By JIM KUHNHENN, Associated Press Tuesday, June 19, 2007
WASHINGTON -- The scene: A diner and a jukebox. A nostalgic song. A cut to black. It worked as a finale for "The Sopranos." It now marks a new beginning for "The Clintons." Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign on Tuesday unveiled its new campaign song with a Web video that spoofs the final scene of the popular HBO mobster series.
The video and the announcement of Celine Dion's "You and I" as the official Clinton tune cap a monthlong, interactive Internet campaign that drew more than a million viewers to the Clinton campaign Web site and to YouTube, the popular online video display room.
The selection of Dion, who was born in Canada, resulted in some smirking accusations from Republicans that Clinton had "outsourced" her music. In fact, Dion's "You and I" has done a turn as a theme song already -- for Air Canada in 2004.
But the song campaign and the video also illustrates the growing effort by some of the more technologically savvy campaigns to connect with voters and potential donors in clever, relatively inexpensive formats that are infused with pop culture references, contemporary themes or intimate moments.
Just this week, the campaign of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican, posted a video featuring Romney's wife, Ann, narrating scenes of Christmas vacation last year when the family reached the decision to pursue the White House.
In the new Clinton clip, Hillary Clinton, like Tony Soprano, spins through the musical selections in a diner in Mount Kisco, N.Y., near her home in Chappaqua, as her husband, former President Clinton, quizzes her about the campaign and the song contest winner.
The Soprano touches are subtle but perfectly obvious to any fan of the series.
The music that plays through the video is not Dion's but Journey's "Don't Stop Believin,'" the same song that Tony Soprano chooses from the jukebox in the show's final scene. At one point, actor Vince Curatola, who played New York mob boss Johnny "Sack" Sacramoni in the series, walks menacingly by the Clintons' table.
Tony Soprano ordered onion rings. Hillary orders carrots for Bill. "No onion rings?" the former president asks forlornly.
"Where's Chelsea?" Sen. Clinton asks. Outside a car tire hits the curb. "Parallel parking," President Clinton replies.
"How's the campaign going?" he asks.
"Well, like you always say, focus on the good times."
"So what's the winning song," he presses.
"You'll see."
"My money is on Smash Mouth," he says. "Everybody in America wants to know how it's going to end."
"Ready?" Hillary asks.
The scene cuts to black.
But, no, unlike the Sopranos, it's not over. You can click to hear Dion's song. A new page pops up. The most prominent word stands out against a red background:
Okay...so it's official....the Clinton's went Hollywood!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I'm surprised the Clinton's didn't have Barbra Steisand do a cameo in the skit. But in all seriousness, did Hillary really really think this little skit would win her votes? I mean, like what was the motive here? Or perhaps she was just plain having fun!!
And by the way, is it legal to pay for this skit with campaign money? Was this considered a political ad? It clearly did not appear to be a campaign ad. It was just the Clinton's eating at a diner. No mentions of a political platform. And if there were, it would only be that 'people should fear Hillary' just as Tony was feared on the Sopranos. It would be interesting to know who paid for it.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
They dont need a political ad....hollywood and the news commentators do it all for them....what else would they say....he was elected for his sex, (ooops), sax skills and winning smile and hand shake......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Bada bing politics First published: Friday, June 22, 2007
Just when it appeared that the 2008 presidential race might turn into an endless series of +20 high school-level debates -- "Candidates, raise your hand if you don't believe in evolution; candidates, tell us what your religion means to you" -- along comes Hillary Clinton with a reminder that it's time to lighten up. Her new Internet video that spoofs the last episode of the HBO series "The Sopranos," and touts the online selection of her campaign song had a lot of people cracking smiles Tuesday. Well, OK, it's safe to assume that the other candidates, Democrat and Republican alike, found nothing to smile about. More likely, they were turning red with anger. We imagine that those candidates gave their campaign managers quite an earful Tuesday, something like this: "Why didn't we think of that?" the candidates were likely demanding to know. "How could we have missed such an opportunity to key into the Internet generation? How could we let Hillary teach us a lesson in the political applications of cyberspace? First her YouTube contest to name a campaign song. Now this. What am I paying you guys for?"
But for millions of others, there was nothing to complain about. The video is something to be enjoyed and appreciated. There's the deft use of husband Bill joining her at a Mount Kisco diner and expressing dismay that the only food before him is a serving of carrots rather than onion rings. It not only serves as a bit of self-deprecating humor for the former president, but also punctures the harridan image of the senator that her opponents have been trying to cultivate, overtly or slyly, ever since she announced her candidacy.
