I didn't even catch the floating cross when I watched GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's greeting the first time, then looked back at it after reading some of the YouTube comments on the video. This is just brilliant use of subliminal advertising here!
This is not a "Merry Christmas" greeting from Mike Huckabee or his campaign. This is a political campaign commercial trying to masquerade itself as a Christmas greeting--Mike Huckabee even asks the viewers “Are you about worn out of all the television commercials you’ve been seeing, mostly about politics? I don’t blame you.” Mike Huckabee feels your Christmas pain--especially to the Iowa, New Hampshire, and perhaps even South Carolina voters where this ad may be playing on television stations there. So instead of telling the voters to vote for Mike Huckabee, Huckabee wishes them a "Merry Christmas" and hopes that those GOP voters will feel warm and cozy, and give Huckabee a late Christmas present by stuffing his stocking full with lots of ballots. And let us not forget the religious message here:
“At this time of year, sometimes it’s nice to pull aside from all of that and just remember that what really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ and being with our family and our friends.”
What really matters is the celebration of the birth of Christ. Is Huckabee saying that we should vote for him because he thinks it is more important to celebrate the birth of Christ now? Remember, Huckabee first said that you voters were getting "worn out of all the television commercials you’ve been seeing, mostly about politics." You know, those pesky political campaign commercials that are talking about the not-so-important issues like the war in Iraq, the economy, the mortgage mess, the budget deficit, immigration, abortion, gun control, employment--I could go on here. All those political issues are not as important as Huckabee's issue of celebrating the birth of Christ. And Huckabee's issue of celebrating the birth of Christ is the perfect political issue to target on the evangelicals, who are especially located in South Carolina. All of the religious and Christmas symbolism is there--Huckabee's red sweater, "Silent Night" playing in the background, the message of asking are you getting sick of the political commercials, Huckabee's emphasis of celebrating the birth of Christ, the floating cross, and perhaps even the three Christmas ornaments on the upper left side of the cross (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost? Or the Three Kings?).
It is the perfect anti-political, political message. And in one sense, it is scary because it could work with the southern evangelicals.
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