Time Magazine: Did McCain Ad Compare Obama to the Antichrist?

Brainster · 8th August 2008, 12:18 PM

Hilarious:

Quote:

As the ad begins, the words "It should be known that in 2008 the world shall be blessed. They will call him The One" flash across the screen. The Antichrist of the Left Behind books is a charismatic young political leader named Nicolae Carpathia who founds the One World religion (slogan: "We Are God") and promises to heal the world after a time of deep division. One of several Obama clips in the ad features the Senator saying, "A nation healed, a world repaired. We are the ones that we've been waiting for."

Well, you know how it is; if Obama doesn't want to be compared to Carpathia, he should stop cribbing lines from him.

As Ross Douthat notes, this comes from the magazine that not once, but twice, put Obama on the cover with a halo around his head:

And no, I'm not saying that Time is trying to portray Obama as godlike; just pointing out that it's the same kind of "logic" being employed in this article.

I like Douthat's take:

Quote:

...the people who think Obama might be the Antichrist and the people who think the McCain campaign is cannily designing its campaign ads to exploit fears that Obama might be the Antichrist deserve each other. (The difference, of course, is that the former group consists of minor-league kooks, obscure bloggers and chain-email peddlers, whereas the latter consists of Democratic strategists and writers for Time Magazine

More here from the Wall Street Journal, which quotes the aptly-named Eric Sapp:

Quote:

"Short of 666, they used every single symbol of the antichrist in this ad," said Mr. Sapp, who advises Democrats on reaching out to faith communities. "There are way too many things to just be coincidence."

Elaborate, please, Mr Sapp? What are the symbols of the antichrist?

The Boston Globe got reassuring statements from Left Behind author Tim LaHaye that he does not believe Obama is the Antichrist.

Quote:

I can see by the language he uses why people think he could be the antichrist, but from my reading of scripture, he doesn't meet the criteria. There is no indication in the Bible that the antichrist will be an American.

Whew! I was worried there for a moment!

Meanwhile others have found another subliminal message in another McCain ad:

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Did you catch it? At about 5 seconds in, the ad shows two magazines stacked together so that we see OBAMAOBAMA running together. Yes, very cunningly, the McCain campaign has hidden the word "MAO" in there! Greg Sargent is tantalized:

Quote:

As TPM Reader ES notes, the mag covers appear to have been stacked to create the name "Mao." And as he says, this comes just when we're all watching the Olympics and seeing all of those bio pics of him, and it's the only cover stacked in that manner.

But he does note it's "slightly paranoid".

corplinx · 8th August 2008, 08:28 PM

When I was a christian, there were parents who found satanic symbols in every kids cartoon and in all rock music.

Seek and ye shall find.

sophia8 · 9th August 2008, 04:10 AM

Brainster, the Left Behind series are extremely popular amongst blue-collar US evangelicals; the latest book is apparently at no 1 in the NYT list.

Quote:

Having written more than 70 books each, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have been regularly producing bestsellers with the Left Behind series. The series products have sold more than 60 million copies. The Indwelling, The Mark, Desecration, The Remnant and Armageddon all debuted at number one on the best-seller lists of The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and The Wall Street Journal. Desecration was also the top-selling hardcover novel in 2001. The latest book, Glorious Appearing, along with every other book of the series have hit the bestseller lists.

It's spawned films and spin-offs, including an equally popular series for children. An awful lot of people believe that the LB series is actually an updating of the end-time prophecies in the Book of Revelations (never mind that Revelations doesn't even mention the Anti-Christ, or practically anything else in the series).
The ad uses the same typeface that the left Behind book covers use, along with the same imagery and language. It points out the similarity between the series' Anti-Christ (Carpathia) and Obama both are charismatic, handsome, charming, intelligent, well-educated and have foreign connections. There is no doubt that it is intended to appeal to the millions of Left Behind readers who actually believe in the Anti-Christ and End Times, and convince them that Obama is the foretold Anti-Christ.

Brainster · 9th August 2008, 08:00 AM

Originally Posted by sophia8

Brainster, the Left Behind series are extremely popular amongst blue-collar US evangelicals; the latest book is apparently at no 1 in the NYT list. It's spawned films and spin-offs, including an equally popular series for children. An awful lot of people believe that the LB series is actually an updating of the end-time prophecies in the Book of Revelations (never mind that Revelations doesn't even mention the Anti-Christ, or practically anything else in the series).

I am familiar with the series, even slogged through the first book before giving it up as hopelessly dull.

Quote:

The ad uses the same typeface that the left Behind book covers use

Oh, really? Here's the typeface used in the ad:

Here's the cover of the latest LB novel:

They are similar, but clearly not the same. The font in the ad is shorter and fatter than the font used on the books. The E and the S are quite different, although the R is similar.

Quote:

, along with the same imagery and language.

Nobody denies that the ad is about religion, and the books are about religion. Hence they will use similar imagery and language. The light shining through the clouds is a very common religious image.

Quote:

It points out the similarity between the series' Anti-Christ (Carpathia) and Obama both are charismatic, handsome, charming, intelligent, well-educated and have foreign connections. There is no doubt that it is intended to appeal to the millions of Left Behind readers who actually believe in the Anti-Christ and End Times, and convince them that Obama is the foretold Anti-Christ.

There is no doubt? Nice skepticism there! The fact that Carpathia and Obama are charismatic, handsome, etc., is true, and has nothing to do with the ad. If you accept that the ad is intended to evoke the LB series, then you can bring in the claimed similarities.

