Is all this talk about Obama being the savior of America – the man who can bridge the gap between the races, heal the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and return America to the good old days of grovelling at the feet of the UN and other tyrants going to the candidate’s head?
I swear to God this is one the creepier things I’ve ever seen in politics.
Obama was at a meeting with Democratic governors yesterday here in Chicago. John Broder of the Caucus Blog gives us the details:
At a discussion with a dozen Democratic governors in Chicago on Friday morning, each of the governors was identified with a small name plate but Senator Barack Obama sat behind a low rostrum to which was attached an official-looking seal no one had seen before.It is emblazoned with a fierce-looking eagle clutching an olive branch in one claw and arrows in the other and is deliberately reminiscent of the official seal of the president of the United States. Around the top border are the words “Obama for America;” across the bottom is the campaign’s Web address. It also contains the logo of the Obama campaign, variously interpreted as a sunrise or a view down an open road.
Just above the eagle’s head are the words “Vero Possumus,” roughly translated “Yes we can.” Not exactly E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), the motto on the presidential seal and the dollar bill. Then again, Mr. Obama is not the president.
You’re right, John. Mr. Obama is not the president. And while the US Senate has their own seal, I don’t recall individual senators adopting personal seals for their own use.
Now there are several different ways we can interpret this. Is Obama pulling our leg a little about this messiah crap? Is this kind of an inside joke in the campaign? Did some overzealous, true believing staffer stick this on the podium and Obama never saw it?
Or does Obama believe that he has achieved a special status in America and is deserving of his very own seal to proclaim such?
Broder mentioned the seal’s similarity to the Presidential Seal. Courtesy of CNN, here they are side by side:
Would someone (and I’m sure one of my polite, erudite trolls will oblige me) tell me I’m full of crap and me getting creeped out over this – seeing it as a sign of megalomania – is just a product of my intense dislike of the candidate and nothing to get my panties in a twist over?
Some of my righty friends are taking this very seriously. My buddy Mac:
As I noted before the seal shows what appears to be an eagle in retreat with it’s back turned on the Flag. Couple this with Obama’s desire to “Remake” and “Disarm” America and we have all the reason in the world to be alarmed and ask questions.
Frankly, I don’t see that. It appears the eagle is facing the same way on both the Presidential Seal and Obama’s seal. You might note that the Obama seal’s eagle is missing the ribbon in its beak found on the Presidential Sea. The writing on the ribbon is “E Pluribus Unum” or “Out of Many, One” which is a fine motto for a republic. On the other hand, “Yes we can” – found in Latin above the Obama eagle – is the kind of motto geeky kids in Latin class would have put on a parody seal – the kind of inside joke that only the geeky kids who knew Latin would get.
Definitely creepy – and pretentious. The motto is so banal and saccharine sweet that translating it into Latin and sticking it on a faux presidential seal can only be seen as an attempt to attach more gravitas to a candidate than he deserves. And perhaps that’s the ultimate reason for the entire exercise.
Interestingly, Mac has a screen shot of the seal as the background template for Obama’s website so this thing didn’t just drop out of the blue.
Now, admittedly, on the Moran Distraction to Nuclear Detonation Scale© of 1-10 where the lower the number, the closer to a true campaign distraction (rather than a distraction the candidate claims any incident to be) this one registers about a 3. I just find it interesting that Obama would feel the need or think it would boost his campaign, or otherwise advance his candidacy to have his very own “Obamaland Seal.”
It still creeps me out.
8:31 am
It totally creeps me out. The “eagle’s head and beak look like something from the dinosaur age or else he could not afford a good artist. We all know what happened to the dinosaurs and we also know Obama has a lot of money. He is demonstrating his arrogance and the presumption that he will be president while showing you that he has taken the soaring Eagle down, blatantly shoved it in your face and contemptuously believes we are all to dense to notice.
