr-wcon]

Is AMNESTY-JOHN still in the race?

Given the loony-left liberal media''s ALL-HUSSEIN, ALL-THE-TIME propaganda, one gets the impression that it is a one-person contest. Obviously, that is the only way a Kerry-like shallow, arrogant, platitude-spouting, inexperienced, elitist, narcissistic, flip-flopping gas-bag, who is so mentally deficient from extensive drug use he even has to plagiarize his hollow platitudes, could win an honest election.

Unfortunately, the loony-left liberal media will continue to treat hussein as if he has already been elected/appointed president -- showing that they have now fully and completely abandoned all journalistic ethics and will do anything to ensure victory for TheOne.

Sorry, hussein sycophants of the liberal media - but everybody can see right through this sham. Just as the simple-minded got bored with the over-exposure of Hilton and Spears, so too will they soon tire of the hussein hype. (BTW: The parallels between these three are overwhelming - e.g. both Hilton and Spears have created as much useful legislation as hussein; all three have the same level of foreign policy expertise; they are equally shallow and self-absorbed; they are equally experienced expert drug users; and so on, and so on, ad nauseam.)

[wellhell3]

ROFL! This bull ***** article by CBS who has TOTALLY promoted Obscamma like the God and the messiah both...and never MENTIONED Obscamma''s hiring rock bands to gather people at his stumps...wants to claim McCain''s celebrity status? I think NO!

[harvybing1]

Recently The house Armed Services Committee heard testimony regarding a secret plan on behalf of IRAN to attack the US using an EMP weapon which could cause the death of over 200 million people in the US and Canada.
Read more about that testimony here:
http://www.harvybing.com

[allurfears]

With Cindy McCain spending $75,000 a MONTH on credit cards, she must be the REAL celebrity. How many $3000 dresses does she need?

[tuckerdogavl]

I only vote for candidates that have white hair and are ex-POWs.

[likeitis5050]

Oooohhhhh...here we go with the ''I know I am but what are you..''...where the he11 is Pee Wee Herman when you really need him? The Hilton''s need to kiss their own azzez for raising Paris to be the tramp she is and then having the nerve to get mad because she simply gets her face plastered in an ad...what...no residuals went into their bloated pockets? Boo Hoo...if they were a little more diligent in teaching her how to keep her undies on and not s.crew everyone she meets then they might have reason to squawk.

At the end of the day it''s just a battle over which candidate is taking himself more seriously when it comes to publicity...Obama...hands down.

[likeitis5050]

With Cindy McCain spending $75,000 a MONTH on credit cards, she must be the REAL celebrity. How many $3000 dresses does she need?


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Posted by allurfears

I don''t recall that being any of your business...is it YOUR money...then ****.

[jmurrieta1]

Strange how CBS can discuss McCain''s status without mentioning the one person who has bought more attention and status for McCain than anyone else--Cindy McCain.

McCain certainly fits the sleazy Hollywood mould when he dumped his first wife, the one who waited at home all those years, so he could marry the beer fortune heiress. but "celebrity" Obama has been married to just one woman.

McCain''s constant grandstanding is also indicative of an attention hound. The one place McCain can''t stand to be is out of the center of attention.

And since the Republicans are plumb out of new ideas for our problems, all they can do is attack and smear.

Just like the Bushites.

[acemcface001]

I was going to vote for McCain. The old McCain.
He was a moderate and said he was not going to have a negative campaign.
He is a liar and will not get my vote.

[larysinclair]

McCain is a hero and Obama''s a ZERO!!!

[bushleguedro]

John McCain''s ghostwriter is actually Britney Spears:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPEV6twzxmE

[jmurrieta1]

"what''''s mccain? like him or not, an old-fashioned workhorse. "--Posted by ccfsdca



Or at least McCain is the south end of said horse facing north.

[ll2owt]

Too bad politics has turned John McLooney into green slime pond scum. Thought he was a better person. See what happens around people like Das Karl Rove..Big problem is, millions upon millions of ignorant Americans will eat it up. What a pity..

[ericmiami]

Too bad McCain feels he has to sell his soul to the devil to stay in this race.

[stimpson65]

Here we are, completely distracted from the issues again. The republicans do this every race and we fall for it every race. We get what we deserve, America. If the last eight years under republican leadership has not made you think twice, nothing will. If we are stupid enough to put the republicans back in office again, we deserve what we get!

