When Republicans Attack

The McCain TV ad “Special” contains what may be the most disturbing sequence of all official ads. Whether this juxtaposition is random or chosen is up to the viewer to decide.

First the ad:

Like “Celebrity” and many previous ads, “Special” mocks the media glitz of Obama’s televised messages, specifically the recent 30-minute special. The McCain campaign’s response juxtaposes shots of Obama on stage with problems like the failing economy and terrorism (punctuated visually by bright blasts of light, and aurally by popping noises–ostensibly the sight and sound of flashbulbs).

Here is the troublesome segment, divided into 26 frames (the video is shot at slightly less than 30 frames per second, so this sequence lasts less than a second). The frame numbers are 267-292, and the timing is 8.907 seconds to 9.741 seconds.

Frame 267

Frame 268

Frame 269

Frame 270

Frame 271

Frame 272

Frame 273

Frame 274

Frame 275

Frame 276

Frame 277

Frame 278

Frame 279

Frame 280

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Frame 282

Frame 283

Frame 284

Frame 285

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Frame 289

Frame 290

Frame 291

Frame 292

…

Here is a video version of the above frames:

Although the juxtapostion of soldier firing gun and Obama may be accidental, the direction of the burst of light transition (to the right of the gun, like gunfire, then left to right like a bullet emerging from Obama’s head), along with the timing of the sound of the flashbulb popping, suggests a subliminal association that would be extremely unsettling if it was intentional. (Replay the commercial and notice the timing of the bursts here and when the image of Obama at the end.)

And if the association was accidental, why did the filmmakers (who have lavished attention on each frame of other commercials) not notice the disturbing possibility and edit the transition?