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Add the andPOP Facebook Application(andPOP) - Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Barack Obama. One of these is not like the other.
The former two are more than just underwear-bearing party girls and paparazzi fodder. They are now campaign tools, thanks to John McCain. A campaign that has critics saying “Oh my god, that Johnny’s shameless.”
In a new 30-second spot called “Celeb,” John McCain’s presidential campaign takes a jab at Barack Obama’s celebrity status by comparing his fame to that of Hilton and Spears. The ad’s narrator states: “He’s the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead? With gas prices soaring, Barack Obama says no to offshore drilling and says he’ll raise taxes on electricity. Higher taxes, more foreign oil – that’s the real Obama.”
During a conference call, Rick Davis, McCain’s campaign manager, said that the ad's intended effect was to make Obama seem "frivolous and irresponsible,” like our two favourite blondes. Davis’ comments are rather ironic considering McCain has expressed his gratitude for Heidi Montag, another famous blonde and star of MTV’s The Hills, who publicly endorsed McCain earlier this year.
"I'm honored to have Heidi's support and I want to assure her that I never miss an episode of The Hills, especially since the new season started," McCain told Time.
"Will people think of this as negative advertising? Look, it is the most entertaining thing I have seen on TV in a while. ... It is not our campaign that is trying to make him into an international celebrity. It's his campaign. ... I don't know Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, but they are international celebrities, so, you know, apples to apples,” Davis said in the conference call.
Barack Obama's team fired back, with a spokesman for the Obama campaign saying, "On a day when major news organizations across the country are taking Senator McCain to task for a steady stream of false, negative attacks, his campaign has launched yet another. Or, as some might say, 'Oops! He did it again.'"
It is not known whether or not Hilton or Spears had approved the usage of their images in the new campaign.
