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9/11 campaign ads?

post #1 of 21
3/5/04 at 12:47pm
Thread Starter 
What do you think? I saw one on our news tonight, and my reaction was, "The Democrats must be dancing in the streets". JMO, but the 9/11 attack affected the entire country, and people beyond, and I find it ill-advised/ in poor taste to use those images in a political campaign.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politic...riticism_x.htm
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post #2 of 21
3/5/04 at 1:35pm
I agree with you jcat, and what has 9-11 got to do with Bush's campaign? Just because he was president at the time, doesn't mean he has to take credit for helping a nation - I think Rudy did more than he did.
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post #3 of 21
3/5/04 at 1:57pm
Thread Starter 
Here's another article: http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/...ain/index.html
I wonder whose idea this was? What I mean is, supposedly Bush's campaign is going to emphasize national security, so why in the world would they choose to show images of the country's greatest national security failure?
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post #4 of 21
3/5/04 at 1:58pm
I have to agree with what the Wall Street Journal said on the subject: Just about every policy decision since 9/11 has been, at least in part, dictated by that event. Bush WAS President when it happened, and he has led the nation since that point. It was a turning point in our nation's collective history. Why can't he use those images? It was THE defining moment in his Presidency, and will continue to be even if he is re-elected.

Of course the Democrats are calling foul....that was also the point when Bush's approval rating was highest and he still polls high in how he handled 9/11 overall. They want to downplay that as much as possible.
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post #5 of 21
3/5/04 at 2:16pm
I think he has the right to talk about 9/11 in his ads, though I do think it would be more respectful if he did not use those photos.

I agree that 9/11 was a pivital moment in his presidency....it changed him for the better in the eyes of most Republicans and changed him to the worse in the eyes of most Democrats. To leave out any mention of 9/11 when it made Bush the president he is today just isn't realistic.
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post #6 of 21
3/5/04 at 2:26pm
One other thing...The image that was used of the Firemen carrying out a flag draped guerney....(which is the image that people are decrying)

I heard on the radio that this image was actually of the symbolic removal of remains at the end of the recover effort. There were no one person's remains on the guerney. If that is the case, then this image, I think, is appropriate. If it were one person's remains, I could definitely understand being offended.
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post #7 of 21
3/5/04 at 2:49pm
I too saw the commerical, I did not like that Bush used the 9 /11 pictures for his campaign..As if we forgot.
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post #8 of 21
3/5/04 at 4:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by valanhb
I have to agree with what the Wall Street Journal said on the subject: Just about every policy decision since 9/11 has been, at least in part, dictated by that event. Bush WAS President when it happened, and he has led the nation since that point. It was a turning point in our nation's collective history. Why can't he use those images? It was THE defining moment in his Presidency, and will continue to be even if he is re-elected.

Of course the Democrats are calling foul....that was also the point when Bush's approval rating was highest and he still polls high in how he handled 9/11 overall. They want to downplay that as much as possible.
I can't agree. The destruction of the WTC was so horrific that it, at least for a time, united both the entire U.S. and most of the international community. Nobody was concerned with Republicans vs. Democrats at that time, or any social, racial or philosophical divisions. To see those images being used in a political campaign is disrespectful. The victims were of all races, nationalities, religious and political persuasians, as were the rescue personnel. Judging by the rapid response to the ad, I'd say it could very well backfire. As anybody who participates on this forum is well aware, I'm not a Bush fan. But: My reaction to the ad was that some heads should roll, figuratively speaking. Whoever thought that up is either totally out of touch with normal human emotions/reactions,i.e., insensitive, or a saboteur. I didn't see the ad until tonight, when the controversy surrounding it was reported on the German news broadcast I watch. Last night I got an email from a friend who lost her brother (FPNY) on 9/11, decrying the ad. After reading her email, and seeing the ad, I have to agree - no way should that ad have been broadcast. I personally think it should be pulled ASAP. Cynicism should have its limits. My husband, who isn't a U.S. citizen, so it's no use bashing him, reacted thus: "What's next? Footage of Wednesday's carnage in Karbala and Baghdad, with subtitles reading,
"Working for peace and security in the Middle East." I'm totally disgusted with the whole "political process". Maybe it's a blessing that I can't vote, because I'm an "ex-pat".
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post #9 of 21
3/5/04 at 5:56pm
The only thing which could have improved this ad would have been for it to close with a scene of him playing dress-up on the aircraft carrier.

