Last week's Democratic debate in Philadelphia was an abysmal display of journalism. By sticking to trivial topics for half of the debate, ABC sought to provoke controversy without asking the candidates serious questions. The Huffington Post's Jason Linkins wrote that the debate "ventured into territory so utterly asinine that I could scarcely believe what I was witnessing."
Ironically, the mainstream media have been giving John McCain a free ride while trying to pin Clinton and Obama with manufactured "gotcha" questions. In fact, they don't seem to be challenging McCain at all. So there's no reason to think ABC's brand of pseudo-journalism won't continue tomorrow morning, when George Stephanopoulos will interview McCain on his show.
Ironically, the mainstream media have been giving John McCain a free ride while trying to pin Clinton and Obama with manufactured "gotcha" questions. In fact, they don't seem to be challenging McCain at all. So there's no reason to think ABC's brand of pseudo-journalism won't continue tomorrow morning, when George Stephanopoulos will interview McCain on his show.
We used satire in this video because we felt it's our most effective way to make a point about the shoddy journalism coming from ABC. The network was so desperate to stir up controversy at the debate that Stephanopoulos took incendiary remarks from FOX's Sean Hannity and tried to pawn them off as his own question.
We can't let the FOXification of the mainstream press continue. What's more, we can't allow journalists like Stephanopoulos to give John McCain a free pass. What are the satirical questions you think Stephanopoulos and his colleagues should be asking McCain? Post them to the website and let us know just how shoddy their journalism has become. We'll award the best (meaning worst) satire. It's high time we hold ABC to higher journalistic standards!
And please support the work of Campaign for America's Future in forcing intelligent questions onto Sunday news shows. Weekend Watchdog's Bill Scher wants Stephanopoulos to ask, among other things, why McCain hasn't given "consistent straight answers about what seven years of conservative economic policies have done to the American economy?" Weigh in with your own substantive questions.
John McCain is a hero for his service to our nation but too radical for secure govering. Obama is a far left liberal with communist views and socialist policies. It is a sad day that this nation has such poor candidates to lead this nation.
Come on, TheRealMcCain folks. Why sink to this level? You've created a number of videos that convey why John McCain has some troubling views and characteristics.
This video is unnecessary, and should be removed. It's nothing more than smearing hackery. There is plenty of truthful information and multimedia out there that you could use to make the points that need to be made - lying to make those same points, while funny, should not be done side-by-side with footage that you want to have taken seriously.
It's a shame you f-ed this up so badly. Check out meetbarackobama.com to see just how much your "satire" will undermine any of the truths you are trying to convey. The opposition website is grounded in fact, doesn't take poetic license and will make you look like a rabble rouser. Psstt - I'm a democrat! Just in case you thought I was biased.
Why do you keep showing this! Its so lame, satire is obviously not your strong point. We have enough stupid distractions in the world and this just adds to the pile.
"this is foxification of brave new films"
Hahahaha!!!
Funny video :-)
this is foxification of brave new films
you could surely find REAL clips delivering the same info about mccain, juxtaposed with clips from the REAL Stephanopoulos interview. that would be far more effective at showing the ineffectiveness of the mainstream media.
the internet is already awash in hoaxes, why do we need another one? AMERICANS ARE HUNGRY FOR TRUTH, NOT MORE HOAXES
it does not MATTER if the description says it's "satire", most people don't read, they just WATCH. this baloney HELPS MCcAIN, because it HURTS Brave New Films credibility. AT LEAST display a disclaimer at the BEGINNING of the VIDEO ITSELF
YOU CANNOT CALL YOUR SITE "THE REAL MCcAIN" IF YOU HAVE PHONY VIDEOS. THIS CRAP DESTROYS YOUR LEGITIMACY-- WE CAN NO LONGER TRUST WHICH OF YOUR VIDEOS ARE REAL, AND WHICH ARE FAKE. PLEASE GET RID OF IT!
LOL. This is hilarious parody. Well done!
This is so obviously chopped, cropped and edited to make McCain into a string puppet and put false words into the mouth of George Stephanopolous. Surely no one is so naive as to believe this a real interview? I don't like McCain, but at least would like to see him honestly make himself look like a fool.
This would have more believable if that was really George Stephanopoulos interviewing McCain.
