Who Is IOZ?: Annals of Post-Election Politicking

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Annals of Post-Election Politicking

You know, I remember when this

happened and liberals were all like, America is Russia and Airstrip One and Korea and the Third Reich all at the same time.

But this

graphical tragedy and its attendant proliferation in windows and walls throughout the land indicates nothing but healthy excitement and respect.

61 comments:

Anonymous said...: The 'Hope' thing has that way cooler Socialist Realism look. Change! Believe it!
-- sglover; 11:35 AM
Christopher M. said...: As graphical abominations go, I think I prefer the one where Obama is channeling the spirit of Gaia through his ajna chakra.; 11:39 AM
AlanSmithee said...: From Dear Leader to Maximum Leader in less than a decade! Goddamn I love America!; 12:07 PM
drip said...: Hope, Ark; Bob Hope, Hopeless; 12:16 PM
Keifus said...: Well, I'm pretty sure Big Brother is white, so this is, like, totally different.; 12:37 PM
A Different Matt said...: See? You're finally coming around!; 12:46 PM
Tim said...: I get the overall point...but you don't see a significant difference between a poster of the President saying "HOPE" and a picture saying "OUR LEADER"? I know your a deep well of cynicism, but you are also smart. That difference should be fairly obvious.; 1:53 PM
Montag said...: oh, Tim! have you met SteveB?

the difference here is that the second example is aesthetically superior and more effective as propaganda. but it is still only kitsch: beauty deprived of Truth. otherwise they are the same. see also: coke/pepsi, red sox/yankees, etc.; 2:06 PM
Mr.Fundamental said...: I'm just not smart enough to detect that level of nuance, Tim.

Red Sox/Yankees?! fawk youze!!; 2:11 PM
Montag said...: "fawk youze!!"

i'm up here in red sox nation where it's, 'fahk ewe.'; 2:22 PM
Mr.Fundamental said...: yeahr; 2:30 PM
Alex said...: Tim, I think the picture itself, as well as how it's used, is saying "Our Leader" rather clearly.; 2:31 PM
erin4iraq said...: Oh lordy...

Can someone please find his birth certificate and figure out whether we can end this now?; 3:43 PM
Anonymous said...: a birth certificate truther and a pwoggie in love with obama in the same comments section...and they haven't addressed each other. come on guys, lets make this into every other internet site!; 6:12 PM
erin4iraq said...: birth certificate = loophole to get us out of mess (my only interest); 6:53 PM
Christopher said...: Hey, Obama's signs look better then Bushes. You really want to criticise him for not being an anarchist? He never claimed he wasn't an authoritarian scuzzbag, so it's really unfair to criticise him for it.

He's better then Bush, and that's all we can expect, and all that we deserve.; 8:10 PM
strasmangelo jones said...: He never claimed he wasn't an authoritarian scuzzbag, so it's really unfair to criticise him for it.

Now there's a novel line of thinking! You can't criticize Barack Obama for torturing and killing people, because after all, he never claimed he wasn't going to! (Except, of course, for those times when he did.) George Bush never claimed he wasn't going to kill six hundred thousand Iraqis, so it's unfair to hold that against him, either! Pol Pot never claimed he wasn't going to massacre millions in Cambodia, so why hold a little thing like that against him? If you make promise-breaking the world's only sin, any number of mass murderers, rapists and war criminals can be saints.; 8:40 PM
Schizo said...: Since I *know* what a fan you are of n+1:

http://nplusonemag.com/styles-radical-shill

http://nplusonemag.com/letters-radical-shill

tl;dr Shepard Fairey is a tool.; 8:58 PM
Montag said...: criticise him for not being an anarchist? He never claimed he wasn't an authoritarian scuzzbag

one might also note that no such criticism has been made in the op, or this thread. the veiled criticism here seems to be aimed at obamna's followers.; 12:06 AM
Coldtype said...: "birth certificate = loophole to get us out of mess (my only interest)"
-erin4iraq

What mess precious?; 12:51 AM
Anonymous said...: Technically, he's not "saying" HOPE.
He's not saying nothin'.
No one here doth diss 'erin4'.
Why hasn't anyone noticed the surveillance camera in the upper right corner?
Orwell would be so proud.
We're coming along nicely!