Jim, Ann, Miss Kitty and Samwise
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post #10 of 21
3/5/04 at 6:24pm
Quote:
Originally posted by valanhb
One other thing...The image that was used of the Firemen carrying out a flag draped guerney....(which is the image that people are decrying)

I heard on the radio that this image was actually of the symbolic removal of remains at the end of the recover effort. There were no one person's remains on the guerney. If that is the case, then this image, I think, is appropriate. If it were one person's remains, I could definitely understand being offended.
But the explanation of the symbolism of the moment is not offered on the commercial. I personally think that this shows little respect for the family and friends of the 9/11 victims.

It was a defining moment, but they could have picked better content.
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post #11 of 21
3/5/04 at 7:41pm
Quote:
Originally posted by valanhb
One other thing...The image that was used of the Firemen carrying out a flag draped guerney....(which is the image that people are decrying)

I heard on the radio that this image was actually of the symbolic removal of remains at the end of the recover effort. There were no one person's remains on the guerney. If that is the case, then this image, I think, is appropriate. If it were one person's remains, I could definitely understand being offended.
I know I'm not a USA citizen but it's been a topic of discussion on the Australian radio station I listen to. I haven't seen any of the advertising, and I have only heard some of the voice overs.

But someone did make this point. Although there were no human remains on the stretcher, the problem lies in that beneath the rubble on which the firemen are walking are dead people. This doesn't show any respect for the families and friends of those who died and to those who became innocent victims that day.

Yes, I can agree with the statement that the attacks on 9/11 defined how USA was to be run domestically and also internationally. There are thousands of images of that day, I am sure there are images that exist which are able to convey the events of that day without causing the amount of anger that the image used does now.
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post #12 of 21
3/5/04 at 9:31pm
I'll definitely agree with that statement Mags. I think if they had used the image of the firefighters raising the flag on the rubble, or even of Bush himself addressing the people in the days following 9/11. It probably wasn't the best choice of images, but I do think he has as much or more right to use images surrounding those events as anyone else....
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post #13 of 21
3/6/04 at 5:19am
Rudolph Giuliani, himself, spoke in support of the ads, saying they were tastefully done.
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post #14 of 21
3/6/04 at 8:21am
Personally I find it sick, IMO.

Sorry, if I sound overly worried about propaganda, but here we have to be like that, for how political ads are here.

It's just the trend of what Bush has been doing through the four year period. He is trying to use the 9/11 event as a slubiminal (sp) part of it, trying to exploit the trauma that the event caused in the American people and keep alive the blood lust and the fear of another attack so as to have people voting for him for fear of another 9/11.

Jcat, I think we are blessed too! Puerto Rico is (thank god) not a state so we don't vote in Presidential elections.
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post #15 of 21
3/6/04 at 11:25am
Thread Starter 
I don't think it's a question of whether anybody has a "right" to use those images, because after all, they don't really belong to anyone (I won't get into copyrights). I don't understand why anyone would want to, seeing as they are bound to cause a lot of negative reactions, especially among those who lost family, friends, coworkers, or neighbors. To me, it's just crossing the line of propriety. Of course, I'm in that camp that would prefer that nothing other than a memorial be built on Ground Zero, for the same reason. (Dream on, in view of the real estate prices in Manhattan, right?)
And is it wise to link Bush's presidency with the terrorist attacks?
My husband just said I should add that he's waiting to see what stupid ads the Kerry campaign comes up with. That shows you how much he esteems politicians and PR pundits.
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post #16 of 21
3/6/04 at 11:53am
Quote:
Originally posted by jcat
My husband just said I should add that he's waiting to see what stupid ads the Kerry campaign comes up with. That shows you how much he esteems politicians and PR pundits.
Tell your hubby that he's got a person who esteems them just as good here!

