Rudy Does 9/11

Looking to remain relevant, it is no surprise to see Rudy playing the 9/11 card in his latest ad.

Emphasizing pride and bravado over the fear driving Bush's kick-off ad of the 2004 reelection,“Safer/Stronger,”  both use montage tying together the flag, patriotism, the American military, the rubble of ground zero and the threat of "them over there."

Less notable in Rudy's piece, however, is the same element that drew howls over Huckabee's recent Christmas greeting.

  Overlaying horizontal and vertical elements against a black background in a "domino-like" effect, the Giuliani video also conjures a Christian cross as a repeated subliminal element.  In this particular screen grab, notice how the cross ties together a child pledging allegiance with a U.S. soldier standing at attention, supposedly in Iraq.  In this instance, the allusion goes beyond religiosity to also encompass a memorial theme, playing exploiting the sacrifice paid in human lives.

Giuliani "Freedom" ad
Bush "Safer, Stronger" ad (Living Room Candidate)
Mike Huckabee Christmas (You Tube)

Comments

[Cactus]

Well, my dialup system would only play the first 8 secs. But, based on what I did see, Rudy is trying to conflate in one ad WWII, 911, patriotism and religion. Wow! Who said patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel? Could not find a better example, present occupant of 1600 excepted.

Apparently the MSM has once again opted for the sexy scandal of his governmental payments for his trysts with Judy, er...Judith rather than his cozy relationship with Qatari's who harbor terrorists. He refuses to disclose who his clients are for his security firm, even though he has been photographed at the Asian Games in the company of Qatar sheiks and Iran's Ahmadinejad. Not only that, but one of his apparent clients, al-Thani, has harbored a CIA suspected terrorist (KSMohammed) and Osama bin Laden at his farm in Qatar.

We have just been through two terms with The W who was a hand-holding buddy with the Saudis, including close relatives of OBL (may he rest in peace) and all the suspicion that has engendered. Now we are supposed to look the other way for Rudy? I don't think so. When is the MSM going to get on the band wagon and cover this stuff?

[Scarabus]

I was a high school student in 1959-60. Members of the (Protestant) congregation of the church I attended distributed pamphlets urging that fellow church members vote for "anyone but Kennedy," on the principle that if he were elected the U.S. would be ruled from Rome. The minister delivered the same message from the pulpit.

Why is Rudy's Catholicism (not to mention his fondness for cross-dressing, support for right to choose, etc.) not an issue for fundamentalist evangelical Christians in this election? Did Kennedy's independence in office put the Catholic issue to rest forever? Or is Mitt's Mormonism so much further "out there" as to divert attention and protect Rudy?

[Hey! I'm not dumping on LDS. My sister-in-law as well as a good friend are members. As far as I'm concerned, re religion, whatever floats your boat--as long as your religion doesn't call for hurting others. But no reasonable person can deny that Catholicism is a mainstream denomination, while LDS promotes practices and beliefs that aren't even within shouting distance of mainstream Christianity.]

[Mad_nVT]

The photo of the Giuliani dreamscape is pretty frightening. Waving flags and crosses as a way to rule begins to look more like a nightmare.

All of this religious imagery and religious talk and religious referencing, now expanded well beyond the Religious Right, is pointing toward a President Huckabee.

Uh-oh.