PrintJune 20, 2007
The Clinton Political Family
I was astounded when I first saw the Hillary Clinton YouTube spoof of the last episode of The Sopranos. Apart from the question of likening her family to mobsters, I didn't think the picture painted of Hillary was terribly appealing.
Although turned-out quickly, some real care went into producing this, like hiring Vincent Curatola (or a look-alike?), who played Johnny Sack on The Sopranos, to be the guy sitting at the counter eyeing the Clintons.
Obviously, pros were in charge. So why did they open with a shot of Hillary entering the dark diner framed by bright sunlight? Her profile is highlighted in a most unflattering way (on this YouTube link, look at the eighth second of this link to see what I mean). Her black outfit emphasizes the bulge of her hips, clearly defined against the bright light of the doorway. But the rest of the diner is rather dark, so the eye naturally is drawn to the bright rectangle in the center of the frame, and the contrast between the outline of her figure, which rather resembles the shape of a bowling pin, and the bright sunlit background.
It is almost as if someone set out to make the candidate look bottom-heavy in voters' minds.
Then there is the "eat your carrots" moment. While the satire on the onion ring ordering in the original is clear, there is also a pronounced overtone of the Nanny State in it. Do we really want a president telling us what we can eat, like poor Bill with his heart surgery?
So why did the ad-makers take the approach that they did?
I think the ad was produced to cheer up Hillary's supporters, whose enthusiasm is necessary to take the campaign forward, and who may be wavering in the face of Barack Obama, and now Mike Bloomberg as alternatives. The humor of the ad is intended to melt the divide that might have been growing between candidate and supporters.
She isn't afraid to look bad. In fact, she is taking advice to be less phony, and allowing herself to appear less than glamorous. See, voters? I am just like you, struggling with weight issues.
Hillary probably saw likening herself to a mob family wife as in-your-face mockery of her critics who have alleged ties to mobsters or criminality in her past. She also probably saw that Carmella Soprano, as cheated-upon wife, was a rather sympathetic figure. My guess is that she was told this by staff people who thought up the ad. I suspect she does not watch much TV.
Hillary probably saw likening herself to a mob family wife as in-your-face mockery of her critics who have alleged ties to mobsters or criminality in her past. She also probably saw that Carmella Soprano, as cheated-upon wife, was a rather sympathetic figure. My guess is that she was told this by staff people who thought up the ad. I suspect she does not watch much TV.
As for the carrots, Hillary and her partisans absolutely do think it is a good idea for the government to be directing you to eat foods that are healthy and avoid those which are not. They don't care what people like me think about freedom of choice. To them, the carrot ordering was a delightful joke.
What an interesting piece of propaganda! I suspect that among Hillary's fans it is regarded as a masterstroke, while most conservatives are appalled.