Mike; 9:27 AM
SteveB said...: So tell me: which major corporation paid for the Obama "Hope" billboard in the picture? Because Clear Channel paid for the "Our Leader" one.; 9:32 AM
Mr.Fundamental said...: ruh roh did he say eevil cooorporashunz? oh noes!; 9:40 AM
Christopher M. said...: Oh, SteveB, you are an endless delight.

My giant omnipresent "HOPE IS WATCHING YOU" billboards will be perfectly kosher, because they will be funded by a non-profit organization.; 10:08 AM
Agi said...: tl;dr Shepard Fairey is a tool.

Uh, yeah...after propagandizing for Obama he designed shopping bags for Saks Five Avenue and made posters of Lance Armstrong.

Fight the power!!!!; 10:49 AM
dhex said...: the difference is if a company pays for some sun king worship it's bad but when a group of people pool their money to do so, most likely through local democratic operatives, it's totally different because...um...

i got nothin'.; 11:19 AM
Frederick said...: It's morning in America...; 11:21 AM
Mr.Fundamental said...: but. . .but. . .5 0 1 C 3 MOTHERFUCKERS!

I loves me some pathos-laden corpo-responsibility caveated commercials on public radio! I might just buy a Prius. if I was gay.

I'll show you an ethos.; 11:33 AM
erin4iraq said...: Coldtype, did you just call me precious? Maybe I should complain to the White House Council on Women and Girls.

By the way, what's the difference between Jesus and Obama?

Jesus knew how to build a cabinet.; 12:05 PM
bill said...: Jeeze guys, I know you're all cynical and everything, but is it really fair to criticize Obama because his campaign tried to appeal to the rubes who actually get to cast votes? Don't we (and I'm looking at you IOZ) have to decide whether we're really cynics, who should applaud the man for finding a way to trick all those other dopes into voting him in, or [shudder] idealists, who want our leaders to run doomed but pure campaigns? Yeah, the sign and all the other iconography of Obamanism is stupid and grandiloquent, but duh.; 1:31 PM
IOZ said...: Musing in blog comments "is it really fair" is like wearing a turtleneck to a circuit party.; 1:45 PM
Mr.Fundamental said...: he peed on my rug.; 1:51 PM
bill said...: Pwned by IOZ; now i can die happy. I just hope Obama feels the same way, and will therefore dismantle the empire and the capitalist state, or whatever. (Altho i know, of course, that it's all meaningless.); 2:03 PM
bill said...: And why not wear a turtleneck to a circuit party (whatever that might be)? They're cool looking, and quite practical in this cold weather.; 2:16 PM
Mr.Fundamental said...: I am definitely not doing drugs with you, man.; 2:28 PM
bill said...: Not with a turtleneck on you're not!; 2:50 PM
mds said...: the difference is if a company pays for some sun king worship it's bad but when a group of people pool their money to do so, most likely through local democratic operatives, it's totally different because...um...

Er, well, I do think there is a difference. Not least because the grassroots group probably won't get anything tangible back from the Obama administration. But there actually is a slightly different power dynamic involved. (Sprinkle "synergy" and "leverage" somewhere in the previous sentence.)

But honestly, an awful lot of the people in my elite circle criticized the cult of personality, abuse of power, etc, etc, of GWB and also are less than worshipful and enthralled about Obama. We're not all Unqualified Offerings' "joe from Lowell" over here in happy socialistland.

And yes, I'm wearing a turtleneck right now. So there.; 3:16 PM
SteveB said...: My giant omnipresent "HOPE IS WATCHING YOU" billboards will be perfectly kosher, because they will be funded by a non-profit organization.

A nonprofit paid for the "Hope" billboard in the photo? Which one?

Look, the reason people were tossing around the f-word with regard to the "Our Leader" billboards was because they were put up by a media conglomerate who had already: 1) sponsored pro-war rallies at the beginning of the Iraq invasion and 2) had refused billboard space to anti-war groups. Kind of different from some individual deciding to waste his money on a giant "I love Obama" sign, don't you think?; 3:16 PM
catnapping said...: I confess. I still have my Obama 2008 campaign poster up in my window, and am loathe to remove it.

