Compare and Contrast: McCain Has His Own Awesome Poster

We here in the media elite sure like our liberal posters, since they reference things we studied in school and that makes us feel smart. But in the interest of equal time, let's take a look at some design work from the other side: via Marc Ambinder's blog at TheAtlantic.com, it's a John McCain campaign poster (right). Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. First of all, I'd say that my mom might have designed this on her rickety old PC, since it appears to use some sort of free PosterMaker software with Plug-In Faux Marble Borders, but the last 7 years have turned even my central Nebraska parents into screaming liberals, so I doubt she'd stoop so low. In the center, we have, well, The Ghost of John McCain, and this should be a lesson to graphic designers: go easy on the see-through filters on the over-70 set. What is cool is that apparently airplanes can fly out of McCain's head. He just thinks, "I'd like to launch some jets," and kafwoop, there they go, from his brain. Now, "Peace is Born of Wisdom" looks like a slogan from one of those Latter-Day Saints TV ads, a demographic that I understand he wants to appeal to, but then why abandon this classic look for a nonsensical reddish-white-and-blue banner featuring a generic "McCain 08" in a totally different sans-serif font? Argh! It's not even good at being bad!!! After the jump, see a larger-size version of the poster, and my theory about how the designer came up with it.

Comments

Absolutely right(the author, that is to say) Not a thing artful, nor awesome about it! It looks like the cover of a cheap B rated made for video (VHS)propaganda film...not yet on blu-ray or dvd. The sound track will be out on 8 track. But then, I guess that is his audience!

Posted by: MEJ on 07/25/08 at 5:24 AM Respond

Do those planes represnt the ones that he crashed?

Wisdom, my ass!

Posted by: Carol on 07/25/08 at 7:06 AM Respond

i know that pointing out the whole orwellian thing has just become a cliche by now, but "peace is born of wisdom?" what the hell? where is either the peace or the wisdom when it comes to mccain? seriously.

it would be funny if it weren't so disturbing and insidious what these people have persuaded us to do in the name of "peace" and whatever other insane catchwords you use to justify invading other countries and killing thousands of people for no good reason.

Posted by: nmc on 07/25/08 at 8:39 AM Respond

Actually, wisdom is born of peace. No wonder everything's ass backwards in the neocon world view. I can see Jon Stewart doing his Bush bit "See, first you have the war. Then, when the war is over, you get the peace, get it? And then, when there's peace and you look back and see just how %$#@!ing stupid the war was, that's the wisdom part. No, wait, that can't be right. I'll work on it and get back to ya."

Posted by: smitisan on 07/25/08 at 10:40 AM Respond

The poster looks like something Reni Riefenstahl would have created for the Third Reich.

Posted by: dadpasadena on 07/25/08 at 11:58 AM Respond

Party Ben suggests we Compare and Contrast Obama & McCain.

Fair enough.

Obama sucks, and McCain blows.

What else would one expect from the two chosen and annointed by those who control the two wings of America's Oligarchy Party?
They're a perfect reflection of the party wings themselves.

Posted by: JFW on 07/28/08 at 5:02 PM Respond

BTW Party Ben, can I quote you the next time some genius on a message board proclaims with utter certainty that "The Liberal Media is a Myth!"??

[Party Ben leads off the article: "We here in the media elite sure like our liberal posters, since they reference things we studied in school and that makes us feel smart."
Then goes on to make reference to: "...some design work from the other side..."
Certainly no pretense being made of anything but bias there...]

Posted by: JFW on 07/28/08 at 5:12 PM Respond