Introduction
www.dailykos.com/...
When I not to write anything about actual current political events, in part because on the major subjects in the news I have nothing original to say, I sometimes end finding topics nobody (as far as I can tell) is writing about. I am interested in advertising and how commercials manipulate people by playing on their gullibility. See my diary about Prevagen (right).
In fact once when I took what turned out to be a 2 ½ year break from undergraduate school and was living in Manhattan I almost got a job in the mailroom of a major New York ad agency. I had visions of being recognized for my creative brilliance and would have wanted to work my way up to being like Don Draper had Mad Men existed at the time.
I don’t begrudge no longer famous athletes and actors from making a few extra bucks from being featured in television commercials. I prefer it when the ones who are multi-millionaires confine themself to making public service ads.
The two ads I see the most frequently feature Joe Namath and Jimmie “JJ” Walker, both of whom do ads for a Medicare Coverage Helpline. If you watch live broadcast shows on MSNBC you’ve probably seen them dozens of times. The runner up is Tom Selleck and his reverse mortgage ads.
Above: Joe Namath is so well known all that is needed is his face. Alas, poor Jimmie has to have photos of himself as J.J. Evans, a sign saying “GOOD TIMES”, and the tag line from that show, Dyn-O-Mite, on the wall behind him to remind viewers of what he is famous for.
Since the insurance ads seemed to be public service announcements I looked up Medicare Helpline and found the article “The Medicare Advantage scam and beyond” which also had a link to a Daily Kos story.
Excerpt: Kay Tillow writes for Daily Kos about the “Medicare Advantage scam” and beyond. She explains that these for-profit health plans that deliver Medicare benefits are using stars like Joe Namath to mislead people into signing up for coverage that very well might not meet their needs if they get sick or need a lot of costly care. Medicare Advantage plans, in fact, could keep them from accessing critical care.
Mike Ditka has also done these ads. Read “When Mike Ditka and Joe Namath offer health insurance guidance.”
Namath has done commercials for 40 years:
Jimmy Walker has also ads for at least one other company.
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Jimmy Walker’s net worth is presently listed as $800,000. He’s a pauper compared to Joe Namath who is worth $25 million. I am certain there a story, possibly a sad story, about why he doesn’t have at least a few million salted away and needs to supplement his income.
Currently Joe Namath has weighed in on Black Lives Matter. Here’s an article: Joe Namath defends NFL protesters: 'Look up the definition of oppression'. Still, compared to other sports icons most notably Muhammad Ali, he has remain comparatively silent on current politics. See, for example,” Joe Namath weighs in on NFL protests during national anthem” and “ Jets legend Joe Namath gives his thoughts on North Korea and Russia on Fox News panel with Karl Rove.”
I am often surprised by what I find when I do research of a diary. Check this short video out: “Joe Namath” with Donald Trump | Commercial – NY Jets
Here Namath is talking about the first Super Bowl woman referee:
In contrast we have this ‘Good Times’ Star Jimmie Walker Supports Trump, Defends Bill Maher” and this: “Sad Times! Jimmie Walker, ‘It’s Just The Big Cities That Hate Trump’ — The 'Good Times' actor continues to disappoint us all.”
This is what Wikipedia says about his political positions:
According to an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show on June 27, 2012, Walker stated he has never been married nor fathered children, but has had many girlfriends. Walker appeared on The O'Reilly Factor on July 11, 2012. He stated that he did not vote for Barack Obama in 2008 and that he would not vote for him in the 2012 election either.[8] In an interview with CNN, Walker described himself politically as a "realist independent" and stated that he opposed affirmative action, saying that it had outlived its usefulness. He also said that he was against gay marriage on moral grounds, but believed its legalization should be passed, stating it was not worth fighting against.[4]
Walker described his political beliefs at length in his autobiography, Dyn-O-Mite: Good Times, Bad Times, Our Times: A Memoir. In it, he called himself a "logicist," who believes in "logic and common sense", holding conservative positions on many issues.[9]
Despite rumors that Walker was dating conservative pundit and author Ann Coulter,[10] they are just close friends.[11][12][13][14]
Here are some more interesting tidbits about him: “Jimmie Walker on Relationship between ‘Good Times’ Co-Stars: ‘We Were Never Friends’
No story about actors making frequently aired ads for dubious products (see “Taking out a reverse mortgage is almost never a good idea”) would be complete without a reference to Tom Selleck’s reverse mortgage ads for AAG:
Selleck reportedly is worth $45 million and makes $200,000 per episode of Blue Bloods which amounts to $5 million a year. Reference I don't know how much AAG pays him as their spokesperson but I assume it isn’t chump change. The problem I have with ads such as this is that they appeal mostly to seniors who may find him so credible that they will take out a reverse mortgage without get advice from a qualify financial advisor who may explain why doing this is a bad idea for them.
Selleck’s politics are all over the map and there was some controversy about whether or not he supported Trump. He is well known as a big promoter of the unfettered right to own and carry firearms. He once sold part of his gun collection to the NRA for $476,000.
The Poll: How often do you feel like Howard Beale, the anchor in the movie “Network”, in this famous scene? The higher you rate yourself the more stress you probably are trying to cope with.
