"Hit Men" was developed by the same creative team who brought us the marvelous "I'm a Democrat" parodies of the hip & funny by themselves PC v. Mac ads.
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If I should delete the embedded image link pls let me know-I've read the site faq & asked on three different open threads if this is okay, it's unclear to me & I will change the link if instructed to.
more of their fabulous work:
Democrat/Republican II: Country
Democrat/Republican VIII: Taking a Beating
I'm definitely waiting for britethorn & co to deploy "YOU ARE COMING TO A SAD REALIZATION" in one of these!!
Warning: Spoilers Abound Ahead
Chicago is after all the the city that brought us sketch comedy genius & soon to be home of Yearly Kos II––
Someone more studied than I could write a terrific piece reflecting on Marshall McLuhan's observation that "the medium is the message" here. If we are becoming the media then I just want to single this effort out for high praise for quality, sheer creativity & a certain tapping into the zeitgeist that can't be denied- this is grassroots at it's very best!
"Hit Men" is a three minute long youtube video that depicts the average Democratic voter kidnapped off the street (in a hybrid!) by unknown men who turn out to be pollsters out to pick his brain. Thanks to intrusive data-mining practices, they know everything about him. The pollsters interrogate Mr. Riley in a warehouse. He is hooded & restrained, tied & chained to a chair, under bright lights. The pollsters brandish a laptop loaded with images of the Democratic primary field (plus Joe Lieberman) which they show him one by by one, to get his reaction. Riley points out it is painfully early to start the presidential primary season & begs for mercy.
Homer Simpson is briefly referenced - Riley "likes him," but he's the only one. The pollsters can't come up with anyone that pleses Riley. Loud screaming is heard from the next torture chamber- from "The Average Republican Voter" the pollsters explain, saying they must have gotten to the part where the Republican pollsters show a photo of Jeb Bush.
Riley blurts out that he "hates politicians" which gives the pollsters pause. They know they can't publish a poll saying the average democratic voter hates politicians!!! They play with the idea of showing him non-politicians- George Clooney, George Takei (Star Trek)... Finally they show Riley a photo of Wesley Clark, saying "He's not a politican!"
Riley speaks one of those shouldn't say it out louds: "I hate guys in the military...." to the shock of all, and a hilarious breakdown & I can out yellow ribbon you fest occurs... Just watch it. You'll see!
It may or may not speak to you, but it speaks for me!
People as a whole really are tired of politics as usual, of the usual suspects- of politicians- politicians, it can be said fairly, got us into a lot of these messes- and many of those now present on the national staqe vying for the presidency are or were at least bit players in creating some of these messes. Short of Richardson & Clark, they also strike me as very short on answers.
So too as closely as I've followed the 08 thing, there's a certain tunnel vision & hyper focus on the top spot that is frankly wearying & the whole prom king/queen thing just isn't serving us. Put that together with an often lazy Fourth Estate & the kind of sheepley-groupthink-lemmingness of our soundbite, pop-culture balloons & confetti approach to politics & seeing "Hit Men" is like a long, cool drink of water. It's funny cause it's true.
For those offended by the comic treatment of one's POTUS pick, relax. This piece makes fun of the entire spectrum of the democratic party from our former first lady to the voters & pollsters & the whole sometimes tragically sad machinery that resulted in that little oooppsie of our catastrophically failureific frontloaded windsurfing nomination process last time round.
And remember, this is improv where actors put themselves in a stream of consciousness sort of mode
To me this kind of risk taking, ground breaking comedy gets us to a new destination at warp speed, if you will- to a place where passionate citizens who happen to be Democrats look out the field and think not only of the primary, but look ahead to the general election and then look even further ahead to phenomenon like global warming & the drawing down in the Middle East.
And come on, don't be mad about the Al Gore robot joke- it was low hanging comedy fruit. :)
Hit Men credits: by britethorn
Directed by John Bruder, Written by John Kramer
Produced by Mike Conway, Music by Chad Krueger, Starring Matt Craig, Andy St. Clair and Alex Fendrich
Lost in Space visual reference
I don't know the people who made this personally but I really admire their work & I hope they come out to Yearly Kos as presenters- the same way we had Tom Tomorrow & so much talent from Laughing Liberally. They've certainly showed their mettle!
So pass it around- give it a digg, or stumbleupon& see if we can share some laughs along the way!!!
for reference: the cast of Lost in Space