This is an annoyingly trivial video. Wow aren't we so clever Smugness is lame whichever side you are on
John McCain,
Do you repudiate and condemn the actions taken and legal positions asserted by the leader of your party in the course of the past seven years . . . or are you Bush's third term?
If this guy becomes the next president I am moving my family to Canada.....this country will be lost for good.....
has anyone heard of the nadar/gonzales ticket? stop complaining and look at 2 independent qualified people with very little money, no news coverage at all, honest with ideas to cure this country of its corporate takeover and military industrial complex. we are aware of these not so smart, honest politicians raping our constitution daily for their accumulation of wealth or power. here are real people traveling around the country, nader/gonzales, getting their own money (unlike obama, clinton, mccain) from americans to bring awareness to the populace and actual facts to improve the current political, healthcare, education, economic crisis for all, not the few. don't we need other parties, people, ideas, besides the wealthy democrats and republicans? I love the work of brave new films and how they bring media to us to view the truth. I like the videos, all of them. why pick apart an attempt to bring an open discussion to the table? for instance; mccain has some form of dementia, he has reversed his whole mental outlook on the military complex from 5 years ago. we don't have time to be gentle with the truth, Iraqi's are diing senselessly, starving, suffering as we bomb and terrorize them. yet we never see it or hear of it. stop drowning in ignorance, seek the knowledge and understanding to change what is happening to us by aggressively pursuing it. write, demonstrate, read, donate, vote.
If John McCain becomes President, one of his first actions will be to crank-up the draft. Without a draft, we cannot sustain our presence in Iraq. Especially for another 100 years.
Ron Paul? The guy who cozies up to white supremacists, gladly takes their money and endorsements, and publishes a racist newsletter? Ha!
Dear John,
You, Hillary & Barack are liars. Other than Ron Paul, are there any honest politicians?
Just asking.
McCain says among the first things he will do is either capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. If he knows how to do this why hasn't he told George Bush and the rest of the Republicans?
Johnny-boy,
What do you see as the potential for trying to rub out all Democrats from the political process, a tactic that the second President Bush has attempted with mixed success, but only through remedial and unrefined tactics like presidential signing orders, secret law, extreme interpretations of executive priviledge, and so on. How do you plan to remove Democrats and other "outsiders" from the political process? Or, failing that, do you have a plan to install yourself (or maybe just the Republican party) permanently in the presidency?
Do you think you or your Conservative Party would stage a Terrorist Attack on or against the USA after the Presidential Primary's (The timing would be crucial) so, you could tout your military background that YOU have recently been bragging about and use this to get elected?
That should read "FEWER Jobs. More Wars."
Really. It should.
John-boy,
Do you lie awake at night thinking about your future - contemplating the possibility that you someday may go on trial for War Crimes?
John is the one will do the right thing and will be the least in the pockets of the special interest… that I 100% McCain!! He is a straight talker! War hero! He is a fiscal hawk!! He hates earmarks! He fights the pharmaceutical companies; he stood by Iraq when it was unpopular. He is kind of cranky and no push over. I like that!! Obama is a talker boy. But, no real substance, just blah blah blah. The few things he has said equal a BIGGER government and more deficit spending!!
Have you ever had a real job, or have you always been a parasite of the state?
Mr McCain, Some people say you are a hate-filled bigot working for the same banking/investment elite who brought the Bush and Clinton families to power, and it does appear you hire banking and defense lobbyists to counsel your campaign, so if you're not an elitist bigot, as some say, then you must be very out of touch with your own staff, if you claim to be for American values, is this not a lie? Which is it?
Re: Poor Camera Work on Carly Fiorina(This Week 5/11/08):
Please investigate why ABC had many bothersome "camera wiggles and shakes" of Fiorina while she was answering questions from George Stephanopoulos on This Week interview (5/11/08).
"Camera shakes/wiggles" made it difficult to listen and concentrate on her answers, and gave Fiorina an overall "unsteady" appearance.
What happened ?!
John-o,
You have expressed a commendable admiration for our soldiers, saying that they are the finest young men of our nation. Would you let your daughter date a black Pfc. with a GED? How about a tattooed kid named Gonzalez?
Can you give us a reason to believe that anything other than your career matters to you?
Johnny,
Years from now, when you loll in some sunny clime writing your memoirs, perhaps having served as President of the United States, tens of thousands of enlisted men will be living with colostomy bags or white canes or missing legs or the ruins of faces. Does this in any way bother you?