[freepress6]

How does John McCain stack up against a guy who was editor of the Harvard Law Review, who got elected U.S. Senator from Illinois, who is leading in the race for president, who, and this tops it off, accepts a basketball challenge in Kuwait to sink a 3-pointer --WHOOSH -- on first try at a military gym as cheering U.S. soldiers look on? How does John McCain win an election against a wunderkind such as Barack Obama? Maybe he bashes Obama with attack ads, compares him to an "empty-headed celebrity? Nah, McCain''s only chance is pick Hillary for his running mate.
Sterling Greenwood
Aspen Free Press

[renojmc]

The Dalaibama is only a celebrity because the liberal media will do anything to get a democrap elected. They pushed Gore, then they did everything the could for Kerry (even fabricating stories about Bush - remember Dan Blather?), and now they have to make Obama a messiah in hopes that he''ll get elected. But the American people have seen through all of this and refused to be seduced by it (at least those with a brain).

While McCain isn''t my top choice, he''s far, far better than Obama!

[timdgrim]

If Obama''s A "Celebrity," What''s McCain?
**************
GrandPa Munster.

[condumbism]

If Obamas A "Celebrity," Whats McCain?

The GUTTER!

[renojmc]

While McCain isn''''t my top choice, he''''s far, far better than Obama!
Posted by renojmc at 05:14 PM

(between naps)
Posted by onemoretim at 05:16 PM : Aug 03, 2008
----------------------------------------------------

I''d take McCain unconscious for 4 years over Obama!

[sanjayk2]

Comparing Obama to Paris Hilton is another of McCain''s tasteless and inept jokes. Like John McCain, she came from affluent circumstances. And like him she is a survivor; he survived a long imprisonment in a brutal war, and she survived a spoiled brat childhood in Beverly Hills. I don''t mean to denigrate his suffering, or hers, but the sad fact is that both of them seemed to learn so little from it. You couldn''t send either of them to the grocery story for a container of milk and expect them to identify it -- the store or the milk. . Clearly Ms. Hilton has far more in common with John McCain than with Barack Obama.
McCain has made it to his Republican presidential nomination by charming an infatuated political press that never seemed to ask him a tough question. He lightened his moral load as he aged by tossing off whatever burdens of decency and character he intermittently demonstrated. Now, having tossed aside reality as well in his statements about the oil crises, the economy, the war, veterans affairs (his is one of the worst voting records for vets) he is light enough to survive the run without any onerous burdens like truth or integrity.
John McCain -- is an elitist/opportunist who abandoned a sick wife, carried on with an attractive blond beer heiress and married her, survived corruption charges as one of the Keating Five, and became a proxy billionaire through that romantic transaction which has helped to finance his political ambitions.

[bec67]

If Obama''s A "Celebrity," What''s McCain? THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! WE CAN STAND 4 YEARS OF MCCAIN, BUT 8 YEARS OF BUSH FOLLOWED BY 8 YEARS OF OBAMA WILL BE THE END OF THIS COUNTRY AS WE KNOW IT.

[shortestfuse]

Obama''s not a celebrity. He''s a chameleon.

[papoubill]

McCain is correct - without Hillary as VP on the Obama ticket to provide substance proven by past effort work on the causes that Obama says he supports, there is no substance to the Obama effort - he is only a celebrity of the young and AA voters and the liberal college left - and McCain becomes the more certain choice for retaining human rights and resisting corporate power. A rock star that sees himself as savior needs a VP that will tell him when he is wrong - and speak from national experience. Only Hillary does this for Obama. As Obama''s staff (Donna Brazille, Dean, the DNC, etc) are against Hillary on the ticket, it looks like it is time for Democrats - at least the more mature ones - to cross party lines and vote for McCain.

[ioweign]

With Cindy McCain spending $75,000 a MONTH on credit cards, she must be the REAL celebrity. How many $3000 dresses does she need?


Posted by allurfears

I don''t recall that being any of your business...is it YOUR money...then ****.

Posted by likeitis5050 at 05:01 PM : Aug 03, 2008



And next you will call Obama an "elitist"...

[rjso]

"If Obama''s A "Celebrity," What''s McCain?"