Here we have grown to the point that polls say that the bast majority of the people in Puerto Rico believe the legislature is doing nothing productive at all. and people hold politicians in less esteem than lawyers. At the same time we've got a participation of over 90% of all people who qualify in the election with a total voting population of over 2 million.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of our politics of being a colonial territorry of the US and of being in the crucis of statehood or independence, all that matters to most people is that ideology. In other words, they vote for the party because of its ideal, (statehood or independence or autonomy) even if the candidate is a monkey.

So here we gave a twist to "Democracy" turning it into "Partycracy"
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post #17 of 21
3/6/04 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by yoviher
Unfortunately, due to the nature of our politics of being a colonial territorry of the US and of being in the crucis of statehood or independence, all that matters to most people is that ideology. In other words, they vote for the party because of its ideal, (statehood or independence or autonomy) even if the candidate is a monkey.

So here we gave a twist to "Democracy" turning it into "Partycracy"
That's true of a lot of countries, though, including the U.S. (I started a thread here a few weeks ago asking if people voted along party lines). I see it in my husband's family. His parents, who are pretty conservative, always vote for the Christian Democrats, even if they don't like the candidates. My husband claims it's because of the word "Christian". My brother-in-law, who labels himself a liberal, always votes for the Social Democrats, despite the fact that he's not at all happy about the way they're running the country right now. And hubby votes for the Green Party, because he's interested in environmental issue and they spent twenty years in the opposition. Now that they've been part of the governing coalition for over a term, he might "abandon" them, but I doubt it. I'm a "split ticket" type of person (i.e., a definite swing voter), mainly because ideology seems to fall by the wayside once a party is in power and has to deal with reality. If you compare Clinton and Bush on two issues, "big government" and "fiscal responsibility", you'll see what I mean, though to be fair, the current administration's "big government", and some of the deficit, are in part a direct result of 9/11.
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post #18 of 21
3/6/04 at 6:57pm
9/11 is sacrosanct. The images of that day are burned into our minds and souls. We don't need to be reminded...we lived it. This isn't fodder to be used for political gain. Neither side has anything to be proud of regarding that day or the events that led up to it. The ball was dropped and thousands of lives were lost. It was never a political issue. It was an issue of national security. Now the images of that day are being used for political gain. That saddens and sickens me that we have fallen so far that anyone would use or defend the use of those images in a political campaign. It's wrong to use them....simple as that. I'm a lifelong Republican and I'd be twice as fast to jump on the Democrats so you can save the flames about partisianship. My party doesn't have a lot to be proud of regarding this...neither do the Democrats. This is quite simply a tasteless use of a national tragedy for gain.



Let's have a campaign based on the current issues of the day, and let the public decide for themselves who is the better candidate and leave the failures of both parties regarding this tragedy where they belong...in the past.

Jeff
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post #19 of 21
3/6/04 at 10:53pm
I think the ads are terrible
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post #20 of 21
3/7/04 at 11:50am
Alot of people want to just forget about the 911 tragedy as if it never happened. I think that the ads show that George Bush led the nation during the worst attack on American citizens in our history. I personally felt secure with his leadership through the years following the World Trade Center attacks. This leadership is the defining part of his presidency and should be recognized and saluted. I think some people want to just forget and have forgotten the state of the nation during and after the attacks.

I am rambling...having trouble putting my thoughts into words today

IMO
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post #21 of 21
3/7/04 at 5:24pm
I dont think there is any reason for visual aids. To me, they cause the same feelings of hysteria and sadness that I felt while watching the attacks from beginning to end. Im sure he could accomplish the same by only speaking of it.
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