Obama is the first president I was actually glad to see make it into office. He wasn't my first choice...he's far right of Kucinich, but my GOD...for Clinton (clusterbombing brown middle-eastern kids? no problem!) or McBush to be in that office...I get sick just thinking of it.; 3:22 PM
Anonymous said...: this is the gift that keeps on giving.; 4:24 PM
Vernon Malcolm said...: http://www.johnhanson.net/ John Hanson (1715-1783) was the first president (1780-1783) of the United States under the Confederation before the Constitution gave power to the Oligarchs. He was an Oldenburg Moor, a black nobleman, and he, like, Elijah-Baptist-Mahdi-Elvis, went to heaven in a chariot of fire and never died. He has returned as Obama to end the evil Oligarchy! THis is why they could never find his birth certificate!; 6:45 PM
Anonymous said...: this place and its cynicism again leaving me unable to differentiate between satire and earnest idiots.; 6:59 PM
Montag said...: Scientist COMPLAINS Our Political Leaders Have IGNORED WARNING of Preventable Sun EXPLOSION this JULY 16, 2009

FIRST QUESTION "Why won't any of our elected leaders ask about a scientifically verifiable warning about a certain cataclysmic danger to all?".

Why is simple. They are all charter members of our Three Monkey Society(3MS) Leadership.

No 1st Cost List; 7:36 PM
erin4iraq said...: Vernon, that really helps. I feel better now. At least as long as he landed that chariot of fire somewhere in on American soil.; 7:43 PM
two to the fighting eighth power said...: I know it's a bit late, but in response to the first comment by sglover: This is not Socialist Realism at all, it's bad vector graphics that just begs for parodies like this one.

Examples of true Socialist Realism can be admired here, here or here.; 9:35 PM
Guess Who said...: Look, the reason people were tossing around the f-word with regard to the "Our Leader" billboards was because they were put up by a media conglomerate who had already: 1) sponsored pro-war rallies at the beginning of the Iraq invasion and 2) had refused billboard space to anti-war groups. Kind of different from some individual deciding to waste his money on a giant "I love Obama" sign, don't you think?

Uhh...umm...

Obamabot! StevieBaby Whaa Whaa! Demotard! Shut the fuck up, Donny! Pwoggie-bloggie-poo! Thanksralph!; 9:52 AM
Anonymous said...: Well, looks like SteveB has finally lost his already tenuous grasp on sanity...; 12:03 PM
Anonymous said...: THE CHINAMAN IS NOT THE ISSUE HERE!; 12:32 PM
dhex said...: "Er, well, I do think there is a difference. Not least because the grassroots group probably won't get anything tangible back from the Obama administration."

alternately, you're suggesting that a few thousand dollars spent on a billboard will get you pork back (presuming you're the right person) and i don't necessarily know if that jibes. alternately to my alternate, that means that buying into the national political process is a lot cheaper than i had thought.

more to the serious point, the scary part is the hero worship, the president as a redeeming figure who heals all wounds or some such rot. it's very easy for people to see why this is scary when the presidential candidate they backed isn't the guy up on the billboard.

the fancy-pants name for it is "the imperial presidency" but "bootlicking jerkoffs" isn't very helpful either.; 2:45 PM
AlanSmithee said...: "but "bootlicking jerkoffs" isn't very helpful either."

Just a whole fucking lot accurate.; 5:48 PM
dhex said...: incredibly accurate, yes, but not very helpful if you're trying to reach out to others.; 11:59 AM
mds said...: alternately, you're suggesting that a few thousand dollars spent on a billboard will get you pork back (presuming you're the right person) and i don't necessarily know if that jibes.

Yeah, 'cause God knows, a major media conglomerate like Clear Channel has no idea whatsoever which side its bread is buttered on. A major news conduit is also indistinguishable from a waiter with a bumper sticker in leverage over the public discourse.