8:54 am
Rick, if you will look at the screen grab of the eagle on Obama’s web site you will notice that the eagle has it’s back toward you with it’s wings spread. The eagle’s head is facing right, as if poised to take flight AWAY from you. Not so with this new one. The eagle is facing toward you, chest in front.
Now to this newest arrogance of the Obama campaign. This entire Obama seal was designed for one thing; the subliminal message it gives. It is called a “hook” in the advertising world. It is designed to make you see Obama and think “presidential”. To begin to equate him with the office of President in your mind. Case in point: Carona beer has a commercial with two people sitting on the beach with Caroans. What do you see? You see an ugly fat guy coming out of the water through the Carona bottles while to the left you see the very pretty legs of a woman. Subliminal message? if you drink Carona, you are the guy with the pretty woman enjoying beautiful beaches and not the ugly, fat guy.
Obama has to be given credit for one thing; he is the finest PR campaign since CokaCola. He is a marketing gimmic. There is no “there” there, so he is being marketed in a way that no other presidential candidate ever has been.
While other candidate have slogans, few have had such distinctive logos as Obama has with the big O showing a setting sun (some may equate it with a rising sun) and the line swipes depicting the earth. I say setting sun because that is what I think this nation will be under an Obama administration. The setting sun of a once great nation that didn’t buy into hype and emptyness with no substance.
The fawning media, who has basically chose our candidates for us this election cycle, will never bother to point out that Obama’s words and actions don’t match his own personal life. While his wife tells us that we should all go into public service, they live in a $1.65 mil mansion. While he tells students they will get a free education but will be required to do public works for that education, he is saying “I will force you to be part of the Obama youth”. While he says “this is not the man I have known for years” no one bothers to check out that Exelon, the parent company of ComEd, once run by his [casual] friend’s, William Ayers, father has donated $236,211 to his campaign. Or while he says he is not beholding to special interests, the international banking industry who benefits when the U.S. has a lagging economy, is well represented on his campaign donators heavy hitter list (Goldman Sachs, UBS AG, JP Morgan, Citigrou, Lehman Bros., Morgan Stanley). While he claims to not have lobbyists working for him the truth is that he has many lobbyists working for him, they are just all STATE lobbyists. So he can say with some honesty he is not employing K Street lobbyists.
This new Obama “seal” speaks to his arrogance. That he assumes he should have the office of POTUS because only he can lead us out of the darkness and so he is going to give us visual proof.
It is not just the “seal” that should creep you out. It is the whole campaign of a man who will attempt to drastically change the whole system of the government in a nation once known as the United States of America.
9:04 am
I find it disturbing to say the least. And isn’t it odd that the one who is supposed to bring us together would remove from the seal the one phrase that means ‘Unity’?
9:04 am
This is the sort of logo I used to design when I was five years old and planning on being Dictator of the World. I got over it.
Why? You’d be a great Dictator of the World.
ed.
9:13 am
As one of those polite, erudite trolls let me say I find this f—-ing weird. (How’s that for erudite?) Someone in the campaign needs a long vacation.
9:36 am
[...] Rick Moran: The motto is so banal and saccharine sweet that translating it into Latin and sticking it on a faux presidential seal can only be seen as an attempt to attach more gravitas to a candidate than he deserves. And perhaps that’s the ultimate reason for the entire exercise. [...]
9:44 am
Can you imagine what would have happened if George W. Bush had come out with this type of seal while Bill Clinton was still president? And while he and Al Gore/John Kerry were in a campaign for the office this seal represents?
The gall of the Obama campapign is stunning. I am not only creeped out by it, I am questioning the sanity of the Obama campaign.
9:45 am
Taking in the totality of Obama’s political positions (if you can possibly divine them) and his longstanding associations, is Obama really “for America”?
I really don’t think he is. Much improvement needs to be made, but not his idea of improvement.
Despite his newest general election ad, he’s an AINO—American in name only. I really don’t want him in my life.