If the ad compares Obama to anybody, it's to Moses, who's one of the good guys in the Bible (and ironically played by Charlton Heston, generally revered by religious conservatives).

Nope, this is a case where a cigar is just a cigar.

Texas · 9th August 2008, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Time Magazine: Did McCain Ad Compare Obama to the Antichrist?

No but AMC played Omen 3 last night. It's a conspiracy for sure.

ProbeX · 11th August 2008, 02:09 AM

A panicked smear campaign is the only card McCain has left to play. If you can't argue issues and you're jealous of the attention your opponent is getting, get ugly.

Once upon a time McCain vowed not to run such a campaign. But that was a few months ago so maybe he lost his bearings and it slipped his mind, like everything else.

8th August 2008, 08:28 PM	#2
corplinx JREF Kid Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 8,944	When I was a christian, there were parents who found satanic symbols in every kids cartoon and in all rock music. Seek and ye shall find.
corplinx JREF Kid Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 8,944	__________________ In the tradition of "Stop Silvia!" Stop Hal Bidlack: http://skepticalcommunity.com/forums...hp?f=1&t=28671

9th August 2008, 04:10 AM	#3
sophia8 Master Poster Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: In the dark, dark forest.... Posts: 2,254	Brainster, the Left Behind series are extremely popular amongst blue-collar US evangelicals; the latest book is apparently at no 1 in the NYT list. Quote: Having written more than 70 books each, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins have been regularly producing bestsellers with the Left Behind series. The series products have sold more than 60 million copies. The Indwelling, The Mark, Desecration, The Remnant and Armageddon all debuted at number one on the best-seller lists of The New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly and The Wall Street Journal. Desecration was also the top-selling hardcover novel in 2001. The latest book, Glorious Appearing, along with every other book of the series have hit the bestseller lists. It's spawned films and spin-offs, including an equally popular series for children. An awful lot of people believe that the LB series is actually an updating of the end-time prophecies in the Book of Revelations (never mind that Revelations doesn't even mention the Anti-Christ, or practically anything else in the series). The ad uses the same typeface that the left Behind book covers use, along with the same imagery and language. It points out the similarity between the series' Anti-Christ (Carpathia) and Obama both are charismatic, handsome, charming, intelligent, well-educated and have foreign connections. There is no doubt that it is intended to appeal to the millions of Left Behind readers who actually believe in the Anti-Christ and End Times, and convince them that Obama is the foretold Anti-Christ.
	__________________ "Nature is floods and famines and earthquakes and viruses and little blue-footed booby babies getting their brains pecked out by their stronger siblings! ....Nature doesn't care about me, or about anybody in particular - nature can be terrifying! Why do they even put words like 'natural' on products like shampoo, like it's automatically a good thing? I mean, sulfuric acid is natural!" -Julia Sweeney Last edited by sophia8; 9th August 2008 at 04:13 AM.

9th August 2008, 08:00 AM	#4
Brainster Penultimate Amazing Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 10,427	Originally Posted by sophia8 Brainster, the Left Behind series are extremely popular amongst blue-collar US evangelicals; the latest book is apparently at no 1 in the NYT list. It's spawned films and spin-offs, including an equally popular series for children. An awful lot of people believe that the LB series is actually an updating of the end-time prophecies in the Book of Revelations (never mind that Revelations doesn't even mention the Anti-Christ, or practically anything else in the series). I am familiar with the series, even slogged through the first book before giving it up as hopelessly dull. Quote: The ad uses the same typeface that the left Behind book covers use Oh, really? Here's the typeface used in the ad: Here's the cover of the latest LB novel: They are similar, but clearly not the same. The font in the ad is shorter and fatter than the font used on the books. The E and the S are quite different, although the R is similar. Quote: , along with the same imagery and language. Nobody denies that the ad is about religion, and the books are about religion. Hence they will use similar imagery and language. The light shining through the clouds is a very common religious image. Quote: It points out the similarity between the series' Anti-Christ (Carpathia) and Obama both are charismatic, handsome, charming, intelligent, well-educated and have foreign connections. There is no doubt that it is intended to appeal to the millions of Left Behind readers who actually believe in the Anti-Christ and End Times, and convince them that Obama is the foretold Anti-Christ. There is no doubt? Nice skepticism there! The fact that Carpathia and Obama are charismatic, handsome, etc., is true, and has nothing to do with the ad. If you accept that the ad is intended to evoke the LB series, then you can bring in the claimed similarities. If the ad compares Obama to anybody, it's to Moses, who's one of the good guys in the Bible (and ironically played by Charlton Heston, generally revered by religious conservatives). Nope, this is a case where a cigar is just a cigar.
	__________________ My new blog: Recent Reads. 1960s Comic Book Nostalgia Visit the Screw Loose Change blog. Last edited by Brainster; 9th August 2008 at 08:02 AM.

9th August 2008, 07:39 PM	#5
Texas Master Poster Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,847	Quote: Time Magazine: Did McCain Ad Compare Obama to the Antichrist? No but AMC played Omen 3 last night. It's a conspiracy for sure.
Texas Master Poster Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 2,847

11th August 2008, 02:09 AM	#6
ProbeX Graduate Poster Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,443	A panicked smear campaign is the only card McCain has left to play. If you can't argue issues and you're jealous of the attention your opponent is getting, get ugly. Once upon a time McCain vowed not to run such a campaign. But that was a few months ago so maybe he lost his bearings and it slipped his mind, like everything else.
ProbeX Graduate Poster Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,443