Er, a fossil?

[renojmc]

John McCain -- is an elitist/opportunist who abandoned a sick wife, carried on with an attractive blond beer heiress and married her, survived corruption charges as one of the Keating Five, and became a proxy billionaire through that romantic transaction which has helped to finance his political ambitions.

Posted by sanjayk2 at 05:24 PM : Aug 03, 2008
------------------------------------------------

Betcha didn''t have a problem with John Kerry doing that 4 years ago...

[timmycoffee]

The American media has long hidden from the public the astonishing fact that as a long term US Senator, John McCain has only a rudimentary understanding of both domestic and national security issues. His petulant, spoiled child disposition makes him un- presidential. He is a reckless individual. A vote for him is a reckless, irresponsible vote. This concerted racist campaign he has now decided to run demonstrates he has no decency. In the last week, he has made it perfectly clear that his campaign is based on the rebirth of Jim Crow era politics. The incessant comments that Senator Obama is presumptuous, arrogant and/or cocky are all code words for he is an uppity Negro who can%u2019t be trusted to know his place. Along with the constant red security alerts, which the Bush administration will start up within the next month, it wouldn%u2019t be surprising for McCain-Bush to propose a national poll tax before the November election. America is struggling after 16 years of Clinton and Bush. McCain would be the final nail in America%u2019s coffin.

[bec67]

Give me senile over Juvenile any day.

[ioweign]

John McCain -- is an elitist/opportunist who abandoned a sick wife, carried on with an attractive blond beer heiress and married her, survived corruption charges as one of the Keating Five, and became a proxy billionaire through that romantic transaction which has helped to finance his political ambitions.

Posted by sanjayk2 at 05:24 PM : Aug 03, 2008
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Betcha didn''''t have a problem with John Kerry doing that 4 years ago...

Posted by renojmc at 05:29 PM : Aug 03, 2008

John Kerry wasn''t WITH George W Bush 95 percent of the time either...

[jim_wright-2009]

Who Cares what CBS or Carrie Budoff Brown thinks?

[rafterman1]

Of course McCain isn''t a celebrity. He said so between his appearance on Letterman and his appearance (again) on John Stewart.

[mortonredner]

Vote for McCain?
You must be insane.

[sharncedar]

The problem OBlah-blah is having is that he cast himself as an agent of hope and change in order to win the primary, but he is actually a very sleazy old-school Chicago politician. This makes him even more of a liar than Hillary, even more of a toady. A great example is the recent vote on immunity for corporations that spy on Americans, where Oblather voted squarely exactly where any phony politician would - 100% with Bush and 100% against the American people. He "claims" in his insipid idea-less speeches that he wouldn''t have voted for the Iraq war , but based on his telecom vote, I''m pretty sure he would have voted 100% with Bush on that one as well. That''a the kind of guy he is.

He throws around the fact he didn''t vote for the Iraq as his only pedigree, as if that makes him some populist, but he wasn''t even in the Senate during that vote. Easy to criticize something when you didn''t have to make a choice. When he did have a chance to stand up for Americans, on the very recent telecom immunity vote, he stood right where I think he will always stand - 100% with Bush and the big corporations. Kaaathump - that wasn''t Reverend Wright or the black church or grandma going under the bus, that was the people who supported him during the primaries.

[pvperson]

Celebrity or not, McCain wins hands down in the hypocrite department. Is this the best they can come up with? Ole John is turning into an even more sad old fool than people thought possible. Do these ads play to the republican base now days? What ever happened to the party that called themselves the moral, family values and financial responsible party. I guess after 8 years of Bush, this is what you get. Your right McBush, these are funny, but not how you meant then to be.

[whiskyrokkr]

"Rock Star vs. AARP

[condumbism]

If Obamas A "Celebrity," Whats McCain?

The GUTTER CANDIDATE!

[kithara1]

I don''t see McCain returning any luster to the slightly tarnished Republican ''brand''; but, does anyone really care?

[plainlogic]

Diehard Republicans just don''t get it. The R.N.C. knows they don''t have a chance in November so they threw in Mcbush as a sacrificial lamb instead of any competent nominee that may have a chance in later elections. Sameo Sameo Mc Bush Deserves a medal of honor not the Presidency.