And again, the honeymoon is going to have been a whole lot shorter for one of these guys. Because it's actually possible for otherwise-sensible people to have irrational exuberances that they later recover from. Both signs are disturbing symptoms of a very long-term tendency of executive worship in this country, but "Dear Leader" billboards and "Bush pledges" in 2004 took even more willful blindness than usual. I find getting worked up about "Change," on the other hand, to be somewhat understandable, even if the emotion seized upon a person rather than the idea itself.

Pretty weak tea, I admit. And not enough to save us from the jackboots. On the bright side, the economy is collapsing, so we might have a slightly harder time exporting American fascism. Because, uh, Germany didn't have any major economic problems in the 1930s. Oh, well.; 1:46 PM
haha said...: Look, the reason people were tossing around the f-word with regard to the "Our Leader" billboards was because they were put up by a media conglomerate who had already: 1) sponsored pro-war rallies at the beginning of the Iraq invasion and 2) had refused billboard space to anti-war groups.

Well, no. This is lame trolling even for SteveB.

The ownership by Clear Channel was noted from the start, but liberal blog discussions about the billboard insisted that the iconography of a giant presidential face was itself "fascist" or "dictatorial" and essentially un-American. Insofar as Clear Channel entered the discussion, the syllogism--implicit and occasionally explicit--was that only because Clear Channel sponsored the board could we have gotten such frighteningly reactionary iconography.

"The first thing I thought was, when was the last time I have seen a president on a billboard?" wrote resident Dianna Lawson. "Didn't Saddam Hussein have his picture up everywhere? What next, a statue?"

Thus the quotation from the Orlando Sentinel in the Kos blog entry. These sentiments were widely approved and endorsed elsewhere. The quotation regarding the iconic face of Big Brother was also a favorite riff.

Representative comments from the Kos thread:

"The 'Our Leader' Bush billboard in Orlando, FL is a distrubingly chilling reminder of the leaders of the past that put their visages up everywhere. Vladimir Lenin. Joseph Stalin. Pol Pot. Saddam Hussein. "

"Wasn 't I just reading that they are removing ubiquitous pictures of Kim Jong Il from various public places in North Korea? This is beyond disgusting."

"Repeat after me...Peron! Peron! Peron!"

"Anyone know lots of Germans who would e-mail Clear Channel? I'd love to see their faces when all them come up talking about the 'Der Furher' billboard."

See also here, here, here, etc.; 7:50 PM
Anonymous said...: People here seem to have missed the big picture. Bush would ask where Sally is if there was a fire.

"Where's Sally"? Bush would say if given the opportunity according to Peggy Noonan.

Who will ask about Sally now? Did Obama promise to ascertain Sally's whereabouts in a fire? HE MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT. So stop criticizing him for not asking about her.

STOP CRITICIZING OBAMA, YOU RACIST CYNICS, FOR NOT ASKING WHERE SALLY IS. HE NEVER SAID HE WOULD. THERE'S NO FIRE ANYWAY. HOW CAN PEOPLE BE SO HEARTLESS?

Thank you.; 12:50 PM
Anonymous said...: sheapard fairy is a douche.; 2:57 AM
Anonymous said...: Phentermine is the most commonly prescribed prescription appetite suppressant, accounting for 50% of the prescriptions. Part of this reason is because it's significantly cheaper than the other major FDA-approved diet drugs, Meridia and Xenical.
[url=http://www.buyphentermine1.com]cheap phentermine[/url]
As Phentermine is an older drug, no new efficacy trials have been conducted. The one notable exception, are several trials on the combination of Phentermine and Fenfluramine in the early and mid 1990s.
[url=http://www.buyphentermine1.com][img]http://www.phentermine.com/images/logo.jpg[/img]buy phentermine[/url] buy phentermine http://www.buyphentermine1.com
[url=http://www.norxbuy.com/acyclovir.php]buy acyclovir[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/carisoprodol.php]carisoprodol[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/cialis.php]cheap cialis[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/fioricet.php]buy fioricet[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/levitra.php]buy levitra[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/lipitor.php]lipitor[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/paxil.php]cheap paxil[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/prozac.php]prozac[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/viagra.php]viagra[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/soma.php]soma[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/xenical.php]xenical[/url] [url=http://www.norxbuy.com/tramadol.php]cheap tramadol[/url]
http://www.norxbuy.com/xenical.php http://www.norxbuy.com/soma.php http://www.norxbuy.com/levitra.php http://www.norxbuy.com/viagra.php http://www.norxbuy.com/prozac.php http://www.norxbuy.com/paxil.php http://www.norxbuy.com/lipitor.php http://www.norxbuy.com/fioricet.php http://www.norxbuy.com/xenical.php http://www.norxbuy.com/tramadol.php http://www.norxbuy.com/cialis.php http://www.norxbuy.com/carisoprodol.php http://www.norxbuy.com/acyclovir.php
Most people take the drug for 3-6 weeks; the length of treatment depends on how you respond to phentermine. Phentermine can be habit-forming. Do not take a larger dose, take it more often, or for a longer period than your doctor tells you to.