Then there's the equally deft use of a real "Sopranos" cast member, Vincent Curatola, aka "Johnny Sack" Sacramoni -- as he walks past the Clintons with a menacing look. Senator Clinton follows him with a mock-serious gaze.
We expect that it won't take long before all of the other candidates try to match the Clintons online, if for no other reason than to show voters they, too, are Internet savvy. Well, maybe not all. Those who raised their hands on the evolution question are probably still asking themselves what a Web site is, and what is YouTube?
Presumably, though, they now know what it is to get politically whacked.
By ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press Saturday, June 23, 2007
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Hillary Rodham Clinton returned Saturday to Arkansas, where she spent 12 years as the state's first lady, to rally Democrats as she seeks her party's presidential nomination. The New York senator and wife of Arkansas' political son Bill Clinton recalled her days traveling Arkansas and the feeling of camaraderie she had with the people she met.
"I just remember people wanting to achieve things together," she said, standing on a stage in the center of Alltel Arena. "That's the way Arkansas worked best and that's the way America will work best."
Clinton called upon an audience of about 4,000 at the Democratic Party of Arkansas' annual Jefferson-Jackson fundraiser to work with her.
"I want to be a president who sets goals for America again," she said. "And I want to ask everyone to work together to achieve those goals."
Gov. Mike Beebe, who has not yet announced an endorsement for the 2008 race, told Clinton, "Senator, on behalf of almost three million Arkansans, welcome home."
Unlike her husband, who was governor of Arkansas before he was elected president, Hillary Clinton isn't a native of the state. Still, her supporters say voters will embrace her as one of their own.
"Arkansas is in you and we know it and we see it every day," said Rep. Vic Snyder.
Sen. Mark Pryor said: "I think she has a special relationship with the state of Arkansas and the people of this state. I think she has a big advantage over anyone, Democrat or Republican, in this state."
Republicans sought to paint Clinton as an outsider, even dropping off a "care package" for her that included a book called "The Complete How to Speak Southern" and a Razorback cap.
"Unfortunately, no matter how you dress or what you say, there's not much we can do to disguise the fact that you're still a liberal Senator from New York who is out of touch with Arkansans mainstream values," said a letter from the state GOP released the day before the Clinton's visit.
Hillary Clinton enjoyed staunch support from feminists when she was first lady, but now as a presidential candidate she’s being increasingly criticized by left-leaning women.
"Women don’t trust Hillary. They see her as an opportunist. Many feel betrayed by her,” Susan Douglas wrote in an In These Times article titled "Why Women Hate Hillary.”
Clinton does have strong support from women in general, with 42 percent of likely women voters in the Democratic primaries choosing Hillary in a recent Zogby poll, more than twice the 19 percent garnered by No. 2 candidate Barack Obama.
But "Hillary has a ‘feminist problem,’ and more so with those who lean left,” an article in the liberal publication The Nation observes.
Here’s a sampling of what some feminists have been saying about Hillary, according to the Nation article, which also appeared on the liberal AlterNet Web site:
Writer Nora Ephron, at one time a gushing admirer of Hillary, late last year wrote in the Huffington Post that she is among those who believe Hillary "will do anything to win, who believe she doesn’t really take a position unless it’s completely safe, who believe she has taken the concept of triangulation and pushed it to a geometric level never achieved by anyone including her own husband, who can’t stand her position on the war, who don’t trust her as far as you can spit.”
Lisa Jervis, founder of b**ch magazine, wrote: "Having a woman in the White House won’t necessarily do a damn thing for progressive feminism.”
Jen Moseley expressed a similar view on the blog Feministing: "As women sign up to work with anyone but Senator Clinton, of course, they’re being asked why … They’re all giving the same answer. Being a woman does not get you the automatic support of women.”
Jaclyn Friedman, director of the Center For New Words program, wrote: "Hillary’s not my friend. She’s not actually progressive. The fact that she’s a woman is an unfortunate red herring.”
Laura Liswood, co-founder of the White House Project, which seeks to promote women for public office, wrote that women should vote their politics and not their gender "if the choice is between a woman who doesn’t represent you at all and a man who does.”
Ruth Mandel, director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University, said rather than a progressive, Hillary "is a centrist. She is a political pragmatist in the most solid American tradition.”
Jane Fonda called Clinton "a ventriloquist for the patriarchy with a skirt.”
And Anna Quindlen wrote in Newsweek: "The fantasy was that the first woman president would be someone who would turn the whole lousy system inside out and upside down. Instead the first significant woman contender is someone who seems to have the system down to a fine art.”
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