On second thought, I withdraw the question as irrelevant. Pardon my foolishness
Johnny,
If an Iraqi army attacked your home state in an endeavor to impose democracy on the United States, killed thousands of your fellow citizens, and left your daughter of seven years screaming in agony as she died of burns, what would you do? Would you accept Islam with gratitude and embrace democracy? Or would you fight the invaders? Would you spend the rest of your life trying to kill as many of them as you could, in any way that you could?
Just curious.
This is an assinine exercise
Sounds like the writer from the Nation- which has compromised it's journalistic integrity by whoring for the Obama campaign, despite the fact that HRC's campaign is more progressive.
Hint: If you want to play "we're above the frey"- don't do attacks on people's personal lives.
And I hate McCain- and will vote for whomever the Dem nominee is. The Obama campaign has, however, been patronizing, self-righteous and entitled. It is an echo chamber of college kids and professionals congratulating themselves.
Hey, I just wanted to say thank you for being brave enough to make such a necessary effort to make truth known. I think all those that are criticising you below are simply afraid of not being able to believe something that they have not questioned for so long. Thank you, really.
Why do you all waster your time maintaining a website dedicated to putting down the next President of the United States? ;)
This is another waste of brain time. Please get a real life. People are no longer dumb or numb enough to believe that this is real journalism vs. comedy. Ha, ha, ha... Now, please can you get serious?
John - would you release a psychological profile of yourself, including any recent IQ tests? Do you think you are smart enough to lead America, or will you be a puppet of the military industrial complex? Do you think you were mentally damaged from your days as a POW, are you naturally dumb, or are you just plain ignorant? Are you dumber than Bush? Have you visited www.dumberthanbush.com and would you like to comment?
To be such a war hero, and have gone through so much in your life, why does it seem you are running an election campaign that lacks fight? You are an arrogant ass, who is right most of the time, be what you are and stick to you guns....he who tries to make everyone happy ends up making no one happy....
Senator, Sen. Obama has been called an elitist because he was educated at Harvard. After eight years of President Bush, do you think the American
people still want to vote for a regular guy like yourself instead of an arrogant know-it-all?
Senator, you've said that the economy is not your forte and you've demonstrated some confusion about Al Qaeda and Iran. Do you think your opponents campaigns will suffer because they don't bake or can't bowl?
1. Considering what "some say" is the undeniable success of the surge, do you think that Clinton and Obama love America as much as you and Gen.
Petraeus?
That website for Straight Talk Express is www.bitstrips.com
For a satirical look at John McCain, please check out my bitstrip series "Straight Talk Express". I've put a lot of research and thought (and hopefully, wit) into it and it's going strong at over 40 daily episodes so far.
When you really think about it, what does it say about our state of affairs when Sen. McCain is the best the Republicans can muster as a Presidential candidate? And then again, look at our choices on the Dem's side. I'm just mad as hell and I don't want to take it anymore. With that said, the video was funny.
Senator McCain, why did you divorce the mother of your children and one month later marry a much younger drug addict?
Very funny video. I wish journalists would ask some of these questions of McCain. Especially the one about him being an elitist. Or are there too many fooled by his calling everyone, 'my friends'.
you are all fucking idiots. you do not research your topics and have no lives that is why you spend your time doing stupid things
How can you campaign around the country expressing your respect for our military and advocating staying in Iraq .... and not sign on to S.22 for their benefit??
Senator McCain, George Bush suffers from chronic brain syndrome due years of alcohol and cocaine abuse.It is rumored that you suffer from ptsd as a result of being tortured as a prisoner of war. Don't you think this puts you at risk for making kneejerk decisions under stressful situations? Oh, by the way, where is your lapel pin?
WOW!!!!
i read a few of the comments and have 2 say WOW!! bryce you sound scary,,,hateful...and unfortunately like some other americans...maybe like terrorists!!! History keeps repeating....if u study say Vietnam 4 one...really do some research....and look @ Iraq...Look 4 the bigger picture!!! It takes more courage to turn the other cheek!!! This war is tearing us apart....financially...spiritually and it will take a long time to heal!I can only hope the majority of Americans will see thru McCain's blustering and not believe what they see on the "boob tube"!!!