To prevent side effects, phentermine should be taken with meals. If you are taking an extended-release (long-acting) product, do not chew or crush the tablet. There are some tablets that can be crushed and mixed with food.; 8:33 PM
Toby said...: Thanks for your article, pretty useful piece of writing.
free games; 4:10 AM
Anonymous said...: computer software parts http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/it/product-21405/Itunes-Library-Manager-5-2-Mac computer aided software engineering case [url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/es/information-7/FAQ]grade 3 learning software for mac[/url] wholesale software with business forms
[url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/de/category-200-207/Programmierung-and-Entwicklung]Programmierung & Entwicklung - Download OEM, Software Sale, OEM Software[/url] windows profile transfer software
[url=http://buyoemsoftware.co.uk/fr/product-14086/MarsEdit-2-0-Mac][img]http://buyoem.co.uk/image/4.gif[/img][/url]; 9:04 PM
Emmet Murillo said...: Any Messenger Recorder can record sound being played back by any software, including internet pagers, messengers and Here we take a look at three digital voice recorders from Olympus which cover the spectrum of available types: A standard model which doesn't hook up to your computer, a mid-range model with more capacity and USB-connectivity, and a more Handheld voice recorders offer portability and convenience for office dictations, notes and reminders. Sony's latest generation of digital voice recorders is angled firmly at the consumer and student market with colourful finishes and MP3-playing abilities. A good quality telephone.; 11:29 PM
Anonymous said...: [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/hyzaar.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/10.jpg[/img][/url]
pharmacy dallas http://onlinemedistore.com/products/anafranil.htm pharmacy chicago [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/pamelor.htm]online pharmacy propecia[/url]
college pharmacy http://onlinemedistore.com/products/sublingual-cialis.htm live pharmacy continuing education ce [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/mentax.htm]mentax[/url]
one minute clinics at cvs pharmacy http://onlinemedistore.com/products/tofranil.htm sports nutrition pharmacy [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/cytotec.htm]pharmacy abbreviation taken at bedtime[/url]
total pain solution pharmacy http://onlinemedistore.com/catalogue/v.htm university of washington school of pharmacy [url=http://onlinemedistore.com/products/diabecon.htm]diabecon[/url]; 7:26 PM
Anonymous said...: [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/viagra-soft-tabs.htm][img]http://onlinemedistore.com/1.jpg[/img][/url]
what pharmacy sells chantix cheaper http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/eriacta.htm pharmacy reviews epainmedsglobal epmg order company credit [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/flovent.htm]williams brothers pharmacy[/url]
treasure coast pharmacy lucie fla http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/karela.htm pharmacy letter [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/zocor.htm]zocor[/url]
koplitz deal pharmacy http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/catalogue/q.htm ravens pharmacy australia [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/atacand.htm]cvs pharmacy extra care card[/url]
ks laws pharmacy tech http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/categories/anti-diabetic.htm canadian pharmacy tailandia [url=http://certifiedpharmacy.co.uk/products/elavil.htm]elavil[/url]; 2:01 PM

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Annals of Post-Election Politicking

61 comments:

Axis Mundi

About Me

Hypocrites Lecteurs, Semblables, et Frères

Archive