Candidates Lay The Smackdown
Has anyone seen the promotional videos from Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and John McCain that were posted Monday on WWE.com? Apparently the candidates were willing to try anything to get votes in the Pennsylvania primary, even if it meant reading awkward, canned statements littered with professional wrestling clichés. The videos, which were posted on the Web site and broadcast later on WWE’s Monday Night Raw, are part of WWE’s “Smackdown Your Vote!” campaign to encourage young voters to register.
I wonder how much of an impact the videos had, however, because all seemed incredibly inauthentic. It was obvious that they had been fed material from WWE producers. The candidates “named dropped” various WWE pay-per-view events, wrestlers and catch phrases. At one point, a hammy McCain even referred to his supporters as “McCainiacs” as he grumbled his way through his promo like a mix between Hulk Hogan and a senior citizen Ultimate Warrior.
Clinton’s delivery in her segment was stilted; I doubt she even took the time to rehearse what she was going to say. Apparently, her akward delivery didn’t stop her from winning Tuesday’s primary. Obama’s promo seemed the most authentic of the three, but that had more to do with his natural, conversational delivery than with what he actually said. He gave the impression that he was speaking off the cuff, rather than reading off of cue cards. I’ll admit that I even chuckled a bit when he looked at the camera and asked “Do you smell what Barack is cookin’?”
Check out the videos to see for yourself.