[yankeerebel7]

Obama is the britney spears of US politics, whereas McCain is more like the mick jagger.

[starleo146]

Of course McCain isn''''t a celebrity. He said so between his appearance on Letterman and his appearance (again) on John Stewart.

Posted by Rafterman1 at 05:35 PM : Aug 03, 2008


He is a lieing Rove, Bush, twin, and in April he said he would not do any negative campaigning, and look what the Rove Bush clan gave him, and he accepts that message. He will do or say anything to get elected can''t wait till he tries to say something about the problems in this country. Can''t he be jealous without showing it.

[wogerwabbit]

Posted by SharnCedar at 05:36 PM

so after all your ranting and raving, there''s still only one way to get the neocon stain out of our government... Obama. It may not be much of a choice but anything beats Bush''s third term.

[clschuler]

why is Nobama afraid to meet mccain more than 3 times? is Nobama afraid?

[puritan9]

McCain now says that the Paris-Britney ad was not racist but just an attempt to inject humor into the presidential race. Well that shows McCain''s campaign is not taking this election seriously, obviously they expect to loose.

If racism is to be made an issue and if elections are to be won on the basis of white and non-white factor alone, then in the future as the whites become a minority we are likely to have all non-white presidents and all other elected officials. It will be a scary future for the whites.

But that will not be so because most non-whites are not as racist and vote based on qualifications rather than the color of the skin. And this is not a white lie.

[puritan9]

McCain now says that the Paris-Britney ad was not racist but just an attempt to inject humor into the presidential race. Well that shows McCain''''s campaign is not taking this election seriously, obviously they expect to lose.

[yankeerebel7]

Obama backed out of debates...that pretty confirms he''s scared to duke it out with McCain. Is that because there''s no teleprompters at the debates?

[liberalme]

Obama backed out of debates...that pretty confirms he''''s scared to duke it out with McCain. Is that because there''''s no teleprompters at the debates?

Posted by yankeerebel7 at 05:57 PM : Aug 03, 2008

LOL Maybe they could debate McCains miltary loyalty---


2/6/08 McCain Failed To Vote To Expand Stimulus Package To Include Disabled Veterans.
Cloture motion failed 58-41. [HR 5140, Vote #8,
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

3/23/07 McCain Voted Against A $3.5 Billion Funding Increase For Veterans%u2019 Healthcare.
Bill passed 52-47. [SCR 21, Vote #114
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

4/26/06 McCain Was One of 13 Senators To Vote Against Increase In Veterans%u2019 Healthcare.
Amendment passed 84-16. [HR 4939, Vote #98
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

3/16/06 McCain Voted To Cut Funding For Veterans%u2019 Healthcare.
Amendment failed 50-50. [SCR 83, Vote #70
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

3/16/06 McCain Voted Against Increasing Veterans%u2019 Funding By $10 Billion.
Amendment failed 46-53. [SCR 83, Vote #67
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

3/16/06 McCain Voted Against Veteran%u2019s Healthcare Program.
Amendment rejected 46-54. [SCR 83, Vote #63
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

[liberalme]

MORE==

/14/06 McCain Voted Against A $1.5 Billion Increase In Healthcare For Veterans.
Amendment rejected -54. [SCR 83, Vote #41
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

2/13/06 McCain Failed To Vote To Support Healthcare For Veterans In Lieu of Tax Breaks For Millionaires.
Motion failed 40-53. [HR 4297, Vote #15
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

2/2/06 McCain Voted Against $19 billion For Military And Veterans%u2019 Hospitals.
Amendment failed 44-53. [HR 4297, Vote #7
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

11/17/05 McCain Voted Against Mental Healthcare For Veterans.
Amendment rejected 43-55. [S 2020, Vote #343
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

11/8/05 McCain Failed To Vote To Increase Benefits of Veterans%u2019 Orphans And Widows.
Amendment passed 93-5. [CQ Floor Votes; S 1042, Vote #307
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

10/5/05 McCain Voted Against Considering Inflation In Veterans Funding Formula.
Amendment failed 48-51. [HR 2863, Vote #251
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea

9/22/05 McCain Voted Against A $10 Million Increase In Readjustment Counseling for Veterans.
Amendment failed 48-50. [HR 2528, Vote #242
Clinton %u2013 Yea Obama %u2013 Yea