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You know that scene near the end of the movie Dave when Bob Alexander (Frank Langella) is planning his presidential run and is watching a Presidential speech surrounded by friends and campaign signs?
Then Dave, still pretending to be President Mitchell, addresses Congress and spills the beans about Alexander’s corruption.
The next thing you see is Bob Alexander all alone in his living room with campaign literature scattered about the floor.
That’s the week Barack Obama has been having since the Denver debate.
First it was the AARP. Obama’s ads have been quoting an AARP study [2].
AARP’s Statement on Denver Presidential Debate
Denver, CO—Earlier this evening the Presidential candidates discussed AARP, Social Security and Medicare during the first Presidential debate of the 2012 general election. AARP, a sponsor of activities at all four of the 2012 Presidential and Vice Presidential debates, released the following statement in response. AARP Senior Vice President John Hishta said:
“While we respect the rights of each campaign to make its case to voters, AARP has never consented to the use of its name by any candidate or political campaign. AARP is a nonpartisan organization and we do not endorse political candidates nor coordinate with any candidate or political party.
Read the full statement [2].
Then it was MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. (Mediaite [3])
On Monday, MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell took a moment to address her rather involuntary inclusion in a recent Obama campaign ad.
“I want to move on to a point of personal privilege,” she said. “Some viewers might be understandably confused by the fact that the Obama campaign is airing a commercial right now including a video clip of me fact-checking Governor Romney after last week’s debate.”
“You should know,” she continued, “that NBC has not granted either campaign permission to use our news material and immediately requested that the campaign refrain from using its material in this and future advertisements.”
The clip used, she explained, actually came from a segment in which she fact-checked both candidates.
Watch, via MSNBC:
And finally, after that ridiculous ad, Big Bird [4].
Sesame Workshop Response to Campaign Ads
Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization and we do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns. We have approved no campaign ads, and, as is our general practice, have requested that both campaigns remove Sesame Street characters and trademarks from their campaign materials.
And these are Obama’s friends.
Or used to be.
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