9:50 am
[...] Right Wing Nut House: Now there are several different ways we can interpret this. Is Obama pulling our leg a little about this messiah crap? Is this kind of an inside joke in the campaign? Did some overzealous, true believing staffer stick this on the podium and Obama never saw it? [...]
10:56 am
I’ve gone from thinking this guy was just an Idiotic (which he is), Arrogant (which he is) self-centered (which he is) Marxist (which he is) Muslim-practicing “Taqiyah” (which he clearly is) Clown (which he is); to now believing he may be the most dangerous Politician, to and against America, that I’ve seen in my lifetime.
He makes the Left’s previous traitorous trio of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and John Kerry, look downright Patriotic, normal, honest and trustworthy by comparison.
This is no longer funny, this guy has got to be stopped…
11:35 am
Incredible symbolism in what has been removed for Obambi’s faux Presidential seal. Wipe out the 13 flags and clouds of the original colonies… eliminate the 50 State stars and any hint of Constitutional Federalism. Nope, no hint of history nor recognition of today’s system, just OBAMA for AMERICA and nothing but open road ahead.
The eagle’s head, by the way, is identical to Nazi artwork depictions… Google that and get the creeps.
I guess the message is “Yes, we can, if we just make Obama Dictator of America.”
12:21 pm
[...] faux Presidential seal for himself? Does Obama actually think that he is deserving of his own seal? Is this creepy or is it symbolic of the Obama campaign? Please tell me that Obama does not actually believe the [...]
12:53 pm
I actually think its pretty silly myself. Two things can happen now. Either he stops using it within a week’s time, or McCain comes out with his own. Let’s see what happens…
1:08 pm
The Weekly Standard says Obamaland’s “Great Seal of Barack” may have broken the law: http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/06/is_obamas_great_seal_illegal_1.asp
1:10 pm
The Obama campaign posters and pictures have always creeped me out. I swear I think they have some left-wing artist working over there because it all looks too much like stylized propaganda to me.
1:26 pm
Saturday morning links…
It’s going to be a busy weekend, so there’s not much time for blogging, but I wanted to leave you with a couple of interesting links to follow: First, it seems the Harbinger of Hope, Change, and Waffles can’t wait…
1:50 pm
Dale in Atlanta
As usual, your hissy-fit rantings are irrelevant, ignorant and incoherent.
2:45 pm
“Starting” to creep you out? I was creeped out months ago. Clearly, all the fawning, fainting and adoration has gone to his head.
3:17 pm
Hey DrKrbyLuv, you mean to say you don’t find Dale in Atlanta hilarious?
3:32 pm
Moving Day Links…
We’re moving into our new condo today, which is why I haven’t been around the last couple days. Here are a few stories I enjoyed this morning to keep you busy until Monday: There’s a great story at American Thinker,...
3:46 pm
@Dave Turson: if the Obama Seal does violate the law, what do you want to bet that any mention of the illegality will be smoothly rebuffed with the race card?
What I’m waiting for, assuming that The Messiah wins in November, is some sort of push to get rid of that pesky amendment to the Constitution that would limit us to a mere 8 years of the Lightbringer. Because, you know, the Constitution is a living document that couldn’t have possibly taken such an enlightened being into consideration.
6:55 pm
DrKrbyLuv Said:
1:50 pm
Dale in Atlanta
As usual, your hissy-fit rantings are irrelevant, ignorant and incoherent.
Surabaya Stew Said:
3:17 pm
Hey DrKrbyLuv, you mean to say you don’t find Dale in Atlanta hilarious?
Typical comments from the Anti-American/Pro-Jihadi Leftst Delusional Democratic Traitor Nutbag Crowd™!
‘Nuff said…
7:08 pm
Oddly, when I first saw this Obama-seal, the first thing I thought of was that the shade of blue that was used seemed to make it fit so well into the 1984 Apple Macintosh commercial.
1:53 am
Has their ever been a president or a candidate that has not freaked Americans out? Can you name one?
