# The most bizarre campaign ad EVER! **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 26, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829 "2011-10-26T05:44:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/1 "2011-10-26T05:44:38Z")
[THIS](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhm-22Q0PuM) is f\*cked up! First Cains chief of staff babbles about how their a day closer to the white house. Then he takes a drag off a cigarette, exhales a bit of smoke out of the corner of his mouth and then blows the rest straight out at the viewer. As if that doesn’t take the cake, it then cuts to Cain himself posing with a weird ass smirk which very slowly evolves into a creepy as hell grin. WTF?😕:eek: ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/2 "2011-10-26T06:02:51Z")
The ad has been getting a lot of buzz. [Kevin Drum thinks it’s hilarious](http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/10/herman-cain-officially-declares-himself-joke). [James Fallows](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/10/cain-2012-the-best-ad-yet/247297/) calls it, “The best ad yet”. I say meh. Campaign manager delivers a bunch of empty and contentless blather. Audience wonder why we should care about his opinion. Then he takes a drag on a cigarette, which would have been a display of attitude 30 years ago, but now seems naughty. At the end, Cain gives the equivalent of a wink at his audience. I can’t see what the big deal is: given that Cain isn’t a serious candidate, going a little ironic should help book sales. The ad isn’t especially sharp satire; I’d call it middling parody. I don’t dislike it per se, I just find it unexceptional. Help me out on this. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/3 "2011-10-26T06:06:46Z")
It’s a parody of his own campaign? Is it not a legitimate Cain ad? Have I been whooshed by the entire world? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/4 "2011-10-26T06:31:26Z")
I like how Block is shaking his head the whole time he’s “praising” Cain. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/5 "2011-10-26T06:32:33Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > It’s a parody of his own campaign? No. What exactly would it be parodying? > [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > Is it not a legitimate Cain ad? It is–it’s just a kind of lame attempt to be “different,” in keeping with the rest of Cain’s rhetoric up to now. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/6 "2011-10-26T06:33:45Z")
> [@](#): > > …Herman Cain will put ‘United’ back in the United States of America. > [@](#): > > …together we can do this, we can take this country back. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/7 "2011-10-26T07:10:21Z")
> [@](#): > > …together we can do this, we can take our country back. Maybe this is a bit of a hijack, but I’ve never understood this phrase. Is it back \*to \*something? Or back \*from \*something? I don’t want to take our country back \*to \*anything, and I’ve never wanted to take it back \*from \*something, even when Bush was at his Bushiest. I’ve always wanted to take it forward, progress, move it ahead. I guess I just wasn’t cut out to be a conservative and constantly long to go “back.” And yes this is a strange ad in that it’s obviously put out by a presidential campaign, and that campaign apparently has money, but yet the whole thing smacks of something a small town city council candidate would put out. Was it produced by a guy who does ads for small-town car dealerships? ---
**Author:** ![TheonX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@TheonX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheonX)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/8 "2011-10-26T07:22:46Z")
I’m not sure that is even the bizzarest Cain add. [This one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSlC7BxmSqY) must be in the mix too. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/9 "2011-10-26T08:22:49Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > No. What exactly would it be parodying?It is–it’s just a kind of lame attempt to be “different,” in keeping with the rest of Cain’s rhetoric up to now. I was referencing Measure for Measure’s post, ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/10 "2011-10-26T12:59:31Z")
I was, too. A parody would have a direct object. A satire, OTOH, would have some kind of propositional dissonance, and I don’t see that, unless Cain has been campaigning about health or something like that. I really think the ad is just a backfire. ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/11 "2011-10-26T13:18:57Z")
> [@BrassyPhrase](#): > > It’s a parody of his own campaign? > > Is it not a legitimate Cain ad? > > Have I been whooshed by the entire world? Strange ads, excellent summation BrassyPhrase. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/12 "2011-10-26T13:50:14Z")
Cain has a long way to go to beat [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rZdAB4V_j8)as bizarre presidential campaign ads go. ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/13 "2011-10-26T16:12:07Z")
I think the point of the ad was to get people talking about Herman Cain, and in that sense it’s been successful. The people who would vote for him don’t care about the smoking anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/14 "2011-10-26T16:40:16Z")
> [@kenetic](#): > > I think the point of the ad was to get people talking about Herman Cain, and in that sense it’s been successful. The people who would vote for him don’t care about the smoking anyways. Considering that Obama was a smoker during his own successful campaign, I’d venture the opinion that that people that voted for him didn’t care either. So who does that leave? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/15 "2011-10-26T16:42:06Z")
People were already talking about Cain. The point of the ad is to get people to [del]vote for Cain[/del] buy Cain’s book, watch his TV show, and boost his speaking fees after he drops out and endorses Mitt Romney. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/16 "2011-10-26T18:46:23Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Considering that Obama was a smoker during his own successful campaign, I’d venture the opinion that that people that voted for him didn’t care either. > > So who does that leave? Did Obama ever blow smoke in an ad? I think the ad is just demonstrating that Cain, a former lobbyist, knows how Washington works, and will even provide his own smoke-filled rooms. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/17 "2011-10-26T18:48:37Z")
I liked his smile at the end. To me, it seemed to say “Am I just fuckin’ with you? Oh ya, I am. Ha ha ha! Buy my book.” ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/18 "2011-10-26T19:12:46Z")
[The Colbert Report](http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/400682/october-25-2011/herman-cain-s-campaign-ad) discussed this just last night. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/19 "2011-10-26T21:38:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Considering that Obama was a smoker during his own successful campaign, I’d venture the opinion that that people that voted for him didn’t care either. Sure, he smoked (does he still?), but he never tried to _brag_ about it. I can have pity on a smoker: By all accounts it’s really tough to quit (or at least, to stay quit). But someone who thinks smoking is a good thing, that should be emphasized? ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2011, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829/20 "2011-10-26T23:36:18Z")
> [@kenetic](#): > > I think the point of the ad was to get people talking about Herman Cain, and in that sense it’s been successful. The people who would vote for him don’t care about the smoking anyways. And anybody who would even look at the ad is already talking about him anyway. Cain really doesn’t need to sell books or go on speaking tours, either. It’s just gratuitous self-promotion while he’s got some attention. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-bizarre-campaign-ad-ever/600829.md?page=2)