2:01 am
P.S.
I’m going to take a wild guess that you’re all white, not that anything is wrong with that. But I can’t imagine Black people or any people of color seeing Obama as “arrogant.”
He isn’t any scarier than any other presidental candidate. He’s inheriting quite a monster if he is elected.
By the way America has not been America for quite a few years. That you haven’t noticed is surreal.
2:40 am
Rick,
I think that the thing that bothers me most about this seal and many other elements of the Obama campaign will be the reaction of his adherents. They will adopt the symbol as their own and fawn over him that much more. The shallowness of the message escapes them. The significance of the symbol will also.
My local network news affiliates report on both campaigns as if they are running a nightly commercial for Sen. Obama. Every major web presence that is geared towards younger voters, such as Digg, Yahoo and Google news pages,Boing Boing,YouTube,MySpace and even Wikipedia are all pro-Obama outlets while showcasing disdain for Sen. McCain.
The Obama supporters, including a legion of young voters, will take this seal their own. It is lost on them.
2:42 am
gee…
don’t you have something better to do?
The Iraq war so far did cost more than 300 billion dollars – and what good have we gotten from it?
And now you want to elect one of the guys who got it all started?
10:27 am
The good news is that some Obamabots have been broken from the Borg-like spell! We just need more people to use their brains and break free from the cultish atmosphere of the campaign crazies – like the guy in the following video link!
Buyers Remorse – An Obama Supporter Now Has Doubts Video
11:34 am
[...] by regularron on June 22, 2008 That the the Kool-Aid drinkers of the Republican Blogosphere won’t report. Or more reasons why the So-Called Conservative movement is [...]
4:28 pm
Can anyone tell me why a man with one black African parent (he was born in Kenya) and one white American parent (she is from a ‘typical’ Anglo-Celtic background) is defined as being only black? Surely he is about as perfectly mixed as anyone could be.
This is important, because the ‘black camp’ touts their need for a black candidate as an antidote for white racism and prejudice. Interesting, given Obama Sr’s reaction to the mixed race wedding: “He didn’t want the Obama blood sullied by a white woman, Obama recalls his mother saying.”
Right back at you, guys! The whole deal, including the cheesy seal in question, should be ringing alarm bells from one end of the Republic to the other.
2:21 pm
Its a bit creepy, but is not in the same league as Al Gore creepy. That knuckle-dragger actually had his crotch airbrushed to look bigger for the cover of a magazine (I think Rolling Stone).
Now THAT is creepy.
Maybe BO just want a Coat-of-Arms, but doesn’t have British ancestry.
9:07 am
You guys are HILARIOUS!
You are SO going to lose this election cycle.
This is all you’ve got?
Well, if that’s the case, then as your own “messiah” once said(he was promoted as the instrument of Jesus in the 2004 election, after all) “bring it on”!
LOL
6:38 pm
Vero Possumus” means True Vermin. How fitting.
2:31 am
All I have to say is this, nominate John Mccane(200 years old) and watch America become the next ancient civilization right before your very eyes.
7:35 pm
Is Obama going to be stopped..? by whom.. He has a flock/cult following of followers who do not think for themselves! in his own words ” you will see a light, a light will shine on you and you will tell yourself, I have to vote for Barack Obama” ... did the light shine on all those people in Denver.. so that they were “zapped” much like Men in Black where they have lost all notion of what this man stands for! He is not qualified to lead this great notion no matter what someone wants to attribute to him as qualifications.. blacks are voting for him because he is black.. (even though he has not stood for the black community.. which is what upset Jesse Jackson and there’s someone who is least has spoken about black issues.. Barack is being followed by zombies.. and this seal.. shows. he himself is delusional.. is he going to develop a World Seal for himself.. now.. or is that the emblem of his campaign… ?... God help us! I pray for an awakening of the American people before Nov 4 or our Nation is headed toward a disaster of unlike we have ever seen!